It 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 ReadingShortly after arriving at Tenochtitlán in the fall of 1519, Hernán Cortés and the Spanish conquistadores were granted an audience with Moctezuma at his breakfast table. They found the Aztec ruler sipping an exotic drink called xocóatl (meaning bitter water). Made from ground cacao beans boiled in water, flavored with vanilla and other tropical spices, and chilled with bits […]
Continue ReadingExotic-looking even on a map, the Mexican state of Veracruz stretches along the Gulf Coast like the graceful tentacle of a sea creature. Within the boundaries formed by the warm coastal waters to the east and the Sierra Madre Oriental to the west is an enticing pot-pourri of cultures. The indigenous, the Afro-Cuban and the […]
Continue ReadingI was recently invited to write the prologue for a book on Mazatlán history, with the condition that I relate Mazatlán to Europe. As a Mazatleco who has been living in Switzerland since 1982, I felt half-fit for the job. My suggestion was that the prologue should relate Mazatlán to both Europe and the United States. […]
Continue ReadingForeigners can buy or invest in real estate in Mexico without any restriction, except in the coastal and border areas. There, foreign individuals and branches of foreign corporations can have 100% control of property through a real estate bank trust. Mexican corporations with foreign capital are allowed to buy directly if the property is to […]
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Would you believe that Free Mason Benito Juárez was the one who decapitated the Catholic Church¹s control with his Reform Laws of 1859? Would you believe that Masonic Lodge Member and Free Mason Benito Juárez would become President of Mexico in 1861? Or that Mexico did not have another great president until almost a hundred […]
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History of Oaxaca – Part 3 – Modern Era Also, see: Part 1 Pre-Hispanic Era Part 2 Colonial Era Let us continue our overview of life in Oaxaca, past and present. In this final section, we will review the period from Independence in 1821 through 1999 and the incalculable changes which these few years have […]
Continue ReadingBIBLIOGRAPHY FOR: The Ancient Maya An Exploration of Trade & Commerce During the Mayan Period Source Article: The Ancient Maya – A Commercial Empire Andrews, Anthony P. 1983 Maya Salt Production and Trade. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. Chase, Alfred F. 1992, “Elites and the Changing Organization of Classic Maya Society.” In Mesoamerican Elites. Diane and Arlen […]
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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