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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Vivan los Muertos! By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS Mexico’s Day of the Dead (well, actually, it’s two days, but most people just clump the duo holidays under the same moniker) is a vibrant part of the country’s rich and multifaceted culture, drawing on a combination of pre-Hispanic and colonial heritage. An uncanny celebration of life and a tribute to the memory of
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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF Mexico City’s Franz Mayer Museum opened an exhibit on Wednesday, Sept. 29, of works portraying the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The 82-piece collection, titled “Relatos Artísticos de la Conquista” (“Artist Tales of the Conquest”), presents different perspectives and artistic interpretations on the fall of the Mexica (Aztec) civilization of Tenochtitlán from the 16th, 17th
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Erstwhile Aztec and Spaniards Meet in Court A major political war between the modern conquest version of the Aztec versus the Spaniards is now being wagered in Mexico between conservative and liberal forces. The conflict was sparked by the controversial ruling made by Second District Court for the Administration, Economic Competency and Broadcast Services for Mexico City
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By RICARDO CASTILLO As someone who was raised and educated in accordance with a Christian way of thought, the meaning of Christmas this year poses a challenging prospect for celebrating, mainly because Christianism – as it is practiced today – is not the love-professing religion it once claimed to be. Is Jesus indeed the son of God? Millions of Mexicans
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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF 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
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By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS Before covid-19 came along and led to massive lockdowns, there was a rather unusual Christmas holiday practice in Mexico that involved, starting in around mid-December, the practice of neighbors suddenly banging on each other’s door late at night demanding refuge and hot punch. Those already familiar with Mexican Christmas traditions will recognize this unusual ritual
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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
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Even if the daily assault by the Mexican press and opinion columnists on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) is no less than brutal, the problem they all face is that while he has a long-range program he strictly complies with, most of his critics live on a day-to-day basis. At the end of the road tally,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Dos Bocas Bubble Bursts The news was sensational. Chinese Ambassador to Mexico Zhi Qingqiao told reporters during the celebration of a China Day event organized by Mexico’s Economy Secretariat on Monday, Jan.13, that Chinese banks were investing $600 million in the Dos Bocas Refinery, currently under construction in the southeastern state of Tabasco. Immediately after
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