Hola and hello! I hope everyone is staying warm out there in TexMexlandia!! This little announcement might warm your heart anyway: I was recently asked to grant an interview with the fine folks at Artisanjoy.com. Artisan Joy is a website that celebrates exactly what you would expect: The joy of being an artisan!
Being the attention-depraved soul that I am, I leaped at the chance for some spotlight! They were kind enough to make me come across as way more professional than I actually am…which is very much appreciated!
Anyhoo, instead of reading the interview here, I will send you over to their website where they highlight different artist/entrepreneurs like me who make a living out of art! Maybe even subscribe 😜 because I know you will love their articles!
Click Here for the direct link to my interview…and as always, Gracias and Thanks!
***WARNING*** This is a breakdown of events that some people take very seriously, like the 8 pound 6 oz baby Jesus story. If you are a highly strung Christian, read at your own risk. Seriously, this is potentially offensive as it starts off light and fun and then gets real non-Christian-y pretty quickly. Gracias.
The Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon is yet another fabulous example of Mexico’s religious, yet very festive culture. At some point in the 1990’s, enough like-minded Mexicans decided to rename the vacation period from December 12 (Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe) to January 6 (Day of the Three Wise Men or “Tres Reyes Magos”) as just one big long ass holiday with a mission. Both the beginning and the end of the marathon are deeply entrenched in Catholic / Christian annual milestones, but the attitude and antics that go on in between the two religious holidays are very much not so.
This fine group of fiesta goers are enjoying ‘Posadas Navideñas’. These 9 nightly parties occur right smack dab in the middle of Guadalupe – Reyes and are not easy to continue attending, unless you are Mexican who was born and raised for exactly this type of fiesta stamina. These amigos are enjoying their papel picado and piñata beating!
This period includes all 9 nights of Posadas Navideñas leading up to Christmas Eve, then Christmas, then New Years and finally 3 Kings Day which, linked together, create a “marathon” of festivities. During this period, the challenge is not only to attend every event, but to drink at least one type of alcoholic beverage every day. 🍹 This Marathon isn’t technically ‘legit’ Mexican Folklore; it is merely a pop-culture activity that is easier for some than others 🫠 💃 #fiestastamina
But Ron Burgundy explains it better…
“Today Mexico celebrates the longest holiday in the world….Guadalupe – Reyes. That’s 3 weeks of steadfast drinking and unyielding tomfoolery. Buckle up, amigos. See ya in 3 weeks.”
As someone who loves a never ending party, I committed to this tradition years ago! However, today is January 3, 2024 and I am 51 years years old and I don’t think I am going to make it another 3 days to to the finish line which is El Dia de Reyes! John Travolta, as shown below, displays exactly how I felt on Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe versus I how I look and feel at this moment in time…
The Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon can put a person through many changes 😝💃 🍺 🥂 📅 👵🏻
Luckily I still look better than John in the Santa jumpsuit, but you get the drift. If you would like a full breakdown of the significance and traditions of El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe, please refer to our previous blog post here… VIRGIN
This post is mostly to cover Three Kings Day so that we can tie the three week period together with a big ass bow…and then I can finally rest 😜!
OK, ‘Los Tres Magos’, or ‘The 3 Wise Men’ or ‘Los Reyes’ are obviously part of the whole Christmas birth story of Jesus. What my Presbyterian minister mom never tied together for me as a young sermon-listening child is that according to the bible, these 3 dudes were not magically already at the manger like they are seen in our nativity scenes. In fact, biblical events apparently happened in this order:
Jesus was born (although not technically on December 25, in fact it is more likely he was born in March or April, but Christians wanted to supersede pre-existing Pagan traditions and anyway, I digress).
Three men (who were either actual kings or just liked riding around on their camels together) see a big bright star that night while in Nazareth, Israel.
These yahoos perceive that the star was talking to them 😳 about how the REAL King of Kings 👑 was born in a town far away (Bethlehem, in current West Bank) and to go there on said camels to bring him gifts.
It actually takes them approximately 7 days to get to Mary, Joseph and Jesus according to Nicole DePue (Jerusalem University College, Master’s degree in biblical history and geography). Now if you are like me, I always saw these guys in the manger scene and assumed they fast tracked it that night, but I guess MJJ just hung around and waited 7-ish days for them to arrive 🤷♀️ 🤪 I hope frankincense and myrrh were worth the wait ⏰ !
The day the 3 Amigos arrive is called 3 Kings Day here in Mexico, but is more known in most Christian denominations as ‘Epiphany’.
2024-ish years go by and in Mexico, this day becomes the BIG SCOREBOARD DAY for Christmas presents for the kids. This is a gift-giving day more sacred than Santa’s arrival Christmas morning. Homes do not take down holiday decorations until after this day and stores do not have post – Christmas clearance sales until January 7. The End.
You may have done some math in your head and realized that if it took the Three Kings approximately 7 days between star-gazing and gift delivery service that our Master’s Degree friend Nicole researched, then why are we celebrating Epiphany/3 Kings Day on the 12th day after Christmas?
12 Days of Christmas and Advent are totally different, but there are so many damn Christmas related holidays that it’s too confusing to understand the difference.
I am not prepared for the research on that, BUT this 12 day period of time is the famous 12 Days of Christmas! Once again, Minister Mom gave me the impression that the 12 Days of Christmas were part of the lead up BEFORE Christmas that I came to assume were the reason for Posadas Navideñas! #toomanyholidaystoolittletime #blessedbethyliver
So to be clear,
Posadas represent the 9 days and nights that Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem (she was slow in her 3rd trimester after all)
Epiphany is the same as 3 Kings Day and it is 12 days after Christmas
In reality, it only took the Kings 1 week to get to Jesus, but Christians chose the ’12 Days of Christmas’ instead – Not to be confused with Advent 🤷♀️
Dia de Reyes/Epiphany is the beginning of the pre-fast period before ‘Lent’ which winds us into yet another holiday…CARNAVAL / Mardi Gras!
You thought I was going to say Easter or some shit 🤪
Rosca de Reyes cake on left and Kings Cake – both baby Jesus filled and eaten at the same time and for the same reason. Both photos courtesy of Shutterstock
Celebrating the Day itself: Every January 6th, Mexicans celebrate Epiphany/Dia de Reyes with a Kings cake – similar to our Mardi Gras Kings cake with a tiny plastic baby inside, however this cake is called La Rosca de Reyes. Same idea, different toppings, same baby Jesus…and whoever cuts a piece of this Rosca de Reyes and gets the baby in their slice, are the ones who have to provide the tamales for everyone on yet another holiday called…Candlemas Day, February 2, a day that celebrates the Virgin Mary….and tamales 🫔
Do you see how the festivities go on and on down here?! Full circle party back to the Virgin, yo. That may or may not be another blog post, but suffice to say, as much attention as these 3 Wise Crackers get, the Virgin Mother gets even more. Now if only the 3 wise men had been women…
It’s funny cuz it’s true. Courtesy of FaceBook page Forgotten Ireland with a mere 530K likes • 641K followers 😮 🇮🇪
All things Virgin and 3 Kings are appreciated throughout this season and up to February 2nd! So stock up today on our Virgen de Guadalupe (- Reyes 😉) papel picado 2packs! They are green, white and red and can be used throughout the marathon and then brought back out for Mexican Independence Day in September! #omganotherholiday
2Pack of Tri-Colored Handmade Paper Papel Picado La Virgen de Guadalupe Available here!
IN CONCLUSION: my liver is killing me, my under eye skin is more crepey than ever and I still have 3 more nights to go. I hope everyone gets the chance to celebrate this season like a Mexican once in their lives and my advice is to do it before you are 51! Gracias and thanks and Happy New Year!
So, I have honored pets, friends and family members whom have passed before, but 2023 Dia de los Muertos was very different for me. Hate to start on a bummer note, but my dad died from a Covid-related/Parkinson’s Disease related combo on October 27, 2022. Obviously, celebrating his life on November 1st and 2nd, 2022 was a bit too soon and we were still in North Carolina sorting out the ugly business of death anyway.
David Laurent Kern aka Dad
As luck would have it, I learned that if you don’t wait for at least a full year after a loved one has died and you summon their souls back to commune with you on Dia de los Muertos, you will fuck up their whole afterlife…crisis averted!!
Also of note, always put a photo of your soul to remember on the altar BUT NEVER IF there are other people in the photo who are still alive!
Those last two lines have not been officially documented, so much as verbally verified by my Mexican friends whom have been building altars all of their lives. According to other randos on Reddit, “The superstition is that putting a picture of a living person on an ancestor alter will ‘push’ the living person closer to death.” EEK.
Not bad for the first official Day of the Dead Altar!
