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All articles for tag “history”
Showing 26—50 of 388 results

Did You Know? Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in USA than Mexico Tony Burton

US postage stamp commemorating Cinco de Mayo
Of the many battles fought on Mexican soil in the nineteenth century, only one — the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862 — has given rise to a Mexican national holiday.

Why this one? The main reason is that the Battle of Puebla marks Mexico's only major military success since independence from Spain in 1821.

On May 9, 1862, President Benito Juarez declared that the Cinco de Mayo, the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla, was to be a national holiday. In the U.S., the Cinco de Mayo has been transformed into a much more popular cultural event. read more

Paradise Valley Reviewed by James Tipton

"Paradise Valley — five thousand acres of prime, flat, fertile farmland nestled in the Sierra Madre of northeastern Mexico, only a hundred miles from the American border."
Inspired by actual events, several Amish families — finding new state laws impossible to live under because they undermined their faith and way of life — set off in 1922 to begin a new life in Mexico. read more

Revolutionary Days: A Chronology of the Mexican Revolution Reviewed by James Tipton

Revolutionary Days: A Chronology of the Mexican Revolution
Ray Acosta is a second generation Mexican-American His grandparents came from four different parts of Mexico… having fled during the height of the Mexican Revolution. After watching Ken Burns' TV epic on the U.S. Civil War, Acosta was struck by Burns' concluding with "something to the effect that the Civil War still has a profound impact on our lives." read more

Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum Erin Cassin

Dating back to pre-Hispanic times, the nahual is a shape shifter who switches between human and animal forms and is often characterized as a shaman. read more

This month in Mexico - index page Tony Burton

This Month in Mexico: January/Enero ... read more

Homer and the Aztec muse in Mexican literature Ronald A. Barnett

Tribute Page from the Codex Mendoza
Much controversy has recently arisen over several collections of poems in Nahuatl, in particular the Cantares Mexicanos, a manuscript in the National Library of Mexico. These poems are of particular importance because they appear to support a much different picture of the ancient Aztecs than we get from the tzompantli (skull rack) in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán or the horrendous accounts of Aztec human sacrifice left to us by the early Spanish soldiers and missionaries. read more

Discovering Clues to the Legacy of a Mexican Poet: Manuel Rocha y Chabre Joseph A. Serbaroli, Jr.

Several years ago, I was rummaging through a box of family photos with my dad, when he showed me an old, yellowing image of his mother from 1908. He told me it was taken in Mexico at the wedding of her cousin, the poet and playwright Manuel Rocha y Chabre. read more

When I took Fernando to Guanajuato Maggie Van Ostrand

With his parents' permission, I took Fernando, my 12-year-old English student, to Guanajuato, the seat of the Mexican War of Independence, for two days. We ate at a sidewalk cafe that offered nutritious hot fudge sundaes and banana splits. On to Alhondiga de Granaditas, formerly the massive town granary.... read more

Mexico's Black heritage: the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca Bobby Vaughn

The Amuzgo people of Mexico's Costa Chica. Most of the homes in the region were round mud huts, whose roots have been  traced back to what is now Ghana and the Ivory Coast.
© Bobby Vaughn, 2006
The Costa Chica ("Short Coast" in Spanish) is one of two regions in Mexico with significant Black communities, the other being the state of Veracruz on the Gulf coast. The Costa Chica is a 200-mile long coastal region beginning just southeast of Acapulco, Guererrero, and ending near the town of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca. read more

Mexico this Month - July Tony Burton

Did You Know That... During the month of July . . . DOWN WITH DICTATORS! NO MORE RE-ELECTION! MEXICAN NIGHTINGALE DIES - NATION MOURNS ... read more

Ajijic, Mexico, in the 1960s and '70s: a picture essay Tony Burton

Marsha Sorensen lived in Ajijic in the mid and late1960s, and made two extended visits in 1972 and 1973. Revisting Ajijic in 2008 for the first time in thirty-five years, she was struck by the “aston... read more

