Before we moved to Mexico, Reed and I enjoyed traveling around New England. One of our jaunts took us to the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. I mentioned to my architect and landscape painter sister that I was highly skeptical about the mauve tones used by one artist to capture a sunset. But my skepticism changed abruptly one evening when sunset painted itself in precisely the mauve tones captured by the artist. My sister's response was surprise that viewing a painting had the power to heighten my awareness of color in the natural world.
That's how I feel reading about and living in Mexico. The process is cybernetic: the more I read, the more I understand what I’m seeing; reciprocally, the more I experience, the more I'm able to understand what it is I'm reading.
Here's a list of books and other resources, including the Internet, that I enjoy and find important. Most are available on Amazon.com—many on Kindle! I've also included a few online resources.
Non-fiction: History and Culture
Aguayo, Sergio, Panteón de los mitos: Estados Unidos y el nacionalismo mexicano (English: Myths and Mis Perceptions: Changing U.S. Elite Visions of Mexico): Aguayo is a leading Mexican political scientist, analyst and activist. This project had its beginning as his doctoral dissertation at Johns Hopkins University, but after he received his degree he continued working on his analysis that covers 30-years of U.S.-Mexico interactions. Published in 1998, the story he tells is important for all of us on both sides of the border to understand.
Archibald, Robert R., A Place to Remember: Using History to Build Community: Trained historian and president of the St. Louis, Missouri, Historical Museum, Archibald identifies "[a ]sense of attachment to place, including contested, submerged, and living memories generated over time...." as the unifying themes for his reflections on why history matters, and how it can more deeply inform community problem solving, empathy for others, and personal enrichment; more to the point, the themes of memory and attachment to place resonate with the profound linkages to the earth found among indigenous peoples: that is, to their "rooted" certainty that their land is their proper place on the earth (see also Gustavo Esteva).
Bonfil Batalla, Guillermo, Mexico Profundo: Una civilización negada (English: Mexico Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization): After reading Mexico Profundo, written by Mexican sociologist Bonfil Batalla, a Purhépecha friend commented, "He is writing about my pueblo, my people, my life; he must be Purhépecha." Mexico Profundo is the perfect antidote to T.R. Fehrnbach's dismissal of the value of indigenous peoples and culture in his otherwise excellent history of Mexico, Fire and Blood!
Carrasco, David, Religions of Mesoamerica: Cosmovision and Ceremonial Centers: This highly readable, short book (159 pages) explains clearly and systematically key elements of Mesoamerican culture. It is a superb introduction to Mesoamerican religious thought. Highly recommended.
Castañeda, Jorge, Mañana Forever?: Mexico and the Mexicans (Spanish: Mañana o pasado: El misterio de los mexicanos): Originally written in English for readers in the United States, this book provokes intense conversation among Mexican citizens as well. Castañeda describes as 'individualism' a cultural trait that is better understood as personalismo—personalism. Highly recommended for anyone curious about, or interested in living in or doing business in Mexico.
Coe, Andrew, Archaeological Mexico: A Traveler's Guide to Ancient Cities and Sacred Sites: Son of Michael Coe, Andrew has written a highly readable, usable, wonderful guide to Mexico's archaeological treasures. Published in 2001, I just came across it. Highly recommended.
Coe, Michael D. and Koontz, Rex, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs (Sixth Ed., 2008): Michael Coe is one of the giants in the field.
Esteva, Gustavo, Grassroots Post-modernism: Remaking the soil of cultures: If you're ready to have many of your most cherished assumptions challenged, read this remarkable and intensely human account of the struggles of indigenous peoples to maintain their cultures in the face of 'globalism'. Esteva's views are becoming increasingly important in light of the 'Occupy Wall Street' and other protests against the current system that raise the key question, How sustainable is the current global system?
In Motion Magazine interviewed Gustava Esteva for its four-part series titled "The Society of the Different". The resulting articles quote at length from Esteva's Grassroots Post-Modernism. Highly recommended precisely because of the online access.
That's how I feel reading about and living in Mexico. The process is cybernetic: the more I read, the more I understand what I’m seeing; reciprocally, the more I experience, the more I'm able to understand what it is I'm reading.
Here's a list of books and other resources, including the Internet, that I enjoy and find important. Most are available on Amazon.com—many on Kindle! I've also included a few online resources.
