Not only was Anthony Quinn (1915 – 2001) not Greek, he was born in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, as Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca. His father was Francisco Quinn, a Mexican of Irish descent, and his mother was Manuela Oaxaca, of Aztec ancestry. Francisco rode with revolutionary Pancho Villa; then in 1952, in Viva Zapata! Anthony played revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata’s brother Eufemio, opposite Marlon Brando who played the lead role of Emiliano. Brando lost the Best Actor Oscar to Gary Cooper, while Anthony took Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Mexican to win an Academy Award. Continue reading Zorba Wasn’t Greek … and Other Mexican Actor Trivia→
January 16, 2014 the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce their nominees for their prestigious awards, the Oscars. Usually, we film devotees from north of the border pay great attention to the Oscar nominations while our Mexican friends tend to ignore the event. This disinterest, if not distaste, may be a product of the relative lack of Academy acknowledgement of the great success Mexicans have had in the film industry. Continue reading The Academy Awards and Mexico→
The memory of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is alive and well in the U.S. Her writing and ideas about the need to educate women are central to a play, The Tenth Muse, which recently had its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon. Set in a convent in Mexico City in 1715, twenty years after the death of Sor Juana, the central plot of the play is the discovery of the writings and musical scores of the iconic champion of women’s rights which had been hidden by her niece, also a nun, to prevent burning by the Inquisition. Continue reading The Tenth Muse→
Maria Asuncion Arumburuzabala is the wealthiest woman in Mexico. She is the granddaughter of Don Felix Arumburuzabala, founder of Grupo Modelo, the brewing company that produces Corona which is distributed in more than 180 countries worldwide. She is considered one of the most influential Mexican women in the economic sector, serves on the Boards of several Mexican corporations, and also has a stake in Grupo Televisa. She was the first woman to serve on the Mexican Stock Exchange (2003-2006) and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the German company Siemens, Mexican division (2003 to 2006). Continue reading Las Poderosas→
Jim Spicka’s second annual art exhibition ‘Huatulco Being’ will open on Friday, February 8, with a wine-and-tapas reception from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. Even more cosmopolitan than last year, the exhibition also features the work of Huatulco artist Rafael Ortega. Co-hosted by ReMax Huatulco in the first-floor commercial space of the Sueno del Mar condominiums, donated by Uli and Maria Kaufhold, the reception will be followed by two mornings of a studio open house (Saturday and Sunday, February 9th and 10th, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm). Once again, the exhibition will benefit the Bacaanda (El Sueno Zapoteco) Foundation. Continue reading ‘Huatulco Being’ Art Show→
This is my favorite opera, no doubt about it. Opening night in 1851 was a triumph and the opera a box-office success for La Fenice. Since then, it has become a staple of the standard repertoire and appears as number 10 on the Operabase list of the most frequently performed operas worldwide between 2006 and 2010. Mark your calendar now because this new production by Michael Mayer has everyone talking. Continue reading Rigoletto: MET Opera Live in HD→
The 2012-13 season of high-definition (HD) transmissions from the Metropolitan Opera in New York marks the new year with six more productions from the Met to brighten your winter doldrums, from January 5 until April 27. See the two delights for January in Teatro Macedonia Alcala in Oaxaca City and at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City as well as several other locations in Mexico. Continue reading Sneak Preview: January MET Operas Live in HD→
Huatulco has moved up another rung on the cultural ladder with the opening of Teresa Sanchez’s “Academia Profesional de Danza Corsan”. Teresa has been offering classes in Ballet and Modern Jazz at “The Casa de Cultura” over the past five years but as more of the beginners moved into the intermediate levels, a larger space was required. With some help from her husband, she was finally able to open the new dance academy on Calle Cocotillo. Teresa brings a wealth of dance experience to our community and we are fortunate to have her among us. Continue reading Huatulco’s New Dance Academy→
By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken
By Deborah Van Hoewyk
You must be logged in to post a comment.