Category Archives: Culture
America’s soccer migrants: the US footballers crossing Mexico’s border – video
I worked as a fixer on this video for The Guardian.
Five Mexicans to watch in 2017
The past year was a rough one for many Mexicans. The list of difficulties and indignities was long, from the rise to the US presidency of confirmed enemy Donald Trump to the end-of-year shock of gasoline prices soaring by as … Continue reading
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Tagged Amlo, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Jonas Cuaron, Kate del Castillo, Margarita Zavala, Netflix, Valeria Luiselli
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Surreal Mexico: five extraordinary historical characters
The artistic juxtaposition of the absurd and the real is a familiar sight in Mexico—the great Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez described it is a country where surrealism “runs through the streets.” Fittingly, the nation has produced its fair share … Continue reading
Exotic pets in Mexico: The ethics and dangers of a growing trend
In recent years, Petco and +Kota have successfully cornered the lucrative Mexican pet market. The former is a US chain offering bright and airy superstores on edge-of-town retail parks, while the latter follows a convenience store model, offering a vast … Continue reading
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A menagerie of mythical Mexican creatures
Mexican folklore, mythology and local gossip are full of cryptids: animals or plants whose existence has been suggested but has not been scientifically proven. Many of them have their origins in Aztec legend, still more were created when the Spanish … Continue reading
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Tagged ahuizotl, Chaneques, Chupacabra, cryptozoology, Mexico, monsters, mythology, Teo Mixli Xicualli
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Five great Mexican love stories, as tragic as they are tender
1. Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. There are multiple stories explaining the volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, which overlook the valley of Mexico. In the most popular legend, Popocatepetl, which translates as “the smoking mountain,” was sent to battle in a distant territory. The … Continue reading
Charm offensive: Mexico’s hospitality courses school society girls and support impoverished families
Mexican college students complaining about having too much homework have found a novel way to release their frustrations: by logging onto twitter and bashing ESDAI, a hospitality course offered by the Pan-American University. “I’m going to change to ESDAI to … Continue reading
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Tagged Finishing school, Hospitality, Mexico, Tourism, Universidad Panamericana
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Mexico 2014 – The year of the internet meme
In Mexico, humorously captioning photos has become something of an art form. Social media in 2014 was buzzing with these internet memes, which are spread virally online via Facebook and Twitter, or through instant messaging service WhatsApp. New technologies are … Continue reading
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Tagged Angelica Rivera, Arjen Robben, Ayotzinapa, Chapo Guzman, Indigenous, Luis Videgaray, meme, Mexico, Televisa
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The Day of the Dead: How death became a national symbol
In his famous essay The Labyrinth of Solitude the poet Octavio Paz claims that “the Mexican chases after death, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, and sleeps with it. He thinks of it as his favorite plaything and his most … Continue reading
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Tagged Claudio Lomnitz, Day of the Dead, Mexican culture, Mexico, Mexico City, Octavio Paz
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The Mexican Labyrinth 