Non-fiction: History and Culture
Aguayo, Sergio, Panteón de los mitos: Estados Unidos y el nacionalismo mexicano (English: Myths and Mis Perceptions: Changing U.S. Elite Visions of Mexico): Aguayo is a leading Mexican political scientist, analyst and activist. This project had its beginning as his doctoral dissertation at Johns Hopkins University, but after he received his degree he continued working on his analysis that covers 30-years of U.S.-Mexico interactions. Published in 1998, the story he tells is important for all of us on both sides of the border to understand.
Archibald, Robert R., A Place to Remember: Using History to Build Community: Trained historian and president of the St. Louis, Missouri, Historical Museum, Archibald identifies "[a ]sense of attachment to place, including contested, submerged, and living memories generated over time...." as the unifying themes for his reflections on why history matters, and how it can more deeply inform community problem solving, empathy for others, and personal enrichment; more to the point, the themes of memory and attachment to place resonate with the profound linkages to the earth found among indigenous peoples: that is, to their "rooted" certainty that their land is their proper place on the earth (see also Gustavo Esteva).
Bonfil Batalla, Guillermo, Mexico Profundo: Una civilización negada (English: Mexico Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization): After reading Mexico Profundo, written by Mexican sociologist Bonfil Batalla, a Purhépecha friend commented, "He is writing about my pueblo, my people, my life; he must be Purhépecha." Mexico Profundo is the perfect antidote to T.R. Fehrnbach's dismissal of the value of indigenous peoples and culture in his otherwise excellent history of Mexico, Fire and Blood!
Carrasco, David, Religions of Mesoamerica: Cosmovision and Ceremonial Centers: This highly readable, short book (159 pages) explains clearly and systematically key elements of Mesoamerican culture. It is a superb introduction to Mesoamerican religious thought. Highly recommended.
Castañeda, Jorge, Mañana Forever?: Mexico and the Mexicans (Spanish: Mañana o pasado: El misterio de los mexicanos): Originally written in English for readers in the United States, this book provokes intense conversation among Mexican citizens as well. Castañeda describes as 'individualism' a cultural trait that is better understood as personalismo—personalism. Highly recommended for anyone curious about, or interested in living in or doing business in Mexico.
Coe, Andrew, Archaeological Mexico: A Traveler's Guide to Ancient Cities and Sacred Sites: Son of Michael Coe, Andrew has written a highly readable, usable, wonderful guide to Mexico's archaeological treasures. Published in 2001, I just came across it. Highly recommended.
Coe, Michael D. and Koontz, Rex, Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs (Sixth Ed., 2008): Michael Coe is one of the giants in the field.
Esteva, Gustavo, Grassroots Post-modernism: Remaking the soil of cultures: If you're ready to have many of your most cherished assumptions challenged, read this remarkable and intensely human account of the struggles of indigenous peoples to maintain their cultures in the face of 'globalism'. Esteva's views are becoming increasingly important in light of the 'Occupy Wall Street' and other protests against the current system that raise the key question, How sustainable is the current global system?
In Motion Magazine interviewed Gustava Esteva for its four-part series titled "The Society of the Different". The resulting articles quote at length from Esteva's Grassroots Post-Modernism. Highly recommended precisely because of the online access.
- Part 1: The Center of the World http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/gest_int_1.html
- Part 2: We Are People of Corn: Life, Metaphor, Autonomy http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/gest_int_2.html.
- Part 3: Regenerating Community / A Political Alternative http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/gest_int_3.html
- Lecture by Gustavo Esteva: The Revolution of the New Commons: Beyond Development, Beyond Economy, Beyond the Individual Self, Beyond the Nation State http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/gest_int_4.html
- "Traditional Maize Can Cope with Climate Change," introduces exciting new research currently underway on Mexico's traditional (non-genetically-altered) species of maís: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105035
- "Climate Change Can Drive Migration," discusses Mexico's geographic vulnerability to the effects of phenomena like prolonged droughts, soil degradation, devastating rainstorms, lack of water and rising sea levels; and tracks environmental degradation as a driver of migration--both internal and cross-border: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105047
Fehrnbach, T. R., Fire And Blood: A History Of Mexico: By employing the narrative approach, this journalist from San Antonio has produced a highly readable history of Mexico marred only by his debatable view that indigenous (Mesoamerican) culture has contributed nothing to Mexico. Read the book, but read critically! For the antidote, see Guillermo Bonfil Batalla's work, cited above.
