By ALLAN WALL What is now Mexico City was founded as Tenochtitlán in 1325 by the Mexica (Aztec) and subsequently destroyed by the Spaniards and their indigenous allies in 1521. The Spaniards built a new city on the rubble. Therefore, when they dig down under the city, archeologists frequently find Aztec structures, as was the case in the renowned Templo
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BY THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS She is the patron saint of Mexico and the focal point of the world’s most visited Christian pilgrimage site. Her image is seen in virtually every Mexican Catholic church and is even caricaturized in hip teenage accessories ranging from school backpacks to chic little blouses. And yet, for all her omnipresent influence in Mexican culture, the story
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PULSE NEWS MEXICO Blush-red poinsettias have long been regarded around the world as the perfect companion to seasonal traditions and classic Christmas decorations. Lesser known is the leafy, long-stemmed flowers’ far-flung history. Called nochebuenas in Spanish (literally “holy night,” referring to Christmas Eve), the poinsettia has traveled across oceans and changed varieties more than 70 times within its centuries-old legacy.
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS While the ubiquitous images of painted skeletons and sugar skulls that abound across Mexico this time of year might be a bit off-putting for visitors from other countries, the golden orange color of thousands of marigold (cempasúchitl) flowers that line Avenida Reforma and decorate the omnipresent ofrendas (altars to the deceased) at least give a cheery
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PULSE NEWS MEXICO In a preview to the Mexico’s internationally acclaimed two-day Day of the Dead celebrations, which are observed each year on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, more than 600 ghoulish skeletons, zombie-like walking dead and fantastic multihued creatures took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday, Oct. 29, in a promenade of horror and moribund fun. This
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS If the thought of nighttime excursions to the cemetery, public altars to the dead on practically every street corner and sugar skulls with your name written on them in icing gives you the creeps, Mexico is probably the wrong place for you to be this time of year. But if the reaffirmation of life through the celebration
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PULSE NEWS MEXICO The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) announced on Friday, July 8, its new home jerseys for the Mexican national team to wear at the 2022 World Cup, slated to take place in Qatar from Nov. 21 to Dec. 18. The new uniform of the national team is inspired by one of the main gods of the ancient Aztec
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS For some, they are the very essence of feminine sensuality, their delicate petals unfolding like a vibrant display of female genitalia (think Georgia O’Keeffe’s famous flower paintings that resemble a vagina). For others, they symbolize death and the morose beauty of unobtainable passion. In 1894, H.G. Wells wrote a short story about them, describing their bulbs as
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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF Renowned Mexican archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma received the coveted Princess of Asturias Award in the field of social sciences in Oviedo, Spain, on Wednesday, May 18. Matos Moctezuma, who is best known for discovering and excavating the ancient Mexica (Aztec) Templo Mayor in downtown Mexico City, was given the award in recognition of more
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By JESSICA GUERRERO MORELIA, Michoacán — Since pre-Hispanic times, Mexico has been characterized by the religiosity of its inhabitants whose complex cultural legacy that prevails to this day. In the ancient Toltec, Maya and Aztec cultures, virtually every aspect of daily life resolved around religious ceremonies and rituals. After the arrival and establishment of Catholicism in the 16th century with the
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