When I first started traveling to Mexico, lodging choices veered between humble homegrown pensions or rather dingy motels and the massive El Presidente, Fiesta Americana and similar hotel chains. There was virtually nothing in the middle. As more comfortable, well-run but still small and locally owned inns and small hotels sprung up, they weren't...

Inside the brilliantly hued Talavera-tiled kitchen, I was learning a seriously important "don't" of poblano cuisine. Don't inhale. At least not while leaning above chiles roasting over a stove's open flame. It's not as painful as rubbing chile oil in your eyes, but spicy steam will fill your lungs. The resulting coughing fit, however,...