Fuentes, Carlos, El espejo enterrado (English: The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World): Written to mark the Five Hundredth Anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the Americas, Fuentes explores the origins of the Latin cultures created in the intervening 500 years by the descendants of indigenous peoples, Africans, and Europeans. Fuentes' superb Introduction can be accessed online using Amazon.com's "Look Inside!" feature. Definitely worth a read!
Florescano, Enrique, Memoria Mexicana (English: Memory, Myth, and Time in Mexico: From the Aztecs to Independence: Written originally in Spanish for a Mexican audience, this work relates the indigenous mentality and demonstrates both how it has been transformed and how it has transformed itself over time in response to the imposition of Spanish mentality deriving from the Conquista. Highly readable. Excellent.
Note: Florescano's work read in combination with Michael Coe's work (see above) provides a complete picture.Markman, Roberta H. and Peter T., Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica, Introduction by Joseph Campbell: I first read Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces decades ago and continued to follow his work through the years, including the Masks of God PBS series with Bill Moyers.
So I was intrigued when I came upon Roberta and Peter Markman’s, Masks of the Spirit: Image and Metaphor in Mesoamerica, but I was hooked when I discovered that the work is dedicated to Mr. Campbell, who wrote the Introduction shortly before his death in 1987.
Where to begin to describe this beautifully written account of myth in Mesoamerica? At 9”x12”, the volume is larger than I expected. Even for the paperback edition, the paper meets requirements for permanence—obviously selected to present and preserve the beautiful art plates that illustrate the text. As a work of art, the volume—with its award-winning design—would grace any coffee table.
But the work is much, much more than its beautiful appearance. As Campbell attests, the scholarship is impeccable, yet the text is eminently readable to scholar and layperson alike. The Markmans tell a story of spirit—nothing less than a tale of the Life-Force itself, and they invite us to accompany them as they discover layers of meaning in the masks of Mesoamerica. Most Highly Recommended.
Miller, Mary and Taube, Karl, An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: If you're interested in learning more about Mesoamerican culture and its symbols, this reference work is very useful. Well-illustrated, this dictionary will answer many of your questions that begin, "But what does it mean that ____?"
Nelson, Stephen A., "Volcanic Hazards in Mexico—A Summary," National Autonomous University of Mexico, Institute of Geology Revista, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1990: A succinct, highly readable introduction to Mexico's volcanoes by a recognized volcanologist.
Pagden, Anthony, Spanish Imperialism and the Political Imagination: I found Pagden because Carlos Fuentes refers to his work in El espejo enterrado (The Buried Mirror). Pagden's focus is the political, social and legal theory of empires and imperialism from antiquity to the present; the ‘encounter’ between Europeans and ‘others’ in the Americas; and sources of conflict between ‘West’ and ‘East’, cosmopolitanism and Enlightenment. His analysis of Spanish Imperialism, which is precisely the political imagination that guided Spain's governance of her colonies in the New World, including Mexico, is eye-opening to those of us whose cultural roots lie in Northern Europe. Pagden is currently a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Reed just came across this provocative article titled, "Learned Helplessness and the Imperial Mind", written by Professor Thomas Harrington of Iberian Studies at Trinity College, Hartford, CT. Harrington does not cite Pagden, but surely he is familiar with and influenced by Pagden's work.
I am currently reading Millenium Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America and was stunned to read an extended discussion of the role of 'trust' as an essential ingredient for the new social and political structures envisioned by this generation. Pagden addresses the theme of 'public trust' in a full-throated dissection of how the Spanish Empire destroyed the public trust essential for citizenship and commerce in Naples when it was conquered by Spain (p. 65).
Pagden's work is seminal—a must read for anyone seriously interested in understanding Mexican culture. Note: You might consider pairing your reading of Pagden with Max Weber (see below).
Pátzcuaro: Sus Leyendas y su Noche de Muertos (English: Pátzcuaro's Legends and Night of the Dead): Available only in Spanish, this delightful book of legends is generally easy to read and is appropriate as a Spanish reader for students at the intermediate level.
Paz, Octavio:
Schlarman, Joseph H. L., Mexico: A Land of Volcanoes from Cortes to Aleman (2007): Available on Kindle, I'm currently reading it.