Sorry, I just used those last paragraphs to distract myself from the loss of Dad and why his death changed the significance of Día de los Muertos and especially the altars de ofrendas for me.
My kick ass therapist, who is Mexican and wise as shit had many things to say in our post-Dia de los Muertos session 2 days ago…First and most importantly, Dia de los Muertos is the commemoration of a collective consciousness. It is the Aztec tradition of ‘ancestor veneration’.
“WTF is veneration?” you ask! I asked too. Veneration is respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person (as per Merriam-Webster).
Ancestor veneration is sort of like ancestor worship and is based on love and respect for the deceased as well as to ensure the ancestors’ continued well-being in the afterlife. We already covered all of the history behind why the Pre-Hispanic Mexicans celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the blog post mentioned earlier, but I want to drill down on the significance of altar building and the benefits of communing with those we have lost.
Me and Dad at his 50th birthday and at my wedding. 7 years and several pounds apart!
Let’s start with the meaning of ‘altar’ as per my favorite and yours, Merriam-Webster…”a usually raised structure or place on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned in worship.”
“Altar” is from the Latin word ‘altārium’ which means high…In fact, the altar should not only be a raised structure, but should also have several levels with the most recently deceased placed at the highest point of the structure.
This placement represents the level of their journey to Mictlán, the land of the dead. In my dad’s case, since he was the most recent to pass, his photo should have been at the very top. This is because he has not been journeying as long through the 8 levels of the afterlife as my dog, Deuce and my Grandparents have, let’s say. In fact, I put his picture on the same level as my dogs, but higher than the photos of my grandparents and friend, Julie….Rookie mistake.
Julie Boerner, my first friend. My mom’s parents. Dad’s parents are not pictured because I couldn’t find a photo without alive people in it!
Here are some things I added to the altar as offerings to draw my people close for the 2 days which is the celebration we call Dia de los Muertos…
1. A sealed bag of 1976 quarters from the Philadelphia U.S.Mint – Dad’s coin collection is massive and he really enjoyed collecting with the secondary hope of it being truly valuable someday. Putting this bag up there surprisingly summoned so many memories of his generosity. I had forgotten how many times he bailed me out of monetary situations especially in college, immediately after I graduated and when I went out into that big, scary, unprofitable working world. I cried tears of gratitude as I mentally rolodexed the long list of examples where he was much more generous than he needed to be.
The coin bag and a silver necklace with Dad’s thumbprint as a charm – gift from the funeral home.
2. Dogs – I had a lot of dogs in my life thanks to my dad’s absolute love of them. Two of my and my husband’s were as much our sons as any human child, so I put pictures of them up there with Dad – on his level! Although, not technically correct, my therapist assures me that I accidentally scored on this one!
Sooooo, Xolos, which are the Mexican hairless dogs (like Dante in the movie ‘Coco’) are considered the leaders of the afterworld pack, and their little souls lead the human souls to the altars de ofrendas and then back again to Mictlán…Happy Accident – Deuce and Santo were my dad’s guides to meet me here in Mexico City!
Deuce and Santo’s altar vantage points respectively
After this revelation I decided that next year I will add Whiskey, Dad’s last pup which he loved very much. #sorrywhiskeygirl
3. Salt – In Spanish we say “sal” and evidently ‘sal’ is the base word for ‘salary’ #funfact 🧂
Since salt was so valuable back in the Roman and Aztec times, it was traded as currency. It really does make life more tasty! Also, salt is considered a purifying substance and the color white represents purity ‘to ensure that the body remains untainted along the journey back to Mictlán.’ 🤷♀️
Needless to say, I fucked up and added olives to Dad’s martini thinking they would pass as salt since they are so salty…This was NOT an acceptable substitution as it turns out and I got schooled by my therapist.
Next year, I will still give my dad his olives, but I will cover the salt element with ACTUAL salt!
Of course, I had the other altar essentials such as the Mexican marigold, Pan de Muertos, Papel Picado and candles. I blew off the incense and got schooled again that I really should have leaned into that element more. #noevilspiritsplease
All in all, for my first altar I didn’t do too bad. One thing I absolutely nailed was the communing part – spending time remembering Dad, Granddaddy and Becca, my dear sweet Julie, MomMom and PopPop and of course my babies, Deuce and Santo Crudo.
The remembering is the key. I spent two full nights just sitting there with my martini toasting these awesome people and animals that I was lucky to have in my life for a short period of time. Too short, of course, but such is life…and death.
So there I was in front of my amazing altar, albeit a semi-incorrect one, just remembering and drinking. Bad combo usually, but not on November 1st and 2nd. It wasn’t a bad combo at all. Hanging out with Dad, who of course had his own martini, and me just silently running through all the classic stories. Tears were shed and loud guffaws were burst, just like old times.
Pro Tip from Behind the Scenes: Keep A LOT of Kleenex handy!
I literally heard myself say, “Remember that time when…” and then realizing that no one physically in my realm was going to answer. But I still felt heard. It felt like I had the same camaraderie as we had at Dad’s funeral after party, when cousins, friends, aunts and uncles would recall stories and we would all laugh. Sure, now I was technically alone, but I did not feel alone at all. My people were with me on the floor in my living room in Mexico City.
The thing that made me sad was knowing that November 3rd, the altar would come down and life would go on until this time next year. It was such a letdown that morning. Sweeping away the marigold petals and putting away the candles and framed photos to where they normally go made me tear up again.
We had such fun hanging out for a couple of days! BOO! And not the ghost kind of BOO which is cute and fun and scary. It was the dread BOO. Damn the dread. But, gotta go to work and grocery shop and do laundry and all that regular shit. So, until next year, my loves, I have to say goodbye.
How I would like to think Mictlán looks and feels. Courtesy of Disney/Pixar’s Coco!
It is time to watch Disney’s Coco again and hope to God that Disney’s top execs will release Coco 2 already, those rat bastards! It is already produced and in the can, they just haven’t released it – BOO! Oh well, until then, we have the song from the beloved original movie, ‘Recuerdame’…
“Remember me, though I have to say goodbye
Remember me, don’t let it make you cry.
For even if I’m far away I hold you in my heart
I sing a secret song to you each night that we are apart.
Remember me, though I have to travel far
Remember me, each time you hear a sad guitar…
Know that I’m with you the only way that I can be
Until you’re in my arms again, Remember me.”
Sugar Skull – an essential element of the altar
Other Dia de los Muertos thoughts from my kick ass therapist:
Sugar skulls – I really didn’t know the significance of them, other than they are easier to purchase than an actual human skull (which in ancient times, the Aztecs would dig up their relatives’ bones, dust them off and place the bones and skulls on the altar too).
After the altars have been dismantled, Mexicans eat sugar skulls like candy or in their coffee! Heads up – they will melt in humidity so if you live in a warm and humid climate, don’t try this at home! Maybe purchase a ceramic skull to represent the “bones” so that your altar doesn’t become a sticky mess!
2. “De mas alla” means ‘from the beyond’. She assures me that Dad was laughing at my jokes from beyond and that Santo Crudo and Deuce led him back to Mictlán safely. #wortheverypennyoftherapy
And so, “Mi Papi, mi Padre, Dad: hasta la proxima de mas alla!”
Dad throughout the years! May Mictlán serve both martinis AND margaritas!
A ‘mujer’ is a woman. There you have it. Case Closed. Gracias and Thanks! to our friends at @ChingonaDefinition
NONE of the following chingona cabronas are Frida Kahlo…although Frida and lesbianism was/will be a common theme in this post You will see a little of Frida, but a lot more of her lifelong love, Diego Rivera weaving his way in and out of stories of these magnificent ladies’ lives. First and most closely being the life of our first Grand Dame…
Dolores Olmedo
María de los Dolores Olmedo y Patiño Suárez (yes, that’s her full name 1908-2002) known as Doña Lola- I have a girl crush on this Girl Boss Broad. And yes, I can call her that because when a broad recognizes the broadiness in the soul of another, it must be shouted out.
Mrs. Olmedo loved flaunting her independence. Once asked how she would like to be remembered, she replied: ”Just as I am — a woman who did whatever she felt like doing, and luckily succeeded at it.” #micdrop
Doña Lola (as we will call her) grew up in Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution. Then her dad died and starvation and danger were issues for her and her brothers. Evidently she was always independent, a force to be reckoned with, revolutionary, and basically bad ass from the get go. She credited her mom for everything she did, stating:
I am the product of the efforts of a Mexican woman, taught by another Mexican woman to love her country above all things.
Doña Lola, Bitches!
Our girl was super educated, studying law at a time when few women reached university level education. However, her lifelong passion for the arts and culture of Mexico led her away from law and into a career in art. She quit law to study at the National School of Music and the Academy of Saint Carlos…which is evidently a pretty big deal.
