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The Power to Dominate: Jaguar Symbology in the Olmec Tradition
With the ability to see in the dark, uncanny stealth, and incredible strength, the jaguar is the apex predator of Mexico, and its greater living space throughout Central and South America. No other…
The Plaza of Oaxaca
For thousands of years before the arrival of the Spanish, the people of Mesoamerica had gathered in outdoor public spaces that served as sites for ritual, commerce, and the performance of music.…
The Pirates of Campeche
You are awakened by the sound of gunfire. You stumble outside to a night sky filled with the suffocating smell of smoke. More gunshots ring out in the distance, as a harmony of pained, panicked…
The Pink Zone in Mexico City
The Pink Zone or better known as, "La Zona Rosa” is a commercial site in the City of Mexico which is known for having all sorts of restaurants, bars, hotels, sex shops and fun commercial venues. “La…
The New Cuauhmeh: Escuadrón 201
The cuauhmeh, the plural form of eagle in Nahuatl, were a special division of soldiers in the Aztec military that were known for their ferocity and ability to capture opponents for ritual sacrifice.…
The Myth of the Caesar Salad: A Case Study in Mexican Tourism
It started as a makeshift July 4th meal. It came from someone’s mother’s recipe from the Old World. It was stolen from a line cook. Julius Caesar invented it himself. Okay, maybe not that last one,…
The Miracles of Izamal
The streets of Izamal, a small town about 70 kilometers south of the capital Mérida on the Yucatán Peninsula, are filled with tourists and natives alike to see a tradition that dates back decades. The…
The Mexican Revolution: The Anarchism of Ricardo Flores Magón
Ricardo Flores Magón lived during a time after the implementation of the Monroe Doctrine and the Mexican American War, which established the dominance of the United States as a world power in the…
The Maya Codex of Mexico (MCM)
The Maya Codex of Mexico (also known as the Grolier Codex) was discovered in the mountains of Chiapas in 1964. The following year, Mexican collector Dr. Josué Sáenz traveled with two men on a small…
The Maya 2012 Phenomenon
In 2009, Roland Emmerich directed the action-disaster movie 2012. The movie focused heavily on themes of apocalypse and the way that people can and should treat each other in times of crisis. Little…
The Kennedys’ 1962 Visit to Mexico
At the northern end of Mexico City, the streets Avenida John F. Kennedy and Adolfo López Mateos sit parallel with each other. The proximity of these two streets highlight the close relationship…
The Jewel of Oxtankah
What was once thought to be a single piece of a Maya ritual outfit, is now found to be only a small piece of what was once a full body suit. The piece, a ritual garment that resembles an oversized…
The Hunt for Monte Alban
Alfonso Caso started his archaeological career as a professor, and also former student, at the University of Mexico from 1918 to 1940 where his specialty was Oaxacan history and culture. From there he…
The House of the Ambassadors
Edzná is an archeological site located in near the Mexican-Guatemalan border. This region of southern Mexico is in the state of Chiapas at the base of the Yucatan peninsula. Though it is associated…
The Great Goddess of Teotihuacan
Arms open wide, reaching down to her people below, she is adorned with a beautiful headdress and jewelry. Her purpose is unclear, but her beauty is apparent. Appearing in multiple murals throughout…
The Flores Magón Brothers and American Imperialism
The Mexican Revolution of 1910 has its roots in both long-term structural issues in Mexican government and society regarding land distribution and political participation, as well as foreign…
The Fall of Tenochtitlan
In 1485, Hernán Cortés was born in the small town of Medellín, Spain. He pursued law for a time until he became interested in colonization. One of his first experiences with colonization came when he…
The Descending God
The Descending or Diving God of the Maya is truly unique. This god is depicted upside down, hence its name, and found usually holding something in one or both of its hands. The god can be found at…
The City of Uxmal
The city of Uxmal is located in the hilly Puuc region of the Yucatan peninsula. It was first established around 500 C.E. and controlled the entire area from roughly 850 to 950 CE.
Today, the ruins…
The Cholula Massacre
The Spanish Conquest of 1519 was motivated by Hernán Cortés and his small band of merchants’ lust for gold, glory, and God. The band of men merchants traveled into the highlands and marched further…
The Catholic Church: 400 Years After Conquest
Izamal or Zamná which means "Dew that descends from heaven" was a place of pilgrimage and religious significance to the Maya people. There were at least 7 pyramids in this region, many were respected…
The Boturini Codex
The Boturini Codex is an anonymously-created Aztec codex that was made between 1530 and 1541. Its second name is “Tira de la Peregrinacion” which means “The Pilgrimage Strip” and tells the story of a…
The Blue House: Frida Kahlo
In Mexico City lay a bright blue house that physically displays the colorful life Frida Kahlo left behind. The blue color of the house was later known to represent her admiration for the indigenous…
The Birth of the Feathered Serpent
The religious art in Pre-hispanic Mesoamerica featured an abundance of iconographic deities that resembled the most important fauna in the region. It was common to combine the characteristics of…
The Angel of Independence
El Monumento a la Independencia, or the Angel of independence, is a tribute to Mexico’s victory over Spain in its War of Independence. Its construction was finished in 1910 under the presidency of…
Texture of the Centuries
Indigenous blouses, better known as huipiles, in Oaxaca, Chiapas reveal as much as they hide. They tell a tale of fertility, enchantment and seduction with the intricate design using the colors of the…
Textiles In Mesoamerica
Textiles are one of the oldest forms of art known to mankind because every civilization has their own unique way of approaching this art. Many societies use textiles in many different ways according…
Tetitla
Located 500 meters west of the Avenue of the Dead is Palacio de Tetitla. Tetitla is one of the numerous housing complexes located around the ceremonial center of Teotihuacan. Tetitla was inhibited…
Templo Mayor
Templo Mayor, Spanish for Great Temple, is located in the middle of Mexico City. It is believed that the Mexica called the Templo Mayor Hueyteocalli. Originally Templo Mayor was located in the center…
Temple of the Magician at Uxmal
Puuc style architecture is predominant in the Puuc region of Mexico. The style came about in the Late Classic period but continued on and advanced during the Terminal Classic period. Puuc style has…