Superman is an illegal alian: humor and satire in the corrido
Mexicans are lining up on the south side of the Rio Grande and North Americans are lining up on the north side, each group of citizens looking for something from the other. For the North Americans, it'...
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Endangered Mexico: An Environment on the Edge by Joel Simon
There's no good news in Joel Simon's book. It's a catalog of the awful things that have happened in Mexico since the time of the Conquest.
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Dry season in Oaaxaca: are we flushing today?
I have been living in southern Mexico, in the city of Oaxaca, for two years noticing daily customs and ways of doing things that are not the same as where I lived in the mountains of Colorado. One big ...
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Planting the seeds of democracy in Mexico City
"El ombligo del universo" the ancient Mayas used to say about Mexico City. "The bellybutton of the world." Within this city of 17 million, there are many central spots, but, in my opinion, none stand o...
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Mexico's indigenous peoples
These kids are Tarahumara indians who live in the Copper Canyon area. The Tarahumara are among the most marginalized of Mexico's indigenous peoples, and suffer from severe drought in the summer and nea...
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Fear and uncertainty in Chiapas
A monument to the 45 refugee victims of the massacre on December 22, 1997 in Acteal, Chiapas, at the hands of a paramilitary death squad. The child's shoe is a symbol of the many children who died that...
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No tengo cambio: Paying with coins in Mexico
This clown is plying his trade in the Oaxaca Zócalo.
He probably needs change. Photography by Diana Ricci
There is a deep, dark, secret hole where all the change goes, and nobody k...
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The EZLN: Mexico's President Zedillo changes his mind
During the more than three years since the Zapatistas walked out of the jungle, and into history, El Sub has consistently predicted that he will not live to see victory. When I wrote this article, a li...
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Flying to Oaxaca at Christmas time
A latecomer brought by TV and consumerism from El Norte, this Santa, with his reindeer made from local tree branches, was greeted with a mixture of awe and nervousness by the children on the plaza in f...
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Billionaires in Mexico: Where did they all come from?
This piece was written in the summer of 1995. The number of Mexican billionaires has diminished, but the kidnappings have increased. The photo is of the inlet to Santa Cruz Huatulco. Photography by D...
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Sharing the wealth in Mexico
If you hang out in the Zocalo (town square) as much as I do, the beggars get to know you. Depending on how you handle yourself, the nightly encounters can be easy or annoying. The reactions of the othe...
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Please stop rocking the bus: Protests in Oaxaca
All roads in Oaxaca state lead to the south side of the Zócalo, facing the state Government Palace. On most days, there is a march and demonstration there by one disaffected group or other. This...
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Mexico's National Erosion Project
While traveling through the mountains to Tehuantepec, I noticed a large bald patch, obviously man made, on a very steep slope. At the time I thought "ah, someone must want to create erosion". The rest ...
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Quien sabe?
I read somewhere that there are three stages to many occurrences in Mexico: the event; the contradictory rumors that are told about the event; and the decision that, given all the preposterous rumors, ...
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Shopping on Sunday
Made by art students from sand and other materials, this sculpture in front of the Oaxaca Cathedral was created for Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Photography by Diana Ricci ...
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Nobody expects the Protestant Inquisition
First written in the spring of 1994, this story has been revised several times as dictated by subsequent events. It has generated more responses than any other. Most of them have been at least somewhat...
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Plenty too much everything
Figures made from cornhusks on display at Radish Festival, held on December 24 in the zocalo, Oaxaca. Photography by Diana Ricci
In Oaxaca, having "bastante" (too much) is not consid...
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The servant
In early 1994, when this letter first appeared, I did not have any personal knowledge regarding the practices outlined here; nor do I now. I introduced this subject because there had been persistently ...
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New kids on the block
In March of 1994, I was contemplating the saying "Mexico: so far from God, so close to the United States", and having a good chuckle over El Sub's interview with Ed Bradley. In March of 1996, Marcos me...
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Letters to the editor: June - Nov. 1995
Below are some archives of letters to the editor that Stan has chosen to answer with open responses.
November 30, 1995
The Struggle
Curious, it seems. My wife and I were on a bus...
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Screwing the screw fly in Chiapas
San Cristobal in April 1994 looked a lot like the rear command area in any bush war: lots of army, government officials, reporters, human rights observers, and tourists like me. A year after writing th...
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The customer is always right... but
Carved figure on display at the annual Radish Festival, held each year on December 23. "Mata rile rile ron" is a children's verse, used in a sort of "musical chairs" game. Photography by Diana Ricci
S...
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Right time, wrong place
Protest flag, Zocalo, Oaxaca City, 1996: "Death to the PRI government, responsible for the corruption, misery and killing of the Mexican people" Photography by Diana Ricci.
The local July 4th party wa...
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And now for something a little different
The main gate of the central cemetery of Oaxaca decorated for Dia de los Muertos. "Eternity starts here; worldly aggrandizement is dust" Photography by Diana Ricci.
For me, "The Last Waltz", Robert Al...
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How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm?
In the spring of 1994, I met some young people who had come to the big city of Oaxaca. This is a synthesis of what they told me about the life they left. (The cheerful mezcaleros (makers of mezcal) pic...
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