Pancho Villa 1878-1923
Mexconnect writers explore the many faces of Francisco "Pancho" Villa, a key figure in the Mexican Revolution.
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Octavio Paz: Nobel winner and noble man (1914-1998)
1998 witnessed the passing of such diverse figures as Frank Sinatra, legendary boxer Archie Moore, two-term Florida Governor Lawton Chiles, cowboy star and entrepreneur Gene Autry, and Clayton ("Peg Le...
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Rebel, internationalist, establishmentarian: Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes was an internationalist from birth. Though one of Mexico's best-known citizens, he was born on November 11, 1928, in Panama, where his father represented the Mexican government. Mexico p...
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Aztec Autumn
Readers of these reviews may remember that I was a big fan of Jenning’s previous work, Aztec. I gave it my highest accolade – five stars. And here comes the sequel, which is almost as good. The action in this one takes place 12 years after all the goings on in Aztec and concerns the adventures of 18 year old Tenamixtli, the son of Mixtli, the hero of the former novel. Indeed, in the first chapter, Tenamixtli witnesses an execution, a burning at the stake publicly carried out by Spanish troops. Later, he discovers that the executed man was his father. How’s that for getting a story started? As you can imagine, revenge plays a big part in the plot.
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The Maya Civilization: Historical Conflict with the Spaniards
The Maya Civilization
Historical Conflict Part 2
(To Part 1)
"Just because of the crazy times, because of the crazy priests, is it that sadness overtook us, that 'Christianity' o...
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Guadalupe Victoria: Mexico's unknown first president
History has rarely furnished a more striking example of high-profile-low-profile than that of the first presidents of the United States and Mexico. George Washington was and is the quintessential house...
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The economy of New Spain: Mexico's Colonial era
The chief function of the colonies in the eyes of the Spanish Hapsburg kings — who ruled until 1700 — was to make Spain stronger, richer and more self-sufficient. Raw materials brought home from th...
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Religion and society in New Spain: Mexico's Colonial era
No sooner had the Spanish conquistadores vanquished the Aztec Empire militarily, than the spiritual conquest of Indian Mexico began. The Spaniards were devoutly Roman Catholic. It should be r...
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The settlement of New Spain: Mexico's Colonial era
The fall of the Aztec Empire and capture of its ruler Cuauhtémoc (1521), left Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés in charge of a vast and largely unfamiliar land. By 1522 his sovereign, Car...
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Dr. Atl and the revolution in Mexico's art
At the start of the Mexican Revolution (1910) painting in Mexico had reached an all-time low. The then President, Porfirio Diaz had been in power for more than 30 years and in the words of famous Ameri...
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Venustiano Carranza 1859-1920
SYNOPSIS
Born in 1859 as one of fifteen children of a wealthy landowner. Well educated. Entered politics as a municipal president. Later served as a state legislator, federal deputy and state governor...
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Lucha y Masacre en Mexico, 1968: Parte 2 Sangre en Tlatelolco
Obrero Revolucionario #976, 4 de octubre, 1998
Parte 1
Cuando las mujeres de Tlatelolco hirvieron agua...
pero no para cocinar
A medida que las batallas e...
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Upsurge and massacre in Mexico, 1968 part 3: echoes in the 90s
Revolutionary Worker #977, October 11, 1998
This is the final part of a three-part series. Part 1 described the rising movement of the students and others in the days before the 1968 Olympic ...
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Upsurge and massacre in Mexico 1968: part 2 blood at Tlatelolco
Revolutionary Worker #976, October 4, 1998
When the Tlatelolco Women Boiled Water--
But Not for Dinner
(Part 1: The Youth Revolt)
As battles between youth and security forces became more and...
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Lucha y masacre en Mexico, 1968: parte 3 ecos en los anos 90
Obrero Revolucionario #977, aa de octubre, 1998
Este es el último de tres artículos sobre el 2 de octubre de 1968 en México. La primera parte describió el desarrollo del movimiento estudi...
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Democrat to autocrat: The transformation of Porfirio Diaz
It is an ancient principle of politics that a revolution devours its children. Danton and Robespierre began as rebel leaders against France's ancien régime but Robespierre ended by cutting off Danton'...
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Cristero Rebellion: part 3 - behind the scenes
(This is the third of a three-part series about Mexico's tragic Cristero Rebellion, when forces of secular and religious fanaticism were locked in a no-quarter battle for the country's soul.)
...
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Cristero Rebellion: part 2: the combat phase
(This is the second of a three-part series about Mexico's tragic Cristero Rebellion, when forces of secular and religious fanaticism were locked in a no-quarter battle for the country's soul.) ...
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Cristero Rebellion: part 1 - toward the abyss
(This is the first of a three-part series about Mexico's tragic Cristero Rebellion, when forces of secular and religious fanaticism were locked in a no-quarter battle for the country's soul.)
...
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The Preclassic or Formative Period ( 1500 BC - 300 AD )
The Formative Period begins with the first appearance of pottery and ends with the rise of the Teotihuacan and Mayan civilizations. It was an epoch marked by the emergence of effective agriculture, the...
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La Malinche - harlot or heroine?
December 1997 "El Ojo del Lago" Guadalajara-Lakeside Volume 14, Number 4 With permission.
"La Malinche." Slave, interpreter, secretary, mistress, mother of the first "Mexican." her very name...
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African Roots Stretch Deep Into Mexico
March 3, 1996 -- In Mexico, various Indian peoples still play ancient instruments. And their songs and dances -- which tell of uprisings against their masters -- pay tribute to their ancestors.
The...
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