Hi! I&#39;m Jimmy Ríos, of Cool Stuff Jimmy Gets From Mexico! I buy and import artesanía mexicana directly from Mexican Artisans and the shop keepers they work with throughout all of Mexico. There&#39;s no desk work paper pushing here. I personally drive down to Mexico to meet with and purchase from all of our Cool Stuff artisans LIVE and in the flesh in some of the most remote artisan communities in Mexico. Join me as I learn about their lives and sub-cultures while trying to stay safe along the Mexican highways and back roads, filling my trailer with all kinds of unique and culturally significant Cool Stuff to bring back to share with you!

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2023/12/5/2/f9991b13-ac13-4481-a4ec-7a8b87331a58_12-3-23-spanish_04-12-23_21-39-03-713.mp3

¡Acabamos de tener nuestras primeras elecciones oficiales reconocidas a nivel estatal y nacional por la primera vez en quién sabe cuanto tiempo! Todo ya está por empazar a tomar forma. ¡Por favor síguenos y apóyanos en nuestra misión si sea posible!

3/12/23 AOA PTA NOTICIERO: ¿Qué Pasó Siempre Con La PTA?

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We&#39;ve recently had our first offical, state and nationally recognized elections in as long as anyone can remember! We&#39;ve hit the ground running with so much building and preparation to do! Follow along and support our organization as we create this thing from the ground up!

12/3/23 AOA PTA UPDATE: What's The Deal With The PTA?

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Hear how organized crime in Mexico has ended this business in its current form, how I plan to proceed, and what I&#39;ll be up to in the meantime. This whole thing is definitely not for the faint of heart and I definitely plan to see it through.

EPISODE 12 - The Last Ride Of Cool Stuff Jimmy Gets From Mexico - 12/3/23

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Un breve noticiero de todos los movimientos alrededor de qué está pasando con la PTA de AOA mientras se busca formalizar la entidad.

27/11/23 AOA PTA NOTICIERO: ¿QUÉ PASA CON LA PTA DE AOA?

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In the wake of the recent and most tragic news from the border, we&#39;re still a go and it&#39;s full steam ahead to Mexico to continue our mission to support directly our Mexican Artisans and the shop keepers they work with, in need of our help now more than ever as instances like these continue to whittle down the national and international tourism they rely on. While safety is never a guarantee anywhere, be it on the road in Mexico or on my way down to the border, hear a bit about the precautions I take to mitigate and minimize my exposure to risk and danger as a little bit of information goes a long way.

EPISODE 11 - Yes, I'm Still Going To Mexico - 3/10/23

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Hear about the sizable population of American-born people, quietly living in Mexico, raised as Mexican Nationals, primarily on the Mexican side of the southern US border but also found throughout all of Mexico. I talk a bit about some conversations I&#39;ve had, not only with Mexican parents that had strategized to give birth in the US, but also with their young adult children regarding the challenges they face as they now seek to enter either the US or Mexican job market. I found it to be a very interesting and complex aspect of life on the US/Mexico border not often discussed.

EPISODE 9 - Born In The USA! - 1/16/23

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Story time! Hear about the very first trip I ever made to drive down to get our goods in person. Everything was going fine until I arrived and received a text message saying they were going to kidnap me and cut my head off. Probably my least favorite day ever.

EPISODE 8 - This One Time, In Mexico, They Wanted To Chop My Head Off - 12/18/22

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In this week&#39;s episode, I discuss a few recurring challenges I encounter while doing business within a few of Mexico&#39;s Indigenous Communities. I wish things were always as smooth as how they appear during our Live Sales, but as you&#39;ll hear, there are a lot of background discussions being had prior to filming on location and they don&#39;t always go as well as I would hope. While I always look to strike a deal that is fair and equitable to all involved, many times that&#39;s easier said than done.

EPISODE 7 - Working in Indigenous Mexico - 12/12/22

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Hear a bit about my thoughts and experiences with learning Spanish in Mexico as a NON-NATIVE SPANISH SPEAKER and how it has affected my outlook on Spanish speaking and Spanish learning so many years after. Trust me, you&#39;re GOOD! ¡ÉCHATE EL ESPAÑOL!

EPISODE 6 - ¿No Español? No problem! - 12/5/22

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Hear a bit about my experience as a Mexican-American, and the lack of understanding or acknowledgement of that concept, in Mexico. From my time as a student, to being mistaken for a Hit Man, to how it affects doing business within rural southern Mexico communities while being received in unwelcoming and, at times, outwardly hostile manners. Contrary to what one may think, it definitely hasn&#39;t made my time down there any easier.

EPISODE 5 - Mexican The Adjective, Not Mexican The Noun - 11/28/22

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In this week&#39;s episode I respond to some feedback from Episode 3 and discuss a few aspects of how the current Mexican drug wars are affecting artisans, some plans to bring their items to market, and a little bit about my motivations to do what I can.

EPISODE 4 - Are You Effing Crazy? - 11/19/22

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A blown head gasket forced me to turn around and head back home. Today I discuss in detail some very specific threats and dangers I&#39;ve learned about first hand on the Mexican Highway that have me convinced to NEVER risk it. Drugs, sex, violence, corruption, and definitely not a place for the faint of heart.

EPISODE 3 - Life Is A Highway - 11/13/22

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Welcome back! In this episode, I explain the specifics of the how our Cool Stuff items get from the hands of our artisans deep within rural Mexico to your doorstep along with the hard knock evolution of the process on my end. The good, the bad, and the way not cool along with a brief discussion on Tourist Resort violence.

EPISODE 2 - How It Works - 11/5/22

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2022/10/30/17/0ebc8c3a-9eab-40c2-8669-bd7a266de4c2_episode_1_10-30-22_30-10-22_13-34-50-577.mp3

Welcome to the Cool Stuff Jimmy Gets From Mexico PODCAST! Today&#39;s episode is a brief description of how CSJGFM came to be with some brief mentions of a few aspects of this business previously not mentioned on-line to be delved into on later episodes. Keep an eye out for new episodes as we discuss, in depth, some of the the many, many, MANY different and interesting aspects of this business as I learn them on the road all over Mexico!

EPISODE 1 - Intro - 10/30/22

Purchasing live on site with Mexican Artisans throughout all of Mexico!

Hi! I'm Jimmy Ríos, of Cool Stuff Jimmy Gets From Mexico! I buy and import artesanía mexicana directly from Mexican Artisans and the shop keepers they work with throughout all of Mexico. There's no desk work paper pushing here. I personally drive down to Mexico to meet with and purchase from all of our Cool Stuff artisans LIVE and in the flesh in some of the most remote artisan communities in Mexico. Join me as I learn about their lives and sub-cultures while trying to stay safe along the Mexican highways and back roads, filling my trailer with all kinds of unique and culturally significant Cool Stuff to bring back to share with you!