Scorpion Mezcal barrels

Mescal

Timothy J. Knab Mescal, mescaline, mescal bean, mescal button; what are they? They are all intoxicants, which was what the word mescal meant in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today mescal generally refers to a type of aguardiente – water with a bite, firewater, a liquor distilled from the agave, a relative of the century plant or maguey commonly used to […]

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Did you know? Dinosaur bones in Mexico

Thousands of dinosaur bones have been found in northern Mexico. Bones literally litter the ground. Here’s a femur; there’s a tibia; vertebrae, ribs, skulls… Dozens of dinosaurs, including the world’s cheapest, have been unearthed in a broad belt across northern Mexico, from Baja California and Sonora in the west, through Chihuahua, and Coahuila to Nuevo […]

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Fishing boat in the Sea of Cortez

Overfishing in the Sea of Cortez: Are sustainable fish farms the solution?

It is occurring at an alarming rate — native populations of fish, mammals and other Sea of Cortez (or Gulf of California) inhabitants are declining, some to the point of near-extinction. Most people familiar with the issue agree on the reasons: commercial overfishing; bycatch victims of all species in commercial and local fishermen’s nets; environmental […]

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Playa Azul Beach

Playa Azul and Caleta de Campos: Exceptional beaches in Michoacan

In a country filled with wonderful beaches and resorts, what could possibly prompt someone to visit Playa Azul? Perhaps because it’s there – representing the only sizeable beach town along the 250km of Michoacán’s coast. One must discount Lázaro Cárdenas, the sprawling industrial giant to the south, namely because it’s not a town and because […]

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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 more pitched–and as supporting the movement became more risky–more sections of the masses stepped in to join them. This happened most especially in the […]

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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 Games in Mexico City. Part 2 was an account of what happened on October 2, 1968 at the Plaza of the Three Cultures in the Tlatelolco […]

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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 estudiantil y de otros sectores en vísperas de las olimpiadas en ciudad de México. La segunda parte describió lo que pasó el 2 de octubre en la plaza […]

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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 entre los estudiantes y las fuerzas de seguridad cobraban furia–y el apoyo era más arriesgado–más sectores del pueblo tomaron partido con los estudiantes. Eso ocurrió muy especialmente en la unidad […]

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