Doña Lola was 17 when she and her mother had a chance run in on an elevator with Diego Rivera. Then he was a renowned artist in his 40’s working on murals in the building. ”He asked my mother if he could make some drawings of me. She agreed without knowing that I would pose nude.” OOPS!
(Left) Older Doña with her Mexican Hairless dog at her Hacienda Home, now museum and (Right) Younger Doña posing for Diego Rivera for his most famous painting of her | Photos: MXCity
She had a close friendship with Diego, but not necessarily his wife, Frida Kahlo. Rivera painted our Doña as a Tehuana, (see photo above) idealizing her as the beauty of the ultimate Mexican woman…so I’m sure that never went over really well with Frida. We’ll get back to this storyline in a moment.
After Frida died, Diego was a broke ass bitch and so he asked his longtime “friend” to buy all of Frida’s and his collection pieces since he know Doña would take care of the joint collection. Then she was accused of having grossly underpaid for Frida’s shit by other Mexican art collectors. Stories swirled that Doña was jealous and trying to sabotage Kahlo’s legacy. She actually conceded in an interview with The New York Times,
”I was never a friend of Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo liked women. I liked men.”
Diego specifically! #baller
After divorcing some dude in the 1940’s, she became one of the first Mexican women to succeed in real estate development and construction. Women did not run companies in México back then, especially construction companies! She started networking with leading industrialists and politicians which fueled rumors that she was banging several Mexican presidents. Doña Lola coyly denied these rumors, but ended up marrying and divorcing three times. #queseráserá
All of these factors left her with some serious ‘dinero’ so she bought an 8 acre property where her current kick ass museum is located is in Xochimilco, in the southern part of Mexico City. It’s a hacienda from the 16th century which was named La Noria (The Well) by someone at some point, but is now the Dolores Olmeda Patiño Museum.
She purchased the “farm” in 1962, remodeled it, and moved in circa 1964. In the mid-1980’s she announced that she would convert her home into a museum and then donate her collection for permanent display there. During the renovations, the architects discovered some serious f-ing problems. Eager to get their grubby hands on her collection and the revenue the new museum would generate…the government paid the renovation costs, and in late 1994 the museum opened.
Mr. TexMex Fun Stuff and I went once and the grounds are as amazing as the collection inside… animals freely roam the grounds: peacocks, ducks, Canadian geese, chickens, turkeys and xoloitzcuintles—an endangered species of hairless, ugly as sin pre-Hispanic dogs called Xolos. Here are some shots…
Xolos hanging out by a statue of a Xolo/ Description of Xolos/ Me and a few friends hanging at the hacienda / Sculpture of Diego Rivera’s bust | Photos: TexMex Fun Stuff
As said in MyHero.com…”Doña Lola was not merely an art collector. She was a lover of art, of culture, of tradition. She was a highly successful businesswoman and industrialist. She was the beautiful muse of paintings. She was a philanthropist who bequeathed her collection to her Mexican peoples.” And a big time chingona!!! (they didn’t say that last part, I did).
Rosario (1927-present) is alive and kicking at 93-ish years of age. She is a four time candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize and was twice a candidate for the Presidency of México with the Revolutionary Workers Party (PRD). She never actually won either of them, but that never stopped her.
She and her husband and 4 kids lived in Saltillo, Coahuila, just 85 kilometers from Monterrey. Her work as an activist and politician began when on April 18, 1975 her son Jesús Piedra Ibarra was kidnapped for political reasons while he was studying medicine in Monterrey.
The second oldest of her four kids, 21-year-old Jesús was accused of belonging to a communist armed movement known as the Communist League September 23. He was arrested and was “disappeared” by federal police after the murder of a policeman, Guillermo Valdez Villarreal. We can only assume they used the murder of this officer to justify arresting alleged communists. Hard to say though, because Rosario’s husband (Jesus’ dad) had officially been affiliated with the Mexican Communist Party, but not Jesus to all known documentation. He just happened to be in Monterrey on April 18, 1975 …#badtiming
Fighting Lucha Mama Style! Take it to the streets, cabrona!! | Photos: Mexico Desconocido
Wkipedia tells us that…When her cries for resolution were unheard she formed the Comité Eureka de Desaparecidos (“The Eureka Committee of the Disappeared”) with about 100 other women in 1977. As a result of her efforts, including several hunger strikes, 148 out of 557 political prisoners on her lists were liberated during the López Portillo administration (1976–1982).
Their mantra was…
“They took them alive, we want them alive!”
#hellyes!
The movement was dedicated to protesting against the illegal arrests and killings of militants in opposition to the government in the chapter of Mexican history known as the Dirty War….Guerra Sucia…six-years of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz and Luis Echeverría Alvarez, following the persecution and illegal detention of militants of armed and social political movements.
45 years later, information on the fate of the poor kid has not been clarified. However, some files indicate that the young man was imprisoned and tortured in various underground prisons. The kidnapping was carried out by members of the Federal Directorate of Security in Monterrey….yikes.
Also, Rosario has fought for indigenous communities and against violence against women and electoral fraud. She joined the struggle to demand clarification of the women killed in Ciudad Juarez and the killings of indigenous people in Chiapas and Guerrero, during the six-year period of Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León.
She even went on a hunger strike for the release of political prisoners. In late 1978, the government issued an amnesty law, but the whereabouts of the disappeared persons were not clarified. The amnesty resulted in the release of 1,500 prisoners detained with irregularities, the return of 57 exiles and the cancellation of 2,000 arrest warrants.
In 1982 she became the first woman in Mexico to run for the presidency with the Workers Revolutionary Party (PRT), a Trotskyist party (remember Trostsky?). In 1988, she ran for the presidency a second time, again with the PRT. In 1994 she became a federal deputy of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). Needless to say, didn’t happen, but not for lack of trying.
In the current Prez of Mexico (AMLO)’s closing remarks during during his 2018 presidential campaign, he stated that on election day he would cross out his name on the ballot and, as a tribute, write in Rosario Ibarra de Piedra. …In 2019, AMLO and the Mexican Senate decorated her with the Dominguez Belisario Award (the highest award that Mexico gives to citizens for their contribution to the country) for her political activism and defense of human rights.
Silvia (1940-present) is the first Mexican woman to obtain a Doctorate in Astronomy. She is one of the most internationally recognized Mexican scientists for her research on interstellar matter.
When she was in high school, a teacher encouraged her to take science. So at 18 she began to study Physics at the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
The Astrophysics course that was taught at UNAM was attended by just four students: two men and two women. She was one of them. Silvia was already captivated by astronomy and had decided to get a doctorate. She soon found out that all the prestigious universities were in the United States AND that they only admitted men! #CHINGA!
Silvia tried to enroll at Caltech because she had a chance of being accepted there because her husband, Manuel Peimbert, also wanted to study astronomy and she could attend as his wife. Pfft.
However, instead of choosing Caltech, Señora Silvia scored a scholarship to University of California, Berkeley, where she could study for a doctorate in astronomy. This was at a time when women were not expected to have a career, so caring for their two children while continuing her career was a bit of a challenge. #GirlGoals
Silvia Torres was a pioneer in the use of satellites for her important observations. In early 2011, she won the L’Oréal-Unesco Prize awarded by the United Nations Organization in the category of “Women of Science”, due to her research on the chemical composition of planetary nebulae (?), which is considered essential to astronomer’s understanding of the beginning of the cosmos.
In 2012, she was chosen by the General Assembly of the “International Astronomical Union” to be President of the organization from 2015 to 2018- she is the first Mexican to be honored with this position. Basically the IAU comes up with the names of planets and other celestial objects, as well as standards in astronomy. #nottooshabby
She is also the past editor of the Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the past President of the International Astrological Union being only the second women to preside over this organization based in Paris, France that brings together more than 11,000 specialists from 90 countries. Plus she raised two kids. How on earth?
Dolores El Río (1904-1983) was an actress, singer and dancer who’s career spanned more than 50 years. She is known as the first Latin American actress to cross over into Hollywood and who paved the way for María Félix and Katy Jurado. Some films include The Fugitive with Henry Fonda and Flaming Star with Elvis.
When Dolores was 15 years old she asked her mother if she could take dance lessons, but she was stricken with insecurity because she felt like an “ugly duckling”. Her mother commissioned famous artist Alfredo Ramos Martínez to paint a portrait of her daughter to show her how beautiful she really was.
