Category Archives: February 2014
Editor’s Letter
“There is no such thing as a “broken family.” Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart. ”
― C. JoyBell C
I was a bit stumped with this month’s editorial and the subject of family. the dictionary archaically describes family as adults and children living together or people bound by a common bloodline or ancestry. Yet there are many people in my life who do not fit that criteria and whom I easily consider to be my family. Continue reading Editor’s Letter
The Patriarch
By Brooke Gazer
In the 1940´s, Felix Ruiz was a young man who was determined to live to become an old one. At that time land disputes were common thoughout Oaxaca and when a quarrel in the region of Santa Maria Huatulco escalated into an all out war, eight of his friends had perished. Fed up with the fighting, he left “Rancho Las Palmas” where he was born to start a new life in a nearby region on the coast. Continue reading The Patriarch
Carrera Para La Cruz
By Kathy Taylor
Fourteen teams of 8 fun loving people invaded Huatulco’s beaches and streets on January 19th in the 4th Carrera Para La Cruz benefiting the Huatulco Red Cross. Continue reading Carrera Para La Cruz
Marriage Payments in Oaxaca: An Evolving Convention?
By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
In the central valleys of Oaxaca the tradition of making marriage payments is waning or disappearing in some towns and villages, while in others it continues to thrive. Marriage payments are either brideprice or dowry. In most instances brideprice refers to the transfer of currency or non-monetary equivalent from the groom or his family to the bride’s family, while dowry is a transfer payment by the bride’s family to the wedded couple itself. Continue reading Marriage Payments in Oaxaca: An Evolving Convention?
Family Matters: From Asia to the Americas, a Recurring Theme in the Novel
By Carole Reedy
This year we’ll be pointing you toward many outstanding novels from around the world. Happy 2014 and let’s get started. Continue reading Family Matters: From Asia to the Americas, a Recurring Theme in the Novel
Family Day
By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken
El dia de la familia is a relatively new national holiday in Mexico, observed on the first Sunday of March. It was instituted by the federal government in 2005 with the signing of an agreement to promote the unity of the family. The signatories included President Vicente Fox, various units of government, universities and other educational institutions, religious groups, representatives of the media, civic organizations, and business groups. The purpose of the day is to celebrate the integral role families play in Mexican culture and more generally to reinforce the global importance of families as the nucleus of society. Continue reading Family Day
Family Outings in Mexico City
By Carole Reedy
With family at the epicenter of life for most Mexicans, it isn’t surprising that a myriad of family activities awaits you in DF, whether you’re a visitor or a resident. Everywhere you turn you’ll see families laughing and talking. Children accompany their parents everywhere, sometimes even to the workplace. Continue reading Family Outings in Mexico City
Benefit Art Exhibition Returns to Huatulco for Third Year; With Opening Gala Reception
By Mary Spicka
The 3rd Annual “Huatulco Being” benefit art exhibition and sale will be held on February 21, 2014, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM in Commercial Local 1 at Sueno del Mar Condominiums, just west of the Xquenda Spa on Playa Chahue. The exhibit will be followed by an open studio the following day (Saturday, February 22) from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Continue reading Benefit Art Exhibition Returns to Huatulco for Third Year; With Opening Gala Reception
Pale, Transient Ghosts – Living Echoes of an Ancient Culture
By Kary Vannice
A familial/ethnic group written out of the Mexican history books? Who could these people be, and why and how could they have been so easily disregarded?
Your mind may automatically go to some long-gone ancient, indigenous tribe, who where effectively wiped clean by European settlement here in Mexico. But, this ‘tribe’ is not long-gone, nor indigenous. They are, in fact, European immigrants whose close-knit families still thrive on Mexican soil today … Gypsies or, depending on whom you talk to here in Mexico, ‘Roma’ or ‘Hungarians’. About 20,000 Gypsies are believed to be living in Mexico today, but their numbers are hard to determine for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is their wandering lifestyle. Continue reading Pale, Transient Ghosts – Living Echoes of an Ancient Culture
You must be logged in to post a comment.