Gods, Gachupines and Gringos: A People's History of Mexico by Richard Grabman Reviewed by James Tipton

Gods, Gachupines and Gringos no more resembles the typical "history of Mexico" book than a rushing river resembles a dried-up arroyo. I was reading the book at the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic this morning when a couple of buddies joined me. I told them about the book, and read them a few of the passages above as a little sampler. When I finished I looked up. They responded in unison, "Where can I buy a copy?" read more

El Fuerte in Sinaloa, Mexico, was once the capital of Arizona Tony Burton

Prior to the founding of San Juan de Carapoa (later renamed El Fuerte de Montesclaros) by Francisco de Ibarra in 1564, relatively little is known of the early Indian peoples living in the Fuerte valley... read more

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C. M. Mayo Reviewed by James Tipton

 
In 1864 the Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg, accompanied by his ambitious and beautiful wife Charlotte, arrives in Mexico City. Louis Napoleon had previously sent thousands of French troops to the financially and politically unstable country. Even though Mexico is ruled by a democratically elected president, Benito Juárez, Maximilian is installed as Emperor of Mexico. Juárez must go into hiding. read more

Did you know? The Green Revolution began in Mexico Tony Burton

Most people probably have a vague idea that the Green Revolution was something to do with improving crops in the developing world, but how many realize that it began in Mexico? In fact, the Green Revol... read more

From Talpa to Puerto Vallarta in the 1800s Jenny McGill

I shall never forget the two trips we made to the seashore from Talpa. read more

Did you know? Mexico's vultures have very different eating habits. Tony Burton

Vultures (zopilotes in Spanish) are among the most conspicuous birds in many parts of Mexico. Commonly misidentified as eagles, these blackish scavengers can be seen almost anywhere, often in large flo... read more

Did you know? Los Mochis and Topolobampo are both examples of "new towns". Tony Burton

The city of Los Mochis ("Mochees", as locals call it) in the northern state of Sinaloa, is one of Mexico's newest cities. It dates back only as far as 1872, when a U.S. engineer, Albert Kimsey Owen (18... read more

Pancho Villa: Hero or cold-blooded killer? Marvin West

Image by John Hardman Web Page During Christmas holidays, a college sophomore stumbled into a board game, "Pancho Villa, Dead or Alive." He was surprised I had heard of Pancho but not... read more

Did you know? Cuautla, Mexico, has the world's oldest railway station building. Tony Burton

In the golden age of steam, railway lines were built all over Mexico. Rail quickly became THE way to travel. Depending on your status and wealth, you could travel third class, second class or first cla... read more

Mexico's famous historical people - a chronological list of Mexican makers of history

This chronological listing of Mexico's famous and infamous historical figures puts you only a click away from reading more about their victories, lives and loves. read more

Lake Chapala through the ages, an anthology of travellers' tales Reviewed by James Tipton

There is something for everybody in Tony Burton's, Lake Chapala through the ages. Whether you are fascinated by the early history of the place where you now live or visit (or would like to visit), or whether you are interested in early accounts of the natural history of the region, or of the lake itself.

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Diego Rivera's monumental stairway mural in Mexico's National Palace, Mexico City, D.F. (1) Joe Cummings

The center arch of the wall contains the Mexican eagle holding a serpent that showed the end of the Aztecs' migration. Included on the current Mexican flag, the eagle also represents a resurgent Mexico... read more

Did you know? 19th century Mexico map maker first sailor through the Georgia Strait, Canada Tony Burton

José María Narváez (1768-1840) is one of Mexico's forgotten heroes. Captain George Vancouver is usually given the credit for exploring the Georgia Strait and discovering the site of the city that n... read more

Reluctant revolutionary: the rocky road of Venustiano Carranza (1859–1920) Jim Tuck

Few people have ever less fitted the conventional image of a revolutionary than Venustiano Carranza. He was a country squire rather than an intellectual, he had been part of a ruling establishment and ... read more
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