The portrait helped Dolores overcome her insecurities and she is now considered a mythical figure of American and Mexican cinema, and a quintessential representation of the female face of Mexico in the world. She was considered a female Latin Lover…here’s why…
“The most beautiful, the most gorgeous of the west, east, north and south. I’m in love with her as 40 million Mexicans and 120 million Americans who can’t be wrong”
Diego Rivera
(Left) with Orson Welles (Center) Original portrait of DDR by THE Diego Rivera and finally (Right) Diego, Frida and Dolores – Frida looks thrilled. |Photo Credits: Google Arts & Culture
In 1930, Dolores met Cedric Gibbons , artistic director of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at a party at Hearst Castle. The couple began a brief romance that culminated in marriage months later. Dolores’s marriage to one of the most important Hollywood Hombres helped her career for a while (as the infamous “they” say).
In 1940, with her career declining, she met actor and director Orson Welles . Welles had been hot for her for several years and feeling a mutual attraction, the couple began a torrid affair, which lead to the divorce of old Cedric. For Welles, Dolores abandoned her acting career to be by his side during the filming of his masterpiece: Citizen Kane.
Later Welles went to South America, as a Goodwill Ambassador to counter the spread of communism…Buuuuut, Welles went really wild at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, like a crazy whore. Dolores then decided to dump his ass through a telegram that Orson never bothered to answer. #brutal
Then came the death of her father in México. Faced with this situation, the actress decided to cancel Hollywood altogether:
Divorced again, without the figure of my father, a movie where I hardly appeared, and another where they showed me the way of art. I wanted to follow the path of art. Stop being a star to become an actress, and that could only be achieved in Mexico. I wanted to return to Mexico, a country that was mine and that I did not know. I felt the need to return to my country …
#vivamexico
She was never nominated for an Academy Award, but on the day of her death, she received in the mail an invitation to attend the Oscars. #alittletoolittlealittletoolate Buuuuuuuut, she banged Orson Welles for 3 years…so there’s that.
Again with these crazy names… Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska (1932-present) or Elena as we will call her, was born in Paris after her mother fled México during the Revolution. Luckily, she was born into French and Polish (distant) royalty! Sadly, the whole family had to escape back to México when Elena was ten because of the start of WWII in Europe. She never went to college, BUT is trilingual (English, French, Spanish) and a bad ass writer! Shit ain’t gonna write itself! #chinga!
She got married in 1968 and then on On October 2, 1968 she was in México City at home with her 4 month old and outside there were protests. 10,000 university and high school students were marching and protesting against México investing $150 million to bring the Olympics to the city.
There was a heavy police presence that night and helicopters circling above the crowd when a large white sheet was thrown from one of the helicopters towards a section of the crowd. The white sheet was a signal to the snipers on the rooftop to start firing where the sheet lands. That was the night of the Tlatelolco Massacre when federal snipers killed 300-400 people/presumably students in the crowd.
Elena raced to the scene and with blood on the streets she started interviewing people. Her book titled, La Noche de Tlatelolco (The Night of Tlateloco )…translated to English readers as “Massacre in México” was the only book published about this night for 20 years…contradicting the government’s account of the events and the number dead.
She did it again in 1985 after the Mexico City earthquake with Nada, Nadie, Las Voces del Temblor (Nothing, No one, Voices from the Earthquake). This book was a compilation of eyewitness accounts not only to the destruction of the earthquake, but also to the incompetence and corruption of the government afterwards. #Cabronamove
These books cemented her as the voice for the disenfranchised people of México uncovering social and human rights atrocities against women and the poor especially. Despite the lack of opportunity for women from the 1950s to the 1970s, Elena wrote essays and articles in newspapers and magazines and books both fiction and nonfiction:
Two of her short stories were about Diego Rivera (again with that guy). The first one was Dos Veces Unica (Twice Unique) about his relationship with his first wife Lupe Marin and then Querido Diego, Te Abraza Quiela (Dearest Diego, Quiela hugs you) about his second wife, Russian painter Angelina Beloff. Elena’s goal was to “de-iconize” him since he was so douchey to Lupe, Angelina (nicknamed Quiela)…and all of his wives. #takethatdiego
And in one of her most bad ass moves, she turned down the title of Princess of Poland that she inherited through her father’s royal family! Very Meghan Markle of her.
She is considered to be “Mexico’s grande dame of letters” and is still an active writer living in Mexico City. She was the first woman to receive the National Journalism Award and is one of the founders of La Jornada newspaper, Fem, a feminist magazine, Siglo XXI a publishing house and the Cineteca Nacional, the national film institute. For over thirty years, she has taught a weekly writing workshop, cuz girl gets shit done. SO THERE!
Norma Romero Vázquez and her family live in the town of La Patrona, Veracruz. I didn’t know where the hell that was either, but evidently all trains from Central and South American countries eventually pass through it and specifically they pass 1/2 block away from Norma’s house.
“The Route”. All northbound routes go through their town in Veracruz. | Photo Credit: Arquitectos con la Gente
On October 8, 1994 Norma and her sister-in-law were returning from the store with food for breakfast when the train passed by slowly. The train was packed full of people migrating from the southern border of México to the US in search of the “American Dream”. These people were screaming and begging for food so Norma and her sis-in-law threw what they had just purchased to the strangers on the train. #instinctiveactofkindness That was just the beginning…
Since then, Norma, mama, sis-in-law and a group of volunteer gals prepare between 15 and 20 kilos of beans and rice and deliver about 300 daily lunches. They are now known as “Las Patronas” or the Patron Saints of Migrants. This train route has many names, Las Patronas call it “Death Train”, but most call it La Bestia (“The Beast”). It is basically a network of cargo trains that carry fuel, supplies and about 400,000 to 500,000 migrants annually up north.
When La Bestia passes, Las Patronas approach the tracks and have approximately 15 minutes to throw the bags of food they have prepared, as well as bottles of water, so that the migrants can catch the food from the moving train. After so many years, they now have sponsors and numerous donations, among them are large companies such as MASECA MEXICO and CHEDRAUI….it ain’t easy for a pinche gang of chingonas to get this type of corporate assistance!
In 2013, Norma was awarded México’s National Human Rights Award and the Sergio Méndez Arceo National Human Rights Prize. In August 2015, Las Patronas were nominated for the Princess of Asturias Award in Spain which recognizes outstanding achievement in cultural, social and human work. They’ve also been the subject of numerous documentaries, including De nadie (2005) and Llévate mis amores (2014).
Norma and Las Patronas serving thousands on their way to the US of A. via the Train of Death| Photo Credits: Wikipedia
Lydia Cacho (1963-Alive and Hot) is described by Amnesty International as “perhaps Mexico’s most famous investigative journalist and women’s rights advocate” and her reporting focuses on violence against women and sexual abuse against women and children. She is an expert in research into gender-based violence, health, children and organized crime. She is also a renowned specialist in journalistic coverage in risky situations and survivor of police torture due to her professional work.
She’s been threatened, persecuted, kidnapped and tortured for uncovering and calling out child sex trafficking and femicide (or feminicide is a sex-based hate crime term, broadly defined as “the intentional killing of females (women or girls) because they are females). In fact her efforts resulted in Mexico’s first conviction for child pornography and sex trafficking.
Her book, The Demons of Eden: The Power that Protects Child Pornography specifically called out rich businessmen and Mexican politicians who coordinate rings to kidnap, traffic, generate child pornography and sexually abuse children. #boom
She has written 12 books in her 25+ years as a journalist, and is the most awarded Mexican journalist with 55 international medals. Newsweek and The Daily Beast consider her one of 100 women that move the world.
Lydia doin’ what she does: Busting Balls and Lookin’ good doing it! | Photos: Público.com
She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Agency on Drugs and Crime. For 25 years she has been an editor and contributor on radio and television as well as in various national and international newspapers and magazines. She is co-founder of the Network of Journalists of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. She founded the women’s care center and her victims of violence CIAM Cancun A.C., certified by the National Training Center for Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Some of my favorite quotes from this Latina Lovely are:
Prostitution is a social instrument to give pleasure to men and to subdue women.
The cost I have paid to be a good reporter and human rights defender is enormous.
Being a feminist is to accompany girls and young people, show them paths of freedom, teach them to discuss and argue their own ideas; share the secrets of how you overcome obstacles and then withdraw. Yes, let them shine with their own light, show their leadership style, see them break their teachers’ schemes. That is the true liberating feminism
I would be remiss if I did not sneak in Martha Debayle.
My Mexican bestie, Julissa Garcia, would fucking kill me for not mentioning MB. After all, it is her podcast that led me to the Wellness Clinic in Mexico City that diagnosed my hypothyroidism and gluten intolerance!
Also, Martha Debayle is hot and a powerhouse broad known to women and men all over Mexico. She talks about girly things, sexy things, motherhood things, womanhood things, you get it. Everyone who listens to her loves her.
Martha Debayle: Power Boss & Podcaster | Photo Cred: Encacha.mx
Buuuuuuuuut, as Julissa says, Martha was born in Nicaragua and raised in Long Island, NY before being brought to Mexico City at the age of 12. She has a great voice and is bilingual which has led to her amazing radio, podcast and TV presenting career. Buuuuuuuut, that does not make her chingona…it makes her talented, smart and hot. Please take note that I mentioned her. My thyroid and I thank you.
