Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was born at the Corralejo Hacienda in Pénjamo, Guanajuato, on May 8, 1753. He was sent to Valladolid (now Morelia) to study at the San Nicolás Obispo College, where he later taught theology, philosophy and ethics. He eventually became college Rector. In 1792, he was ordained as a priest and, after […]
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The author of the famous poem “The Bells of San Blas” had never ever visited the town. The San Blas that the poem refers to is in the state of Nayarit, on the Pacific coast. Today, it is a small town, with several good hotels and restaurants. Close to the town are a variety of […]
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Scientists first explored El Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s highest peak, as long ago as 1838. El Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (= star), is Mexico’s highest peak, with a summit 5,746 meters (18,853 feet) above sea level. The third highest peak in North America, it is also that region’s highest volcano, responsible for major eruptions […]
Continue ReadingIt is time that women discover the Aztec Indian woman called Doña Marina by the Spaniards and La Malinche by her fellow Indians and demand recognition of her as a true heroine. She certainly had as great an impact on the history of the New World as any woman, yet has been belittled and defamed […]
Continue ReadingIn the Mesoamerican civilizations that preceded the Spanish Conquest, intellectuals usually derived from the priestly caste rather than from the ranks of warriors and statesmen. But there was one exception: a man with the tongue-twisting name of Nezahualcoyotl. (Approximate pronunciation: neza-howl-coyotl.) Luis Valdez, professor of Chicano studies at the University of California at Berkeley, describes […]
Continue ReadingWith only 618 soldiers and sailors, four cannon, several brass guns, and sixteen horses, Hernàn Cortéz – also known as Hernando Cortés – brought about the collapse of the Aztec Empire, thereby accomplishing the Conquest of Mexico, considered by historians the greatest military feat in history. Historians also agree that without the help of a […]
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Mexico’s equivalent of the Domesday book was compiled in the sixteenth century. History shows that conquerors often have very little idea of what they have really acquired until it is firmly within their grasp. One of their first steps following victory is a comprehensive survey of everything of value, or potential value. For instance, in […]
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I know! You think I’m several sheets to the wind from too many shots of tequila already, even before you read this month’s Did You Know column. But—honestly—diamonds really can be made from tequila! Scientists have discovered that Mexico’s national drink, when subjected to considerable heat with the resulting vapor persuaded to hit just the […]
Continue ReadingThose who characterize liberals as wimps or ineffective bleeding hearts would think twice if they lived in the era of a fiery and committed jurist and reformer named Santos Degollado. Along with the politician-scientist Melchor Ocampo and the poet-journalist Guillermo Prieto, Degollado was one of the bright young men in the inner circle of Progressives […]
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