Category Archives: December 2013
Editor’s Letter
“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”
J.M. Barrie- Peter Pan
Sometimes you just don’t know what you have stumbled into. It was my first week in Mexico and I knew nothing….I mean nothing, not how to ask for a beer or help. I had no latino friends and I had really only eaten Mexican food a handful of times in my life. I had no idea how vast and diverse this country is or that I would spend the next sixteen years learning about it. Continue reading Editor’s Letter
Understanding Mexico: Gift Ideas for Book Lovers
By Carole Reedy
Whether you’re buying for family or friends, a Mexican or just a lover of Mexico, here’s a short list of gift possibilities. Most you can find in both English and Spanish, as well other languages. The fascinating and bloody history of this enchanting land has been written about extensively–some books good, some not, some accurate and some not. This quick selection gives you the best from which to choose. Continue reading Understanding Mexico: Gift Ideas for Book Lovers
Christmas Shopping: Where and What to Buy at Mexico City’s Markets and Bazaars
By Carole Reedy
Shopping as a cultural activity? In Mexico, especially in DF, it’s very possible. Just as there’s food on every corner of the city, there are items to buy, customs to learn, and captivating vendors with whom to converse. Shopping in Mexico is much more than just buying—it’s learning about the item’s origin, method of production, variety of uses, and names. Continue reading Christmas Shopping: Where and What to Buy at Mexico City’s Markets and Bazaars
Las Posadas Mexico’s Christmas Tradition
By Neal Erickson
Posada in Spanish can mean inn, lodging, shelter, boardinghouse, home, etc., depending on context. Traditionally in old Mexico, when people were traveling, at the end of the day they would seek a place to spend the night out of the elements. When no inns or hotels were available, travelers would seek “posada” in private homes, asking for their hospitality and kindness and sometimes receiving a meal with the resident family. Often they simply slept on the floor. As the population became converted to the Roman Catholic faith by the Spanish Conquistadors, a tradition developed based upon the Biblical story of Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem on the eve of Jesus Christ’s birth. Continue reading Las Posadas Mexico’s Christmas Tradition
Craft Beer & Food Pairing in Oaxaca
By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
Husband and wife Fernando Bolaños and Fernanda Sueldo (no, they say their names didn’t spark their love affair) opened Oaxaca’s first craft brewery about two years ago, coincidentally around the same time that Oaxaca City inaugurated its first artisanal beer store, Bier Stube. Cerveceria Teufel (formerly known as Camarada) has taken Oaxaca de Juárez and indeed the entire country by storm. It’s already won a gold medal at a national competition and congress, Cerveza Mexico. Beyond producing a line of quality craft beers, if you know the right people you can arrange for a beer and Oaxacan food pairing (maridaje) event at the nano-brewery (smaller than micro). Teufel currently produces only about 150 cases a month. Continue reading Craft Beer & Food Pairing in Oaxaca
Virgin of Juquila
By Jane Bauer
The fiesta of the Virgin of Juquila is one of the most important and with greatest following among the Catholic community of the State of Oaxaca, and even among the faithful of surrounding states like Puebla, Guerrero and Veracruz. Continue reading Virgin of Juquila
The Position of Church and State in North America
By Brooke Gazer
The “separation of church and state” refers to the official distancing between organized religion and the government. Of the three countries that comprise North America only one does not have a law that separates the two institutions. Some may be surprised to learn that the odd man out is Canada. The reasons that each country has their respective policies are historical and the way each deal with religious matters varies considerably. Continue reading The Position of Church and State in North America
11 Facts About World Religions
Religious discrimination might seem like a problem we’ve solved, but in countries across the world, including the US people are still persecuted and abused because of their religious beliefs. One way to fight religious discrimination is by fighting ignorance by learning about religious traditions outside your own. Here are 11 facts about religions practiced across the globe. Continue reading 11 Facts About World Religions
Winter Solstice
By Kary Vannice
Well here we are, one year after facing down the Aztec “End of the World”, December 21st, 2012. A year, that happened, and turned out to be not that much different than any other, generally speaking. Continue reading Winter Solstice
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