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Mitla and its Cultures
Twenty-four miles outside the city of Oaxaca, in the town of San Pablo Villa de Mitla, a group of ruins subsist in a state of repose, waiting to be encountered. The site’s original name in Zapotec is…
The Red Queen of Palenque
During the Classic period, Palenque was one of the most important Maya cities. Archeologists have uncovered some of Palenque’s greatest secrets, including two sarcophagi, that contribute to Palenque's…
Impacts of Milk Consumption on Child Development in 1960s Mexico
Though milk consumption is vital to child development, it was not always easy to access in Mexico during the 1960s, which caused negative health impacts for children. During this period, mothers had…
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…
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…
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…
Pyramid of the Moon
The Pyramid of the Moon is located in the ancient city of Teotihuacan some thirty miles northeast of Mexico City. Although smaller than the site's famous Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon…
The City of Uxmal
The city of Uxmal is located in the hilly Puuc region of the Yucatan peninsula. It was first established around 500 C.E. and controlled the entire area from roughly 850 to 950 CE.
Today, the ruins…
Mesoamerica and the Big Apple: Mexican Nationalism at the 1964 World’s Fair
For twelve months between 1964 and 1965, Mexican and Mesoamerican culture invaded the economic heart of the western world, New York City. Grand displays of Mesoamerican art steeped in the mystic…
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…
Life in the Fast Lane: The Rise and Untimely Death of Mexico's Greatest Driver
Pedro Rodriguez was born to go fast. Indeed, his early life involved two things that all great race drivers understand; change and competition. To succeed in auto racing, a driver must adapt to…
I Heard it on the X: Radio and Revelation in the American Borderlands
When Dr. John Brinkley spoke, people listened. They couldn't help it, really. Everyone in America was listening to the radio, and Brinkley had the most powerful presence on that most popular platform.…
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…
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…
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…
The House of the Ambassadors
Edzná is an archeological site located in near the Mexican-Guatemalan border. This region of southern Mexico is in the state of Chiapas at the base of the Yucatan peninsula. Though it is associated…
The Angel of Independence
El Monumento a la Independencia, or the Angel of independence, is a tribute to Mexico’s victory over Spain in its War of Independence. Its construction was finished in 1910 under the presidency of…
San Juan Chamula
San Juan Chamula is an autonomous Indian village inhabited by Tzotzil Mayan Indians. It is located in the highlands of Chiapas, a state with a historic reputation for political rebellion. The church…
Empire of Oil
In 1900 using their paper the Regeneracion, the Magón brothers continually fanned the flames of revolution against the regime of then President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz.[1] Like steam from a teapot,…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
Aztec Military Hierarchy
Hierarchy is established in military systems to provide organization. Orders can be sent through the ranks by those of higher rank or status to their inferiors who will carry them out without…
The Tizoc Stone
When one enters the Aztec exhibit at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City there is an immediate sense of ancient power radiating from the artifacts in the room. To the left a beautiful…
Chac: Deity on the Yucatán
In the summer of 1989, the residents of a Yucatán village near the ancient ruins of Yaxuná were in great distress. Due to a drought, two of that year’s crop plantings had failed and a third crop…
Chichen Itza: Archaeological Paradise
Chichen Itza or as the Yucatec Maya called it Ch’iich’en itzam,[1] is one of the most well-known ancient Maya cities in the world. Labeled as one of the 7 wonders of the world by UNESCO, Chichen Itza…
Shells in Mesoamerica
Tulum was one set of ruins found in the Yucatan Peninsula. It was also the only Mayan city built on a coast around the late classic era (200CE-1000CE). Their daily routines included activities…
John Galindo: Palenque and Copan
Copan was a Maya civilization that took place in the classical era of 300-900 AD. This civilization had many political, religious or civil issues. The Maya leader of Copan was Yax Kuh Mo, he…
Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca
El jardin de etnobotanico de Oaxaca is home to many indigenous plants that are only found in Oaxaca. Oaxaca has several different types of climates throughout the state. The garden collects…