Tag Archives: 2017

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Feminism through Art

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-47-11-pmBy Alvin Starkman, M.A, J.D.

It’s not that Angélica Vásquez Cruz sets herself apart from other gifted female artisans in the state of Oaxaca because of her feminist bent; it’s her willingness to verbalize to whomever visits her home/workshop the strength she sees in the women of Oaxaca, and how she is invariably able to capture her perspective in her art. The master ceramicist has distinguished herself from other clay sculptors not only in her hometown of Atzompa, the closest craft village to the city of Oaxaca, but throughout all of Mexico. Since age seven Angélica has been innovating and adapting her art form, and for the past quarter century she has been using different clays sourced from the farthest reaches of the country to produce variations in texture and color for her unique and highly thought-provoking pieces. Continue reading Feminism through Art →

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Women Writers of The World: Thank You!

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By Carole Reedy

Over the past 200 years, women worldwide have offered fresh perspectives despite the prominence of men in most fields. In the 21st century, we’re seeing an emergence of women in politics, as heads of states, in science, and in the arts. Here are a few women writers who have enriched our lives, not only with their writing, humor, and intelligence, but with their ability to reflect on and express in words what it means to be a woman and, importantly, human. Continue reading Women Writers of The World: Thank You! →

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Project TEN: An Israeli-Mexican Partnership in Oaxaca – Part 2

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-47-47-pmBy Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

We recently traveled to the hills around Pluma Hidalgo to spend a couple of days with the Project TEN’s professional staff and young Jewish volunteers, primarily Israelis. In the February issue of The Eye, we reported on the important educational, medical, and public health services TEN was providing at the request of the village community members. In this issue we describe the work and life at the isolated TEN center. Continue reading Project TEN: An Israeli-Mexican Partnership in Oaxaca – Part 2 →

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The Power of Women

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-48-15-pmBy Leigh Morrow

The Dalai Lama has declared, “The world will be saved by the western woman.” I think he is right, especially if midlife women are enlisted.

A new wave is forming on the horizon, and the population of midlife women is about to crest. More women are in their middle years than ever before in history. In the next fifteen years, and that’s not a long period of time, our demographic will hit historical peaks—midlife women will comprise over half the female population. This growing demographic will allow midlife women a new opportunity, if they act, to be radical game-changers in the second half of their lives. To do our best work now, we need to use this upsurge to our advantage. Our real power is in our new numbers. Continue reading The Power of Women →

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Counting Taxis in Huatulco

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-49-57-pmBy Julie Etra

8:45 – 9:30 AM, February 9, 2017

Rene and I positioned ourselves on the curb in front of Elektra, at the intersection of Boulevards Benito Juarez and Chahue, notebooks in hand. We counted all vehicles, coming from all four directions, passing through the traffic light. We divided them in two categories: (1) non-commercial passenger vehicles—sedans, SUVs, pick-ups, vans, etc., excluding commercial vans (e.g., airport, hotel, tours), and (2) taxis. Continue reading Counting Taxis in Huatulco →

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Violence against Women in Mexico

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-48-33-pmBy Kary Vannice

In July 2015, major news outlets around the world reported that the Mexican government had issued the first ever “gender alert” for violence against women. The alert was issued in response to “systematic violence against women” and “an atmosphere of impunity and permissiveness” toward femicide (the killing of women), extreme gender violence and hate crimes. This alert lifted the veil off Mexico’s dirty, back-room secret of horrifying women’s rights abuse and domestic violence in a culture that, all too often, lays blame on the victim and not the victimizer. Continue reading Violence against Women in Mexico →

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Oh Papaya!

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screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-12-49-25-pmBy Julie Etra

Papaya (Carica papaya) is native to southern Mexico and Central America and has become naturalized throughout the Caribbean Islands, Florida and several countries in Africa. It is also cultivated in India, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and the U.S. state of Hawaii. The Maradol variety of papaya was developed in Cuba between 1938 and 1956 by self-taught breeder Adolfo Rodríguez Rivera and his wife María Luisa Nodal Ochoa. The name of the cultivar resulted from joining parts of the names of its creators—“Mar,” from María, and “adol,” from Adolfo. The Maradol is grown in many states in Mexico, including Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, and throughout the Yucatán. Continue reading Oh Papaya! →

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Rising above Their Role: Women and the War of Independence

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By Deborah Van Hoewyk

Mexico is macho, right? Machismo is matched with Marianismo (courtesy of the Catholic Church, every woman represents the pure and nurturing Mary), right? Except for the Tehuanas of the Isthmus, women take a back seat in Mexico, right?

Actually, not so much. The seeds of Mexican feminism were sown by women who fought—literally—in the country’s revolutions: The War of Independence (1810-21) and, a century later, the Mexican Revolution (1910-20). Continue reading Rising above Their Role: Women and the War of Independence →

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Mexican Citizenship… What’s in a Name?

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By Brooke Gazer

Having had Permanent Resident status in Mexico for several years, my husband and I decided to become citizens. This involves a lot of paperwork and the Secretariat of External Relations, which is responsible for issuing Mexican citizenship, is particular about the format. In order to simplify the process, we asked Perla, the local immigration lawyer, to help us. Ours was the first citizenship application she had done, but she offered to research the requirements and was confident that she could guide us through the system. Rick’s application was received and processed without any fanfare. Mine was an entirely different story. Continue reading Mexican Citizenship… What’s in a Name? →