Explore the cultural diversity of Latin America
In 1910, the Mexican economy was still primarily based on agriculture and mining. Society was constructed around a feudal-style system where a handful of wealthy landowners controlled vast estates which accounted for the majority of land. These ‘semi-kingdoms’ were autonomously run and dependent on subservient labour. Peasant workers were usually granted a small parcel […]
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Yesterday, April 23, was World Book Day. Amazon once again joined in the celebrations by offering 9 books from around the world for the very accessible price of $0.00!!!!! Here are the offerings: Click here to head over to Amazon for more details. The offer is running for the rest of today. My […]
Read MoreI think I have found a kindred spirit in La Historiadora. As a former Latin American history scholar and life long learner, she’s putting her knowledge to use by sharing some interesting stories about Mexico’s past. I suggest you head over to her site and follow if you’re interested in finding out more about Mexican […]
Read MoreDid you think that the Mayan language is just one language? Think again! Mayan is the collective name given to a linguistic family. Today, over 35 unique Mayan languages have been recorded. It is estimated, however, that at the beginning of colonisation there were in fact hundreds of these languages in use. Think […]
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Today is Feb. 4 and a holiday in Mexico. Today’s holiday celebrates the declaration of the country’s Magna Carta. The constitution was declared in 1917, seven years after the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. The Revolution itself would continue for a couple more decades but the declaration of this constitution marked a turning point in […]
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Who was Lázaro Cárdenas? He was the President of Mexico from 1935 to 1940. He was said to be one of the most honest and dedicated of all Mexican presidents. During his campaign, he visited many rural villages and towns, the likes of which had a never before seen a presidential candidate far less a […]
Read MoreWhile many around the world celebrated Halloween on Wednesday (Oct 31), in Mexico and (by people of Mexican heritage throughout the world) a different but somewhat related festival takes place today: Día de los Muertos. (Day of the Dead) In some parts of Mexico, children do incorporate the more American tradition of Halloween into Día […]
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Mexican Independence Day celebrations begin at 11:00 p.m. on the night of September 15. The sitting President of Mexico reenacts the Grito de Dolores from the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City. The President even rings the very same bell that was rung by Padre Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla as part of his […]
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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th century nun, self-taught scholar and acclaimed writer of the Latin American colonial period. She was also a staunch advocate for women’s rights. (Biography.com) In previous articles we explored the issue of gender in Latin America and how specifically women were/ are confined within two […]
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In Part 1 of this topic, we defined and compared Machismo and Marianismo. In Part 2 we discussed the history and symbolism of La Virgen de Guadalupe. In this third and final segment we will explore the second archetype against which women are judged: La Malinche. Who was La Malinche? La Malinche (or Malinalli or Malintzin as […]
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