THE END
So there you have it. Are these chingonas bad ass or what?! Thank you for reading and agreeing.
Follow me to the most famous pasta tile factory in México. Mosaicos La Peninsular – Beautiful European imports which became a Yucatecan tradition. These hand made pasta tiles are now made in Mérida, Yucatán, México.
The Man, The Myth…Ignacio Durán. Owner and Boss Man of Tile! | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Quick History of Mosaic Tiles or Spanish Tiles or “Pasta” Tiles in the Yucatan Peninsula: These tiles were originally made in Barcelona, Spain and used by architects such as Antoni Gaudi as early as 1857. We couldn’t find any mention as to if they were made exactly the same way there and then as they are here in Mérida today…But, today’s pasta tiles are essentially 3 levels of cement that have been turned into individual works of art!
Long story short, as early as the 1600’s, the Spaniards realized that they wanted to bring back home all of the great shit that México has to offer…aka…chocolate, coffee, gold, silver and most importantly at the time…henequin. We’ll cover henequin in another video/blog post. #promisespromises
Making Handmade Pasta Tiles (Mérida Yucatán México | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
So on their way to México (when they more or less owned it) the Spanish loaded their ships full of these pasta tiles as ballasts – literally to balance the otherwise empty boats to fill with New World treasures. They landed in the ports of Yúcatan, Campeche and Veracruz…then proceeded to dump all of the tiles out upon arrival. Then they filled the ships up with their Mexican treasures and back off to Spain they went.
Obviously, this left a lot of random tile laying around the peninsula, so people started collecting them and using them for flooring in their houses…and of course as sexy kitchen backsplashes and wall décor around their pools… Just Kidding.
Essentially, these tiles started as free imports here. But then about a 100 years ago, factories started popping up in the Yúcatan to make tiles to order for haciendas, businesses and regular casas alike. The good homeowners and business property folks realized that these tiles are cost effective, easy to maintain, beautiful and durable all at once. Plus, they really do stay cool and it gets hot as balls here.
Then China came up with less expensive ceramic tiles and introduced them to México and the world market. At that point the 7 or so factories in Mérida that had been producing these high quality tiles couldn’t compete and shut down. All but one… Mosaicos La Peninsular.
Ignacio and the gang endured the “ceramic tile storm” and thank God (!) because they alone kept this home decoration and flooring tradition alive. Plus, mosaic tiles last a minimum of 50 years and up to 100. Ceramic tile lasts around 7-10 years. #worthityo
He was commissioned to design the flooring for the Famous El Gran Museo del Mundo Maya in Mérida. This is a sexy honor, but we can tell Ignacio is WAY prouder of being featured in the Tacombi Mexican Restaurant in the Empire State Building!
Ignacio simply BEAMS with pride when he talks about how his tile is in the Empire State Building! | Photo: La Magia de los Mosaicos Yucatecos
Ignacio says that he doesn’t let just anyone into the factory, but I batted my eyes like a gringa flirt and got my way! First stop on the tour is the cement separation station. These dudes are literally not wearing shoes and standing in a pit of thick sand. Then by hand, they shovel the material up and throw it through a sifter. This is an important step because they end up garnering two levels of cement that helps build the necessary layers of the tiles.
Seeing Production!!!! Behind Door #1 is the separation of the cement. | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
The particles that fall through the strainer are used for one level of tile and the thick stuff that doesn’t make it through gets used as the bottom of tile. NOW we take the separated material to the artists!
This guy below is called a Ladrillero – that’s Spanish for “Brick Maker”. The Ladrilleros start with a decorative mold and they mix very fine dry cement with color and fill in the little sections within the mold with a scooper thing. Afterwards, they sprinkle fine dry cement on top. THEN they fill in the rest of the space with a thicker, damp and chunky cement mixture…
After the Ladrillero cleans up the mold, he just sticks it in a hydraulic press and literally presses it for 5 seconds. Ignacio is actually a mechanical engineer by trade, so I think that’s where the hydraulic press comes into play. This compression adds to the longterm durability of the tiles.
A Ladrillero doin’ his thang! First the paint mix, then the fine dry cement level and then the thicker base level. Press and be Impressed! | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Anyhoo, the ladrillero removes the mold from the press, releases the ‘brick’ from the mold, flips it over and voila! A 100% handmade piece of beauty is on the back side! Since all of this is done by hand, a ladrillero can make from 80-130 tiles per day.
Ignacio has a mold for every style: 1800-1900’s Hacienda Old World classics, Art Deco, Traditional Mayan embroidery looks, you name it. As you can imagine, the more complicated a pattern and the number of colors per piece determine the length of time it takes to make each one, but after that process is complete…the tiles simply dry. No baking of any kind. They simply dry out for 8 days.
Molds for every style! Pic 2 is the warehouse where made to order tiles are drying out until they are ready to ship… | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
When the tiles are installed in their final resting place as flooring – a polisher shows up to buff and shine them with a polish. This polishing brightens up the colors and the tiles really become their best selves. Smooth to the touch, shiny and slippery when wet…but excellent to dance on!
When our tour was over, Ignacio gave me a fabulous and unexpected gift…the literal book on the subject…’La Magia de los Mosaicos Yucatecos’. A real treat!
THE BOOK! Forgive the Starbucks…It WAS early on a Monday morning after all! | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
For those of you who want to score this gem, it’s all in Spanish. The main gist is the history of bringing the tiles from Spain, the rise of factories like Ignacio’s in the early 1900’s and then their decline. It really drives home the value the tiles bring through design, durability, aesthetics, cost and ease of maintenance. I will have a discussion with Ignacio about making this book available to purchase! #promisespromises
IN THE MEANTIME…check out all of what Mosaicos La Peninsular has to offer on their English and Spanish website Mosaicos La Peninsular! Gracias and thanks for watching and reading and get ready for more to come!
This is my list of the most Badass Chingonas of México who shaped and/or continue to shape this beautiful country. I chose to leave Frida off of the list because what could I possibly write about Frida that hasn’t already been written?!?! She has always been México’s most famous chingona, but what I’ve learned is that there are AT LEAST 16 other women whose stories of badassery you simply must hear…I’m only covering 8 of them today…
Each woman on this list deserves their own blog post, but I’ve written a brief overview of why I think they are chingonas or “cabronas” as my badass friend, Julissa says. We will use these two words interchangeably through this post so be prepared! #CHINGA!
As reclaimed specifically by Latina Badass, Melinda Duarte of Coachella Valley, California. Latinas claiming their badassery! | Photo: Medium.com
I also added a link to the best article I found on each of these hotties in case you want to dive deeper into their stories… I hope you do…
Sister Marcella ‘Clarissa’ of Querétaro
Clarissa (1700’s) is famous for being a hot nun who tricked a rich guy into constructing a 6 mile aqueduct so that the people of Querétaro could have fresh water. Clarissa was a very beautiful Capuchin nun (very austere sect and which cappuccinos are named after. Yes, it’s true.) Her aunt was married to a very rich dude from Mexico City. In 1721, she convinced her aunt to help her and her nun friends “spread the word of God” to Querétaro and set up a new convent there. Q-town was an up and coming city just northwest of México City.
Clarissa’s aunt was La Marquesa who was married to El Marques Juan Antonio de Urrutia y Arana. Let’s just call him El Marques. La Marquesa proposes to El Marques that since they are so loaded, they should build and then visit this new convent in Q-town every year. So El Marques agrees and buys some land to build the convent and a house to stay during their annual visits.
No pictures are available of this nun with a cause, but the waterway she convinced a Marquis to build for her and the people are well photographed. Also, there are many historical markers of the rich, married dude who wanted to have sex with his niece/nun…claro que si. |Photos: Historical Marker Database
In the meantime, El Marques falls in love with his niece-by-marriage, our lovely Clarissa. He professes his love and faith to her, but being dedicated to her aunt and married to God, she did not accept any relationship with him. She did notice that the water in Q-town was shitty, due to old pipes and a long distance to clean fresh water, so she decides to make a deal with El Marques : If he designed, funded and built an aqueduct to provide clean water to the city, she would leave the convent for him. Easy peasy!
On October 22, 1735 water finally flowed into the city, but Clarissa had other plans. She broke her promise to El Marques and stayed with the convent. Bit of a nut punch, but Clarissa got want she really wanted…clean water for her city. Sneaky nun! #cockblock
(1768-1829) Aka La Corregidora de Querétaro – aka The Mother of México’s Nationhood – aka Dama de Badassery leading up to the War of Independence from Spain. Born in Morélia, Michoacán, her parents died when she was an infant so Josefa was raised by her older sister who got her into a college in México City (no small feat for a woman in the 1780’s!)