Simpson, Leslie Byrd, Many Mexicos: First published in 1940, our copy is the Silver Anniversary edition published in 1966 by the University of California Press. Many Mexicos is widely recognized as the 'one' book to read for the history of Mexico. Like all other peoples, Professor Byrd writes,
Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: When I told Reed that I am including Weber in Jenny's Best Reads, his initial response was a startled, "What?" I first read Weber when I was in graduate school (Sociology). I reread it recently when I was struggling to understand why Mexico is so essentially different from the United States. Weber identifies and traces the cultural mindset that developed during and as a result of the Protestant Reformation. Of course, Spain and hence Mexico, shut out both the Enlightenment and the Reformation. A fascinating exploration of cultural assumptions taken-for-granted in the U.S. Note: Weber provides an interesting counterpoint to Antony Pagden's work (see above).
Non-fiction: First Person Accounts
Call, Wendy, No Word for Welcome: Burned-out (her term) as an activist working in the U.S., Wendy Call first visited the Isthmus of Tehuantepec searching for a different approach to activism. This book chronicles the subsequent three years she spent living in a small pueblo on the Isthmus following efforts by several indigenous activist groups to block several development projects sponsored by the government and international business interests because they would profoundly and negatively affect their traditional way of life. Initially, I found the ending anti-climactic, but perhaps that is the point: indigenous peoples have been resisting the West for five hundred years; the struggle continues today and, as Wendy points out, shows no sign of letting up any time soon.
Cohan, Tony, On Mexican Time: As the first book we read about living in Mexico, this best-selling first-person account of Tony Cohan's and his wife’s move to San Miguel de Allende intrigued, fascinated and strengthened our resolve to make the move ourselves. Read at your own risk!
I am currently reading Millenium Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America and was stunned to read an extended discussion of the role of 'trust' as an essential ingredient for the new social and political structures envisioned by this generation. Pagden addresses the theme of 'public trust' in a full-throated dissection of how the Spanish Empire destroyed the public trust essential for citizenship and commerce in Naples when it was conquered by Spain (p. 65).
Pagden's work is seminal—a must read for anyone seriously interested in understanding Mexican culture. Note: You might consider pairing your reading of Pagden with Max Weber (see below).
Pátzcuaro: Sus Leyendas y su Noche de Muertos (English: Pátzcuaro's Legends and Night of the Dead): Available only in Spanish, this delightful book of legends is generally easy to read and is appropriate as a Spanish reader for students at the intermediate level.
Paz, Octavio:
- El laberinto de la soledad (English: The Labyrinth of Solitude): Paz received the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature, thus confirmed his stature as writer, poet, and social critic par excellence. This work remains an important introduction to Mexico, her people and culture.
- Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, o las trampas de la fé (English: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, or the Traps of Faith): Paz's stated purpose in taking on this project was to use the story of the seventeenth century Mexican nun—credited with being the first feminist in the New World—to introduce aspects of Spanish Colonial society, governance and culture in what has become Mexico. Chapters describing Spanish colonial life alternate with chapters discussing Sor Juana's life and work. The picture Paz paints of Spanish society is vivid, insightful and, of course, exquisitely written.
Schlarman, Joseph H. L., Mexico: A Land of Volcanoes from Cortes to Aleman (2007): Available on Kindle, I'm currently reading it.
Simpson, Leslie Byrd, Many Mexicos: First published in 1940, our copy is the Silver Anniversary edition published in 1966 by the University of California Press. Many Mexicos is widely recognized as the 'one' book to read for the history of Mexico. Like all other peoples, Professor Byrd writes,
"Mexicans act like Mexicans, not because of novel departures in their current forms of government, but rather because of the immense weight of habit formed through uncounted centuries. The study of habit gives meaning to history, and history will help us to understand ourselves, and in this case that fascinating abstraction we know as Mexico."Byrd begins his account of Mexican history with nothing less than a description of Mexico's geography! The language is a bit dated, but the style and point of view are engaging. Recommended.
Weber, Max, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: When I told Reed that I am including Weber in Jenny's Best Reads, his initial response was a startled, "What?" I first read Weber when I was in graduate school (Sociology). I reread it recently when I was struggling to understand why Mexico is so essentially different from the United States. Weber identifies and traces the cultural mindset that developed during and as a result of the Protestant Reformation. Of course, Spain and hence Mexico, shut out both the Enlightenment and the Reformation. A fascinating exploration of cultural assumptions taken-for-granted in the U.S. Note: Weber provides an interesting counterpoint to Antony Pagden's work (see above).
