Expat Files – 02.24.17

#1- When your rough Spanish really kicks into high gear:
There are unpredictable good a bad things that happens when you finally start understanding bits and pieces of what’s being said around you. How and when that hallelujah moment of clarity finally does happen comes differently for all of us clueless expats. Even so, after that it’s not “damn the torpedoes” full speed ahead either. Confidence will build and then overconfidence will disappoint along with some noticeable backsliding…

Rise and fall of city states tied to stormy weather

Changeable weather may have been a major force in the success and failure of agrarian states in Mexico and Peru, according to climate and archaeological records. For a new study, researchers looked at climate records for central Mexico gleaned from a stalagmite collected from Juxtlahuaca Cave in the state of Guerrero. They also looked at the climate record preserved in …