She married Miguel Dominguez, whom she met at college and 10 years later he was relegated by the Spanish colonial rulers to be the Mayor (Corregidor) of Querétaro…so off to Querétaro they went. Josefa had a big heart for indigenous Mexicans who were always treated like second class citizens by the Spaniards (who her husband worked for). She started helping her native Mexican conspirator friends plot a revolt of Independence from Spanish rule in México. This is how she met Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende (muy importante hombres!). Anyway…
Her husband, Miguel started getting onboard with the idea of Independence when all of a sudden the Spanish authorities asked him to conduct a search of Q-town in order to apprehend rebel leaders! So El Corregidor literally imprisoned our cabrona in their house to prevent her from exchanging info with her fellow conspirators! #awkward
Josefa (La Corregidora de Querétaro) and her husband , Miguel (El Corregidor) who jailed her in their house because he was a Spain-fearing pansy. What luck that their house was a government office AND a jail!?! Pinche pendejo. | Photos: davidestrada.org
HOWEVER, Josefa was able to get a message to Hidalgo to warn the conspirators that the Spanish were onto them and to start the revolt at warp speed instead of the usual “mañana, mañana” time frame that Mexicans are so famous for.
Eventually, the Spanish figured out that Miguel, the misfit Corregidor was in on the conspiracy too, and imprisoned both him and La Corregidora separately…her in a monastery. At this time she was pregnant with her 13th child (!), but was still so rebellious that the monks kicked her out! Then she was sent to a convent/jail situation with mean nuns and was finally released when she promised to stop being so supportive of the rebellion and her own rebellious ways! #nunlife
She eventually gave birth, but never behaved, because why the hell should she?! Cabrona central. That’s exactly why she is one of the Badass Chingonas of México.
Babe with brains (1789-1842). She lived during the same time, but in a different place as the ‘Chingona Corregidora’ whom we just mentioned. Why bring up 2 bad asses from the same period with the same goals? Because if you think Latino societies treat women as lesser citizens than men now – imagine 200+ years ago! Plus, Leona was 20 years younger than Josefa at the time and she has a kick ass love story which includes NOT getting jailed by her spouse. #lowexpectations
Actually named María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernández de San Salvador, we will refer to her as LV. LV was orphaned at 17 and she and her vast inherited fortune landed with her uncle in México City. Her uncle was an excellent lawyer and a powerful rancher (read RICH). He taught her social sciences, culture, literature and politics which was highly unusual for a girl at that time.
LV learned to think critically and became a journalist who wrote for big deal newspapers in México City. One of which was read by the Insurgents (revolutionary rebels). They contacted LV when the War of Independence was breaking out and she agreed to send them secretly coded messages THROUGH HER ARTICLES in the newspaper so they would know what was going on in the capital city.
Hottie Pants and Badass to boot! On the left is LV with Andrés Quintana Roo (aka Hubby) \ Photo: Biografiadee
She joined a secret political society called, “the Guadalupes” who were some of the richest and/or best connected women within México who sent letters with strategic information for the rebel forces; plus money, weapons, ammunition and medicine. LV specifically gave shelter to fugitives, sent a shit ton of her inheritance for guns and ammo and collaborated with the rebels to get them news and information about what was happening in the Big Town.
LV was thrown in jail for being an insurgent, but NOT by her husband, Andrés Quintana Roo! In fact, he helped her escape! You may recognize his name…He was from the Yúcatan, but came to México City to work with her uncle years prior as a poor legal apprentice. Andrés and LV were “en fuego” pretty much right away, but he was a broke ass bitch and LV was a very wealthy heiress, so her uncle didn’t want them to marry. Well, LV was a chingona after all and she said, “Fuck it!” Andrés also became very important in the fight for Independence in his own right, but we aren’t writing about cabrones right now.
Carmen Serdán
Carmen (1875-1948) founded the Revolutionary ‘Junta de Puebla’ which is the first batch of badass cabrones and cabronas that wanted an end to the non-stop Putin-like presidential administration of the times. She is known for her strength and courage in the fight against the regime of México’s President, Porfirio Díaz. Basically, Diaz was a pinche pendejo who was Prez for 31 years and he wanted to just keep rolling with it. Carmen and her amigas said, “Ay! No Mas!”
President Díaz learned that Carmen, her brothers and other like-minded folk planned to overthrow his regime so he staged an attack on the Serdán family residence/Anti-Diaz HQ in Puebla, Puebla. Now this was November, 1910 and the Anti Re-Electionists planned to start their revolution on November 20th. Diaz’s dudes stormed the Serdán home/HQ on the 18th at 8am – pre-coffee! #offensive
Carmen Serdán , the Heroine of the Mexican Revolution and her group of rebellious chingonas ready to stick it to the man! Diaz specifically. | Photos: Canal22
Carmen, her brother Aquiles and “La Junta de Puebla” started firing. Carmen ran to the balcony and yelled to the townspeople below, the great quote that earned her the title, ‘Heroine of the Mexican Revolution of 1910’…
Mexicans, stop living on your knees! Freedom is worth so much more than life!”
Boom goes the Chingona!
The “get off your knees” reference is kind of funny….if you are sick like me. In other news, the Serdán house, still riddled with bullet holes, was converted into the Museum of the Revolution of Puebla in 1960. You can get a bit more info on it at Casa De Los Hermanos Serdan / Museo Regional de la Revolución Mexicana
Elvia (1878-1968) founded the first feminist league in 1912 and was basically the most badass broad in the Yúcatan. Let’s go back to her days growing up in Motul, Yúcatan, a small pueblo outside of the capital city of Mérida…Elvia was a fiercely independent child from a big family.
Her favorite sibling was brother Felipe, who later would become the governor of the state. Even as kids, these two were intelligent and sensitive enough to notice that the indigenous Mayans in their pueblo were not treated with the same dignity or given the same opportunities that more European/Mexican families were privileged with. They also noticed how differently males and females were educated and what roles they were encouraged to play. This shit didn’t sit well with these two badasses.
As per typical late 1800’s Mexico…Elvia was married off at the age of 13 to a much older man. She had a kid with him and after 8 years was a widow. Then she remarried. Then she divorced. Then she remarried AND divorced the same guy. Does this sound like an early 1900’s dame to you? No, it sounds like Elizabeth Taylor. CHINGONA!
Her struggle and social activism earned her the nickname of ‘The Red Nun of Mayab’. “Red” because of her socialistic views and “Mayab” because she furthered the native Mayan causes. Not sure where the nun part came from because she committed her life to achieve women’s suffrage, the emancipation of women and their rights in México. She was a teacher and poet, and an activist for birth control, sexual freedom, divorce and anti-religious oppression of the time. CABRONA!
Young, beautiful, feminist leaders were not known to come from small towns in southeast México! | Photos: FEMU A.C. and Grupo Marmor
Elvia founded family planning programs that instituted legalized birth control in México. She also shared her material with Margaret Sanger of the US, the founder of the American Birth Control League which was later renamed Planned Parenthood. #Badassconnection
In 1923, Elvia was named to the Yucatan congress during her brother’s tenure as governor, the first woman to hold a position in state legislature in México. Then Felipe was assassinated and ALL womens’ rights were stripped in the Yúcatan! Can you fucking believe that?! She loses her brother and all of the progress they had made together in one gunshot! So she said, “Fuck this!” and moved to San Luis Potosi to continue taking up the Chingona cause!
MF (1914-2002) short for mother fucking awesome, was originally named María de los Ángeles Félix Güereña. She was one of 16 siblings and one of the most successful Mexican actresses in the 1940’s and 50’s – the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. MF earned the moniker, La Doña, from her character in the movie Doña Barbara. She was known for her strong character and intelligence…never letting herself be dominated by anyone and being very loyal to her ideals. MF became an indomitable example for Mexican women – CHINGA!
The two films that really shaped her career and reputation were La Mujer sin Alma (The Woman without a Soul, 1944) and La Devoradora (The Devourer of Men, 1946). As María Félix herself said,
“With these films, I became the number one enemy of the Mexican family morals. Somehow, I seduced the public, even those who criticize the conduct of my characters in the films. My legend began to take shape without moving a finger. The public imagination did everything for me.“
No citation needed, cabrons!
Movie Poster of her most famous role and María just being hottie pants MF! | Photos: IMDB and El Universal
This chick had some fucking opinions. Here are some of her greatest quotes: “Talking about me is very severe and difficult because I am so much better than I look.”
“The best way to love someone is to accept them as them as they are… it’s not easy, but just loving assholes is easy.”
“I’ve never cried for a man because the moment he doesn’t love me, I don’t want him anymore.”