Non-fiction: First Person Accounts
Call, Wendy, No Word for Welcome: Burned-out (her term) as an activist working in the U.S., Wendy Call first visited the Isthmus of Tehuantepec searching for a different approach to activism. This book chronicles the subsequent three years she spent living in a small pueblo on the Isthmus following efforts by several indigenous activist groups to block several development projects sponsored by the government and international business interests because they would profoundly and negatively affect their traditional way of life. Initially, I found the ending anti-climactic, but perhaps that is the point: indigenous peoples have been resisting the West for five hundred years; the struggle continues today and, as Wendy points out, shows no sign of letting up any time soon.
Cohan, Tony, On Mexican Time: As the first book we read about living in Mexico, this best-selling first-person account of Tony Cohan's and his wife’s move to San Miguel de Allende intrigued, fascinated and strengthened our resolve to make the move ourselves. Read at your own risk!
McDougall, Christopher, Born to Run: As a runner, Christopher McDougall became curious about why he was so injury-prone. This tightly crafted, beautifully written account of Chris's journey ultimately leads him to the Tarahumara people in Mexico’s Copper Canyon, but his quest also takes him to...well, there isn't room here to describe all the places he visits and the people he meets (thank-you, Dr. Seuss). I couldn't believe it, and I bet you won't either! I can say that the story culminates in the Copper Canyon of Mexico in a grand race pitting the best Tarahumara runners against a quirky group of ultra-distance runners from the U.S.
Puga, Maria Luisa, Crónicas de una oriunda del kilómetro X en Michoacán: Available only in Spanish, Chronicles of a 'Local' from Kilometer X in Michoacán was published in 1995 in Mexico. I'm including it to encourage followers who read in Spanish. Maria Luisa Puga retired from Mexico City to Zirahuén, Michoacán (not far from Pátzcuaro), where she lived for more than ten years. Her origins afuera ('outside'), she explains, made her forever a(n) fuereña (outsider) in Zirahuén. Puga is a sensitive, humane observer of daily life. I reread her Crónicas every once in a while to check my Spanish progress. With every read, I 'understand' (in both senses) more.
Fiction
Novels marked with asterisk (*) below share a common theme: that is, the power of community among poor and marginal people based on a web of caring rooted in dignity, respect, and a sense of mutual obligation—all of which happen to be Mesoamerican (indigenous) values as well.
*Mankell, Henning, Chronicler of the Winds: A Novel of Africa: Yes, this is 'the' Henning Mankell, but the voice is very different from that of the mystery writer. "[I]n search of metaphor and meaning..." [Boston Globe], Mankell tells this haunting and powerful story about war-torn Africa, a mystical orphan boy, and the power of narrative—story. My well-read Spanish teacher and I read it together in English, but discussed it in Spanish. His verdict: "it's a jewel." I'm including this title, because it expresses perspective and values remarkably similar to those found throughout rural Mexico.
Novels marked with asterisk (*) below share a common theme: that is, the power of community among poor and marginal people based on a web of caring rooted in dignity, respect, and a sense of mutual obligation—all of which happen to be Mesoamerican (indigenous) values as well.
*Mankell, Henning, Chronicler of the Winds: A Novel of Africa: Yes, this is 'the' Henning Mankell, but the voice is very different from that of the mystery writer. "[I]n search of metaphor and meaning..." [Boston Globe], Mankell tells this haunting and powerful story about war-torn Africa, a mystical orphan boy, and the power of narrative—story. My well-read Spanish teacher and I read it together in English, but discussed it in Spanish. His verdict: "it's a jewel." I'm including this title, because it expresses perspective and values remarkably similar to those found throughout rural Mexico.
*Nichols, John, The Milagro Beanfield War: Joe Mondragón, thirty-six and not much to show for it, a feisty hustler with a talent for trouble, slams his rusty pick-up to a stop, tugs on his gumboots and marches into the arid patch of ground. Carefully, if impulsively (and illegally), he taps into the main irrigation channel.
