As these photographs show, in Mexico the strange is commonplace, and the commonplace, strange.
April 1985

Features
He left his parents’ house in search of a world where things were black and white, where there were heroes and villains. What he found in the slums of Port Arthur was a world that would tolerate people like him—and take advantage of them.
We’ve gone from one end of the state to the other to bring you the best-ever list of Texas Bests.
Okay, so photos of cute kids in fields of bluebonnets aren’t great art. That’s not the point at all.
An old hand at Pickens-watching reveals the key to the Amarillo oilman’s corporate-takeover antics.
San Antonio city councilman Bernardo Eureste too a paltry arts budget and built it into a $3 million power base. Then he got mad and tore it all apart.
Can there be too much of a good thing? Five of Texas’ favorite restaurants have duplicated themselves in other cities, and now they’re finding out.
Miscellany
If Lubbock gets a riverwalk, can a river be far behind?; previewing the mayors’ races; can Texas consultants make PAN dulce?; the Chronicle kills a story.
Columns
After extensive taste tests, our reporter concludes that the best lamb is to be found in our own back yard.
Now young, adventuresses can do more than just read about excitement. A new computer game for girls requires them to use their wits for survival.
The octogenarian whom many believe to be the greatest living composer pays a long-awaited visit to Texas.
The computer industry in Texas has a new lobby organized by three lobbyists who were in the right place at the right time—and knew it.
Into the Night leaves you in the dark; The Breakfast Club’s teenagers are out to lunch, Witness is a solemn eyeful.
John Hardee and Budd Johnson were two legendary Texas tenors who had their own ways of making peace with the rigors of the jazz life.
Reporter
The Max factor of Dallas; the tacos of Paris; the tales of Urrutia; the Hemingway of Texas; the good word from Houston; the mysteries of the Hueco Tanks.