“Don’t feel bad if someone rejects you, people usually reject the expensive because they can’t afford it.”
Hopefully these classic lines give you an idea of how much she embraced her inner cabrona. La Doña María went on to star in over 47 films across the globe. Her IMDB bio says it best…
More a star than an actress, she constructed an image of a tough woman, a sort of one-liner she-male that went beyond the traditional role of Latin American women. Her fame went beyond México to Latin America, Spain, France and Italy. She always refused to learn English, so she never acted in any English language movie. That’s the main reason why her fame was related almost exclusively to Latin countries.
Similar era…different kind of chingona! Chavela (1919-2012) was a gravely voiced Ranchera Singer, a lesbian with a long list of famous lovers and a shaman. Even as a teen she smoked and drank way too much, wore men’s clothing and carried a pistol. Fucking cabrona! The New Yorker Magazine called her, “México’s Magestic Lesbian Chanteuse.” Not a bad title!
Her real name was María Isabel Vargas. As it turns out, Chavela is a pet name for Isabel. She was born in Costa Rica, but moved to México when she was 17 years old because Costa Rica sucks for lesbians with pistols. She adopted México as her homeland and once declared, “I owe my whole life to México. And to myself.” Therefore, she makes the list.
Vargas was called “la voz áspera de la ternura”, the rough voice of tenderness. She was hugely successful during the 1950s, 60s, and the first half of the 70s, touring in México, the United States, France, and Spain. This is more or less the 25+ years where she drank more than most fish in the sea. Crazy-town alcoholism. Not her only open secret…
Chavela had many lesbian lovers including Frida Kahlo. Her hard living reputation was as sizzling and gravely as her voice and performances. Photos: Chavela Vargas Film
Long considered an open secret, she publicly came out as a lesbian at age 81 in her autobiography titled And If You Want to Know about My Past. She compiled an amorous résumé that ranks among the most distinguished in the history of twentieth-century lesbianism and why she is on my list of Badass Chingonas of México.
I recently watched a great documentary about her that detailed an intimate relationship with none other than Frida Kahlo. Sexy time.
“I live only for you and Diego,”
Frida Kahlo
In addition, she had an affair with the magnate and collector of Frida’s and Diego’s works, Dolores Olmedo. Diego definitely banged Dolores too and rumor has it that Frida tried to get into DO’s pants as well. SCANDALOUS! Rumor linked Chavela Chingona to fellow-divas Lola Beltrán and María Félix (our MF!).
But the most talked about ‘secret’ was when freaking Chavela went to “one of those parties where ‘we went in Saturday and went out Monday, all drunk’…she had an affair with Ava Gardner. It was at the wedding of Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Todd in 1957, in Acapulco, that she attended with Frida Kahlo. “Everyone dawned with everyone, I dawned with Ava Gardner,” she says. Not kidding.
She was in her 90’s on a trip to Spain when she fell ill and spent 10 days in the hospital. When she regained enough strength, the Mexican Government sent a repatriate flight to bring her back “to die in my own country.” Her final words on the day she died in Cuernavaca, Morelos, México were, “I go with México in my heart.”
Yalitza (1993-present) rose to stratospheric fame after starring in her film debut as the lead in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 drama, Roma. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading and go to Netflix right fucking now. Our Oaxacan princess was raised by her single mother who worked as a maid and by her older sister. Her sister was going to the Roma auditions in their town and dragged Yalitza along (even though she had no acting training at all).
Of course, she was fabulous in it and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first Indigenous woman and the second Mexican woman to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination (following Salma Hayek for her role in 2002’s Frida). So what makes her Chingona material?
Do you know how much shit she received from her fellow Mexicans for being highlighted as an actress and model hottie? Racism is sadly everywhere and México is no different. Between the Spain-ish Mexicans (read light skinned/white) who have mostly just European blood lines to meztizos (European and Indigenous mixed race) who are certainly lighter skinned than the truly Indigenous/solely native Mexicans…it seems that the fairer skinned Mexicans think they are better/classier/blahblahblah than those of native Mexican-only decent…
Our beautiful Yalitza in her first ever acting performance as the lead in ‘Roma’ and on the cover of Vogue México | Photos: Roma and Vogue
In a New York Times Op-ed, Yalitza wrote:
“I never thought that a movie alone could prompt social awareness and change. That’s exactly what happened. Suddenly people in my home country of México were talking about issues that have long been taboo here — racism, discrimination toward Indigenous communities and especially the rights of domestic workers, a group that has been historically disenfranchised in Mexican society.”
However, Aparicio said that the kinds of prejudice challenged by the movie plagued her in real life once she received the Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
“I have firsthand experience with this kind of discrimination. After I was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying Cleo, racist comments began to circulate on social media. Commenters questioned why I was nominated, making references to my social and ethnic background. ‘An Indigenous woman was not a worthy representative of the country,’ some said. It was hard for me to see and hear these sorts of statements.”
This poor girl just went to a casting call and accidentally booked a role in a film that ended up being really important…THEN she ends up being recognized as a badass Latina by Vogue…THEN had to endure a shit storm by uppity fuck nuts who can’t see the beauty of her indigenous Oaxacan heritage. #Annoying.
How did she handle the backlash of her fame? By giving the haters a big “Fuck You!”, that’s how! In 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. On October 4, 2019 she was named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples – so there! She has not filmed a single thing since Roma, choosing instead to use her voice for activism.
One little diddy about Salma (1966-present) …Hottie Hayek was born in Veracruz and began her career in México acting in Telenovelas. She moved to Hollywood in 1991. In 2002 she landed her breakthrough role in Frida and was nominated for the Best Actress for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. She is super hot and accomplished, but we have so many actresses to cover in this blog, y’all! #lovemesomesalma
In conclusion…this post is part 1 of a 2 part series on Badass Chingonas of México! So even if we didn’t cover Frida Kahlo, we sort of did. And even though we didn’t cover Salma Hayek who portrayed Frida Kahlo in Frida, we sort of did. Did we mention that Chavela Vargas also starred in Frida? No? Hmmm. Stay tuned for the other half of this list! Gracias and thanks!
Y’all probably know that I am a big fan of Mexican Pueblos Magicos and of Papel Picado. The one town that puts these together well is Sayulita, Nayarit just north of Puerto Vallarta on México’s Pacific coast. In fact, Sayulita is most known for its rainbow rows of papel picado. So much so, that locals call the main avenue “Selfie Street” because so many touritsts ‘selfie’ themselves under the never ending rows of the colorful flags that line the main drag.
I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of why Sayulita digs papel picado as much as I do, but recently the town has taken on a new project that caught my eye…In addition to lining the streets with waves of papel picado they have added a massive amount of Ojos de Dios to color their sky! “WTF are Ojos de Dios?” you ask! Welllllllll…
Gracias and Thanks to Sayulita Luxury Transportation for this combo shot of papel picado and Ojos de Dios! This is “Selfie Street”
Once upon a time in a land far, far, OK fine, right up the street from us…Huichol Indians lived in peace and harmony. The Huichol (pronounced: hwee-chol) are a tribe of Native Mexicans that descended from the Aztecs in the western/central part of México. A small (20,000), but still strong tribe, the Huichol primarily hang out in the Sierra Madre mountains within the neighboring states of Jalisco (home to Puerto Vallarta) and Nayarit (home to Sayulita). Rumor has it they fled to the mountains to escape the Spanish Conquest carnage and some still live very isolated lives in the mountains of Zacatecas and Durango. #social distancing
Anyhoo, when the Spaniards came to conquer México’s land, indigenous folks and generally cause a big shit show, they couldn’t properly pronounce this tribe’s given name. Shocker. The tribe name was actually ‘Wixaritari’ which means ‘healer’ in their original language, sooooo they shortened it to Huichol. Not really Spanish, but a little easier to say.
Same street in Sayulita, just from a different view. #papelpicado #ojodedios | Photo: Sayulita Life
This tribe is known for 3 things: peyote, bead weaving and Ojos de Dios. Peyote sorta goes without saying….it’s basically trippy shit from a hallucinogenic cactus. The intricate bead work is a blog post for another time because it’s sexy as hell.
Ojos de Dios are decorations that hang from windows, trees and signs across México. They are commonly referred to as ‘Mexican Mandalas’ and are similar to Tibetan Mandalas because these colorful ‘sticks and yarn combos’ symbolize the Eye of God in both groups.