So it began—though few knew it at the time—the Milagro beanfield war. But like everything else in the dirt-poor town of Milagro (Miracle!), it would be a patchwork war, fought more by tactical retreats than by battlefield victories. Gradually, ever so awkwardly, the small farmers and sheepmen begin to rally to Joe’s beanfields as the symbol of their lost rights and their lost lands.
So it began—though few knew it at the time—the Milagro beanfield war. But like everything else in the dirt-poor town of Milagro (Miracle!), it would be a patchwork war, fought more by tactical retreats than by battlefield victories. Gradually, ever so awkwardly, the small farmers and sheepmen begin to rally to Joe’s beanfields as the symbol of their lost rights and their lost lands.
*Roberts, Gregory David, Shantaram: This rather wild Indian mystery is spellbinding. The chapters set in the shantytowns of Moombai-Bombay, India, are touching, poignant expressions of the community that can exist even in the most desperate of circumstances.
Urrea, Luis Alberto, The Hummingbird's Daughter: Urrea tells the story of one of his ancestors—a famous curandera (traditional healer) born as the illegitimate daughter of a major landowner in Northern Mexico just before the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. Beautifully written in English (Urrea taught Creative Writing at Harvard), this book has been translated into Spanish (La Hija de la Chuparrosa). Muy mexicano (Very Mexican), this layered tale richly rewards its readers. Highly recommended.
*Véa, Alfredo, La Maravilla: The author says it best: “[I] began to write this book in 1989 when [I] was defending a Mexican-American boy against a charge of murder. The judge and jury in this small San Joaquin valley town were so incredibly racist and abusive toward my client and [me] that I took my anger and frustration to my small computer. (The boy was convicted, but his sentence has since been reversed...specifically because of the [trial] judge's abuse of his power.)
A story of the true origins of culture; a story about race that began in anger slowly became a love song for culture, for people on the outside. ALFREDO VEA JR.”
Véa's love song finds expression in a rich cultural ‘stew’ of authentic characters living on the margins, and full of simple humanity—which is not to say that conflicts don’t exist; they do! But in the end, the values and humanity of the people transcend even their struggles to survive.
Reed read and loved the characters in La Maravilla, which is really saying something because he has a general aversion to fiction.
Blogs Jenny Follows
Full-time resident since 1990 of Ajijic, on the north shore of Lake Chapala, Judy King maintains a terrific Blog: Mexico Insights: Facts, Figures, Folklore & Fiestas. Link: http://www.mexico-insights.com/judysblog/
Long-time resident of Michoacán, Gary's Impressions of Michoacán, Mexico, focus on indigenous dances as a window into the culture.
Jenny's Other Interests
The 'drug war' in Mexico is complex and complicated. If you're interested in expanding your awareness, here are good web sites to explore:
Long-time resident of Michoacán, Gary's Impressions of Michoacán, Mexico, focus on indigenous dances as a window into the culture.
Jenny's Other Interests
The 'drug war' in Mexico is complex and complicated. If you're interested in expanding your awareness, here are good web sites to explore:
- Insightcrime.org provides reliable, in-depth coverage of key issues and developments.
- Americas MexicoBlog is a good source for current U.S. and Mexican news reports on the US-backed War on Drugs in Mexico.
- Mexico Voices searches the Mexican press for opinion pieces by leading Mexican figures discussing the efforts of Mexicans to build a true democracy; also reported are the results of scientific studies and population surveys.
- Reed's Mexico Voices Blog reports a study published April 5, 2012, linking the rise of obesity in Mexico to changes brought about as a result of NAFTA (Obesidad, regalo de TLCAN a México, Obesity, NAFTA's Gift to Mexico). The study's focus is Mexico, but the findings have global implications.
- Here's a link to the original, highly-readable study, Exporting Obesity: How U.S. farm and trade policy is transforming the Mexican food environment, undertaken by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a U.S.-based NGO (non-government aligned).
Climate change poses other threats:
- "Traditional Maize Can Cope with Climate Change," introduces exciting new research currently underway on Mexico's traditional (non-genetically-altered) species of maís: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105035
- "Climate Change Can Drive Migration," discusses Mexico's geographic vulnerability to the effects of phenomena like prolonged droughts and, conversely, devastating rainstorms and flooding; soil degradation, lack of water and rising sea levels; environmental degradation is tracked as a driver of migration—both internal and cross-border:http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105047
