The song “Bésame mucho” (Kiss me a lot) was written by a young Mexican woman who had never been kissed. This article is a tribute to Consuelo Velázquez, who died January 22, 2005, at the age of 84. Consuelo Velázquez was one of Mexico’s best known modern songwriters. She wrote her most famous song – “Bésame […]
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One of the perks of living at Lakeside is the ubiquitous exposure to the religious art of the Huichol people. The artwork, so vibrant in color and rich in symbolism, effortlessly draws the viewer into its compelling world of magic and myth. Chapala Lake, with its small villages sprawled along the banks, is considered a […]
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I’ll break your jaw! (Chalco) In the umbilicus (Xico) Place of the squashed serpent (Coapatongo) [1] Mexico’s place names or toponyms provide a rich and fun source for linguistic analysis. Indigenous peoples spoke languages that had no formal alphabet. They developed complex symbols (hieroglyphs) for place names that used combinations of up to three different […]
Continue ReadingIt is a tribute to the sincerity and strength of the faith of the Mexican people, that Catholicism, is still the dominant religion in this land south of the Rio Grande. Time after time, the Catholic Church has narrowly escaped destruction and survived only because of popular support that defied the law of the land. […]
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The art and attitudes of the two great Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco could not be more different. Rivera was a classicist, Orozco an expressionist. Rivera was optimistic, Orozco was a pessimist. Rivera was an indigenista who idealized the Indian segment of Mexican society and glorified pre-hispanic culture. Orozco was a hispanista who admired the Spanish […]
Continue ReadingTacutsi Aramara, the Goddess of Life, is the Mother Goddess. From her have sprung all life forms; humans, animals and plants. Tacutsi not only gives life to all she nurtures, but teaches a manner of life pleasant to the gods. Tatewari is Grandfather Fire, instructor of shamans, giver of light, hat, and warmth – imperative […]
Continue ReadingIn Mexico on the first two days of November, the dead are remembered in a very special celebration which is one of the most hallowed traditions in the Mexican culture. Each year, a series of unique events are held in several parts of the country to commemorate family members who have passed away. In the […]
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All around town, people are carrying babies. It takes me a moment to realize, (mostly because they are swaddled in blankets) that they are not real babies but dolls. Then it takes me another moment and a scolding from my new mother-in-law to realize that they are not dolls either. They are Niños Jesus — […]
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In Mexico and all over the Catholic world, December 28 commemorates the Santos Inocentes or Holy Innocents, considered the first Christian martyrs. Upon hearing of the birth of Jesus, King Herod ordered the death of every child in Bethlehem under the age of two in an effort to wipe out all competition to his throne. […]
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Decorated evergreen trees, garlands of greens and ivy, yule logs, shiny glass balls, seasonal music, twinkling lights, special family meals, shimmering stars, brilliantly red poinsettias, silvery ribbons, mounds of presents, and Santa Claus are the vibrant heralds of the Christmas season in the United States and Canada. Few North Americans recognize that the roots of […]
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