Let me address some common misunderstandings about the names of Mexican states. Mexico is the name of the country. I may hear a “duh” but stay with me for a moment. One of the thirty-one states is also named Mexico. So how can you know the difference?

Most Mexican documents and addresses will use the form Edo. de Mexico meaning State of Mexico when referring to the state itself. You may also find the official name, Estado de Mexico, and the lesser used state abbreviation, Edomex. If you were trying to find someone living in the city of Acambay in the State of Mexico, the proper form could be any of the following: Acambay, Estado de Mexico, Acambay, Edo. de Mexico or Acambay, Edomex.

I wish I could tell you this is the final word about Mexico and the State of Mexico, but it’s not. A few prominent Mexican publications such as Guia Roji’s Mexican atlas and the national Mexico telephone books refer to Edo. de Mexico as simply Mexico. I recently had two situations that truly reflect the confusion that exists with the names of cities and states.

The first was an inquiry from a young girl. She wrote that she was starting her Mexican family genealogy and trying to locate a relative in Jilote, Veracruz. I explained there is no such city. There is a city named Jilotepec in Veracruz and recommended she check with the person who told her the city name was Jilote. The girl wrote back she was aware Jilote is a slang term for Jilotepec.

This exchange shows how one small item can stop you from moving your family genealogy research forward and finding the person you are looking for. It’s always best to use the proper city name if you’re searching online or asking for help from family genealogy research web sites.

Be aware that there can be cities or towns in the same state with only one or two letters difference between the two names. I sometimes do a double take because I’ll see two names that look exactly alike at first glance.

Another event occurred while watching the program, 48 Hours Mystery. The show opened with a scene from a city in Mexico. The caption read, “Ajijic, Mexico.” I just happened to be watching the show with a friend from Guadalajara who immediately said, “Hey, that’s in Jalisco! There’s no Ajijic, Mexico!” Guadalajara is in the state of Jalisco, and my friend knows the town, Ajijic. The proper form for the city is Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico.

Would any of us feel saying or writing Los Angeles, USA seemed appropriate or correct? To someone unfamiliar with the U.S. states, they may have no idea where Los Angeles is. Worse, who can say if the post office would deliver a letter if it was addressed to just Los Angeles, USA. So, when we talk about Mexican small towns, precision with the name and spelling is critical to your search and for anyone you have assisting you with the research.

If you are, or have had, problems because of the name of a Mexican city or state, take heart. Not even CBS and 48 Hours seem to know how to properly list an address. They may claim creative license, but when you are doing your family genealogy research and trying to locate someone in Mexico, that creativity can slow you down or stop your search altogether. Now you know what to look for.

This is a main reason why locating someone living in Mexico or doing your Mexican family genealogy may require the services of experts who know the ins and outs of Mexican cities, states and much more. It is virtually impossible to locate a person if you do not have the correct city and the state where they are living.

As people start their family genealogy research they often will ask about Mexican addresses. A common problem for many is knowing what the names mean. Is the address the name of a city or a state? An example would be: Magdalena Jalisco Autlan.

Knowing the Mexican state is one piece of the puzzle as you gather the information you must have so you can find the person you are looking for or do your family genealogy. The easiest way to handle this is to first identify which is the state name. The answer to the example above is: Magdalena and Autlan are the names of cities in the state of Jalisco.

From the many emails I receive, it is obvious there are general misunderstandings about the Mexican states, the capitals and what is a proper address. There are thirty-one states in Mexico. Mexico City is the capital of the country. Most capital cities have the same name as the state. For instance, the capital of the state of Puebla is Puebla. This is properly written as Puebla, Puebla. (There are state abbreviations, but I’ll save that for another time.)

So what does it mean if you have an address with Puebla, Mexico? That’s a good question. An educated guess is that the proper address is/should be Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. But when it comes to locating someone in Mexico and especially if you are going to pay for specialized family genealogy services or resources, you really want to be certain what the proper address is before you start spending your money.

If possible, ask the person who gave you the address to verify the information. Maybe they forgot an important fact, such as giving you both the city and state name. In some cases, the person may not know there is a difference and was simply passing on the address as they received it.

This may appear to be a minor issue, but it’s not. I just received an email asking for help with their family genealogy research. The city and state the person gave me is Puebla, Edo. de Mexico. There is no city listing for Puebla in Edo. de Mexico so it’s very likely the correct city and state is Puebla, Puebla. If this person hadn’t asked for expert advice, he may have continued searching for months thinking Puebla, Edo. de Mexico was a good address. It can be the small things that stop you from finding someone in Mexico. (Edo. de Mexico will be covered in-depth in the next article of our series.)

If at all possible, you have to verify your information is correct. This is one of the reasons why finding a person residing in Mexico and doing family genealogy research may require you to get the services of experts who can answer questions about addresses and so much more. It is virtually impossible to locate a person if you do not have the city and the state where they are living.

This information will be very helpful to your Mexico family genealogy research. In the next article, we will continue to cover the topic of Mexican state names.

There are few things as enjoyable as spending time with your children or grandchildren. Whether you are playing tag, hide and seek, or simply watching a kid’s movie for the umpteenth time because it is your grandson’s favorite, both the child and the adult reap the benefits of spending time together. Children learn, and adults get to teach. This means everyone benefits and builds positive family memories those children will pass down to their own children and grandchildren. One of my personal favorite activities is cooking Mexican food with children.

Children love to play in the kitchen. If you are preparing dinner, pots and pants with a wooden spoon can make a great babysitter while you prepare dinner for toddlers and infants, but as that toddler ages, chances are good those pots and pans are going to become interesting for a completely different reason.

When you get your children involved in the kitchen, you are building a stronger family bond, but you are also teaching the children something that will serve them well for the rest of their lives. Both boys and girls can benefit from knowing how to cook. Cooking Mexican food is fun and healthy which makes it even better.

So how do you get your children to help?

First, remember you should always supervise beginners and younger children. Generally, teenagers can handle the kitchen by themselves, but it is still a good idea to keep an eye out for things to offer a hand if needed. Also, never allow children to work with a knife. This is dangerous and should be taught slowly rather than quickly.

To get your children involved, simply ask for help. You will find that it is relatively easy to pull the kiddo from the television or the video game. Just say you need help in the kitchen. For the younger ones, you may want to start by simply offer measuring cups. This is also a superb way to teach some nice math skills too!

Ask questions: how many of those ½ cups will fit into 1 cup? That is a good question to ask! Your children will learn and have fun at the same time.

One of my son’s favorite activities when he was younger was spreading sauce over the tortilla. Then he could sprinkle fresh vegetables and fruits I prepared beforehand into the tortilla. Your child has just helped make a great snack or even helped with that dish of enchiladas!

Cooking Mexican food with children is great, but there is one more thing that helps teach the child. As you are finished with utensils or dishes, help your child clean up the mess. This will teach a whole other lesson that will prove beneficial – clean up after yourself; even mommy or daddy has to do it.

When it comes to having children help out in the kitchen, you will find that you are building bonds and habits that will last a lifetime. In addition, the fresh goodness of delicious food made by your child is something not only your child will proudly display, but it is something that you as a parent can marvel at. Yes, they do grow up so fast!