All Stories: 181
Elizabeth Catlett and the Cold War
Elizabeth Catlett, an African American Artist at the height of the Cold War, chose to leave possible persecution in the United States. With this decision in mind, she settled in Mexico to work with a group of artists with common beliefs. The themes…
The Soviet Advance on Mexico
In early December of 1959, Anastas Mikoyan, the Soviet Union’s first deputy premier and one of its most formidable political figures, shouted "Viva México!" to a group of oil workers in the small Veracruz city of Poza Rica. A loud "Viva Rusia!" in…
Thomas C. Mann and El Chamizal
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Laredo, Texas native, Thomas C. Mann, as the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico from Texas. Long a proponent of settling a fractious border dispute involving a small piece of land known as “El Chamizal” on…
John F. Kennedy and the Politics of the Virgin of Guadalupe
During a brief trip to Mexico City in 1962, President John F. Kennedy attended mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. What at first may appear to have been little more than a gesture of good will and an expression of faith from the US’s first…
Mayan Ritualistic Use of Tobacco
Balamkú cave in Chichén Itzá holds high numbers of Maya artifacts. The connection between the Maya and the Underworld being intertwined in the inner earth is not a new revelation, but what rituals were conducted and with what are still questions…
The Smallpox Vaccine
Although it has now been eradicated, smallpox, named for the pus-filled blisters that often rendered the disease-ridden individual unrecognizable, left a devastating and indelible mark on the New World. In a particularly graphic and poignant…
Finding Tollan at Xochicalco
Over the course of centuries, beginning with Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's mention during the sixteenth century, the ancient Mesoamerican site of Xochicalco, which is in the state of Morelos, Mexico, has captured the attention of explorers and…
Pre-Columbian Midwifery Practices
Throughout history and across all cultures women have arguably held the most significant role in society: motherhood. This role has required every culture group to create medical practices, as well as religious and spiritual beliefs to cope with and…
Empires of Glass: The Importance of Obsidian in Mesoamerican Societies
Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent ingrained in the historiography of Mesoamerica cultures, is steeped in mystic symbolism that permeates almost every aspect of the Mesoamerican cultures dating back almost two millennia. Quetzalcoatl’s image is a…
The Power to Dominate: Jaguar Symbology in the Olmec Tradition
With the ability to see in the dark, uncanny stealth, and incredible strength, the jaguar is the apex predator of Mexico, and its greater living space throughout Central and South America. No other animal hunts this big cat, and its domination over…
Tollan and Quetzalcoatl in the Ancient City of Tula
Religion is one of the most powerful forces in human history. Religion compels people, saves people, condemns people, and halts people. Records of religious beliefs have been found in almost every civilization in recorded history. Despite the fact…
Chichen Itza: The Tollan of the Yucatan
Chichen Itza’s timeline from the classical and post-classical period is shrouded in mystery from the surrounding Mayan civilization. The city-state of Chichen Itza itself has many features in architecture and imagery that are similar to the likes of…
Xoc: A Broken Past
In December 2015, the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City recuperated the Bas-relief known as Xoc. An Olmec sculpture, just over 2 meters tall, once sat in the Lacandon jungle of Chiapas until it was chipped off its original location and…
"Rebels of the Grains": Zapatistas and Rock and Roll
Rage Against the Machine is a rock band based out of Southern California that consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk.[1] The four members combine strong music with heavy rhythms,…
Ed Ricketts: Life, Friendship, and Adventure
“Half-Christ and half-goat,”[1] this was how Edward Flanders Ricketts was described. He was a marine biologist, based in Monterey, California on Ocean View Avenue. He is known for his book, “Between Pacific Tides”, which describes the ecology of…
John Steinbeck and his Voyage to The Gulf of California
“Below the Mexican border the water changes color; it takes on a deep ultramarine blue – a washtub bluing blue, intense and seeming to penetrate deep into the water."[1] This quote is from "The Log from the Sea of Cortez", the author is well known…
U.S. Grant and the Railroad
Many years later following the end of his presidency, Ulysses S. Grant decided to venture on a trip to Cuba and Mexico in December of 1879. Grant’s colleagues, such as Whitelaw Reid, asserted that Grant's trip was motivated by his eagerness to make…
Mexico and Hurricane Katrina
The Ejército Mexicano (Mexican Army) rolled into Nuevo Laredo on September 8, 2005, as Hurricane Katrina slammed into southern Louisiana after making landfall in New Orleans. A line of forty-five military vehicles filled with up to 195 military…
Ocelots in South Texas
The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is about the size of a bobcat but holds many characteristics of its more famous cousin, the jaguar, (Pathera onca). This spotted yellow- furred cat prowls in the tropical forests of South and Central America, and the…
The New Cuauhmeh: Escuadrón 201
The cuauhmeh, the plural form of eagle in Nahuatl, were a special division of soldiers in the Aztec military that were known for their ferocity and ability to capture opponents for ritual sacrifice. While a majority of these men were the sons of…
Las Pampas Ranch
One of the main factors that caused the 1910 Mexican Revolution was agricultural workers not being able to own the land they worked on. Mexico had far too many large, individual land holdings making the everyday farmer struggle to gain rights to…
Parque Lincoln
If one were to find themselves strolling through the parks of Mexico City, they might be surprised to run into a statue of United States President Abraham Lincoln in Mexico City’s aptly named, Parque Lincoln. Commissioned by the United States…
Ramón Valdiosera, A Life
When watching films like “Coco” or seeing displays of Mexican art, a pink tone stands out; this pink tone composed of purplish tones, similar to the color fuchsia, has ties to Ozuluama, Veracruz, Mexico. Its designer was inspired by the religious…
Jackie Kennedy in Yucatán, 1968.
What is the image you think of when thinking about a Former First Lady? Perhaps it is the image of a prim and proper woman fashionably dressed sipping tea. Jackie Kennedy was a fashionably dressed woman that did not just sit and drink tea, however.…
A Brief History of Mayan Revival Architecture
Walking up to the Templo de la Ciudad de México, one would believe that they were about to enter a Maya temple from the pre-Columbian Era. It must be shocking then when they realize that this Maya-style building is actually a religious temple for The…
Iconic Cuisine: Tamales of the Maya
Tamales are a simple mixture of corn masa (dough) – sometimes filled with sweet or savory fillings and then wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks for cooking. In the hustle and bustle of today’s modern society, the tamale maintains a revered…
Harald Wagner Teotihuacán Murals
The mysterious people that built the ancient city of Teotihuacán are still revealing their secrets to us today. The ruins of that historic urban center are located approximately 25 miles northeast of the sprawling metropolitan center of Mexico City.…
National Institute of Anthropology
The federal government oversees all archaeological sites and most of the museums in Mexico. The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (otherwise known as INAH) is charged with maintaining and caring for these locations. INAH, which is…
The Maya 2012 Phenomenon
In 2009, Roland Emmerich directed the action-disaster movie 2012. The movie focused heavily on themes of apocalypse and the way that people can and should treat each other in times of crisis. Little attention was paid to science and even less to the…
The Kennedys’ 1962 Visit to Mexico
At the northern end of Mexico City, the streets Avenida John F. Kennedy and Adolfo López Mateos sit parallel with each other. The proximity of these two streets highlight the close relationship between their namesakes cemented fifty-eight years…