The Huichol believe that these more or less ‘religious instruments’ protect their young. In fact, it is tradition that when a baby is born, the father begins weaving the first layer of that child’s Eye of God by winding colorful yarn around a simple wooden cross to figuratively tie together all of the earth’s elements (land, air, fire, water) and directions (north, east, south, west) so that the newborn will be protected in all ways by all the Huichol gods. Got it? It’s a sweeter gesture than giving a baby a shitload of diapers at a baby shower…
Ojos de Dios can be made as simply as like when we had arts and crafts time with yarn and popsicle sticks! | Photo: Mandalas Web
Each year the father weaves an additional layer of the Eye/Ojo on the child’s birthday and provides the completed Eye/Ojo to the child upon their 5th birthday. This is a big time Rite of Passage for Huichol children. It basically means they are on their own…well, not that dramatic…but these dudes believe that after the age of 5, the child is no longer under the protection of the father, but of God(s).
This gang really embraces nature/earth/multiple gods and the like. And the number 5 holds a massive significance to them. For example: There are 5 points on their map, 5 colors of corn, 5 colors of peyote, 5 colors are used in each Eye/Ojo and there are 5 rain gods. Let’s face it, the Huichol really like the number 5! #cinco
Ojo de Dios hanging at the beach. | Photo: Mandalas Web
At the age of 5, the child throws his or her Eye of God into the sea as a sacrifice to the gods and as a “Gracias!” for their protection. This also signifies that the child is now old enough to protect him or herself. The age of 5 seems a bit young to “Let the damn kid roll on his own!”, BUT the Huichol usually marry between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, so there’s not a lot of time to be on their own anyway.
BTW, marriages are arranged by the parents when the children are very young. I’m guessing age 5? #damnthatsyoung
The Ojo de Dios symbolizes the ability to see and understand unseen things, focusing their worship on nature and the earth.
Faith Lopez, Visual Arts & Ojo De Dios Mandala Workshops
As with all ceremonial items made by the Huichols, colors are important and each is identified with a particular god or sacred object. The original 5 colors in each Eye of God/Ojo de Dios are blue, black, white, red and purple…
Blue represents the sacred lagoon of Chapala and Rapawiyene, the god of rain and water. Maybe I should have had more respect for Rapawiyene when I danced like a crazy women on Lake Chapala in Jalisco. Ayayay. #notproud
Yep. Not proud. On the Malécon on Lake Chapala| Video: TexMex Fun Stuff
Black represents the Pacific ocean…which makes sense because Jalisco and Nayarit are both on the Pacific. It also represents Tatei Armana, the Mother of the Sea. And finally it represents (rather counterintuitively) life. Seems like a lot to represent, but hey. #dontjackwithblack
White represents the wind and clouds, but on the downside it can also be associated with death (again, super counterintuitive).
Red represents Parietekúa, which is the peyote god. I’ve never smoked peyote and that is probably one of my few good life decisions.
A “Mandala” version of an Ojo de Dios – set on a mountain to bless the people below. | Photo: Recognizing México
Purple is all encompassing and represents the Huichol as a society. Lots of Ojos de Dios have other colors obviously, but these 5 are of particular importance to the Huichol. Everything else is just pretty.
Tradition has evolved enough for this art form to become a money maker.?? Huichols now make Ojo de Dios patterns into earrings, wall hangings and ornaments which are both pretty and thought to bring protection against evil, danger or disease. Hey, might as well make some cash as you spread color and joy. And there is A LOT of color and joy in Sayulita! ? ?
One of the main streets in Sayulita, Nayarit – how cool is this?!?! | Photo: Casa Vecino Sayulita
According to a local Spanish newspaper, educational campuses, senior groups, independent artists, shops, and associations from Sayulita decided to showcase this marvelous art form all over the town in honor of the 9th Annual Dia de los Muertos celebration. All of these groups participated in setting up altars for Dia De Muertos and participated in the design, creation and placement of more than 16,000 “Eyes of God”. All of this was to get Ojo de Dios into the Guinness Book of World Record in late 2019! #failuretolaunch #yesImserious
Sweet ass night shot from the Dia de Los Muertos Festival in Sayulita | Photo: Mexico News On Line
I mean, seriously! There were 16,000 of them and they didn’t score?! #chinga #timeforresearch
So I went to the Guinness Book website to see if this had ever been attempted before and there is no record currently set. Based on the submission rules, it is probable (but not confirmed) that they submitted the paperwork too late to get in for the 2019 edition. Which is to say that if you submit paperwork “in time” the registration is free. I’m guessing they didn’t have enough funds for late submission. But still, all 16,000 were done by the hands of the Sayulitans – pretty impressive! #2020?
More OdD Beauties found in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Nevertheless, the good people of Sayulita gave it the old college try and will hopefully have the opportunity to try again during the upcoming Day of the Dead festivities. May 2020 be the year that Sayulita and Ojo de Dios go down in the record books! Because 2020 owes us something, goddamnit! #freaking2020
By the way, we don’t sell these, but here is the place you can score 1 or 16,000: Etsy
Are you looking for more inspiration from México? Check out the TexMex Fun Stuff Blog for more sights, sounds and badass-ness uncovered while exploring México searching for handmade fun stuff for you!
Eighteen amazing México Instagram feeds you should follow have given me an escape from my ‘shelter-in-place’ lifestyle that feels like it’s never going to end. Even though I’m sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta (I may be a little spoiled) I have been living vicariously through these accounts which beautifully showcase the country that I’ve fallen in love with and now call my home.
Did you have to cancel your travel plans to México this summer?
Are you dreaming of your last trip to a Mexican beach in the Caribbean?
Are you thinking about selling everything you own and moving to México like I did? (Do it!)
I wanted to share with you my top picks of absolutely amazing México Instagram feeds that feature the beauty, charm and culture of this incredible country.
The Mexico desconocido Insta feed (run by a news and blogging website) is one of my go-to spots when I’m researching a new part of México to visit. If you want to learn about spending the night in a tree house in a Kali-Tree in Puebla or visiting a hobbit town in the mountains of San Luis Potosi, this is your website. They have great articles on their site about normal spots throughout México as well, but who doesn’t want to visit a hobbit town in the mountains of México? Come on…am I right? BTW, “desconocido” means “unknown” en Español!
Thumbing through the México Travel Channel is like walking through a museum of must see locations throughout the country. You can cool off in the sparkling clear water of the cenotes in the Yucatan, get blasted on the blue agave nectar in Tequila and feel the sand between your toes on the beaches of Oaxaca.
Pueblo Mágicos, Volcanos and National Parks are all covered in this feed. Put on your imaginary hiking boots because all of these photos feature the outdoors of México.
I couldn’t describe this feed any better than how these guys describe their own page so here you go…
A page dedicated to show how beautiful México is. Landscapes, culture, traditions and more!
Well said mis amigos! And this is exactly why I stalk your page! I never knew that México has vast deserts and dunes in Chihuahua or has massive mountain peaks in Nuevo Leon. México Sorprendente ventures off the beaten path and delivers stunning views of the sites off of the normal road trip routes. BTW, “sorprendente” means “surprising” in Español!
I really wish I would have thought of this Instagram handle, but I guess I’ll have to stick with TexMex Fun Stuff. México Amazing is well, the name says it all. I look at each photo and think to myself, is that place real and how fast can I get there?
The diversity is crazy from one pic to the next. They go from snowy hills to humid swamps to erupting volcanos to crashing waterfalls. This feed truly is amazing.
Rafael Gonzales Jr. is an artist from San Antonio, TX who is combining the classic Mexican La Lotería and the Covid19 pandemic into works of art. La Lotería is México’s equivalent to bingo and is steeped in tradition here. I even wrote a blog post about it title, La Lotería Ain’t Your Grandma’s Mexican Bingo.
Rafa is combining entrepreneurship and artistry by launching Pandemic Lotería, an entire game featuring his newly inspired creations! Taking pre-orders again…
Geraldine is a México-based YouTuber and photographer who has a perfectly curated and diverse Instagram feed. I’m wicked jealous. I like how she focuses on outdoor scenes of México and blends the colors of facades along the streets with the oranges and blues in the sky.
When I’m walking through the streets of México, I’m typically sweating my nuts off with a drink in each hand and stains on my t-shirt, but not Geraldine! She always looks amazing. You go girl! #sisterlove
The Plan B Viajero (Plan B Traveler) feed is managed by Camilo and Gaby, Eco-Travel bloggers from México and Argentina that are based in Oaxaca. They are clearly living their “Plan B” and have built a blog that is dedicated to practicing and promoting responsible and sustainable tourism. I’m totally crunchy granola too, so there’s that. Check out their blog here and one of my favorite amazing Mexico Instagram feeds below.
The Pueblos de México’s Insta account was created by San Luis Potosi-based photographer Didier Palomo who captures the ‘Magic Towns of México’ brilliantly. The ‘Magical Villages Program‘ is an initiative led by México’s Secretary of Tourism to promote a series of towns around the country that offer visitors a “magical” experience – by reason of their natural beauty, cultural richness, traditions, folklore, historical relevance, cuisine, art crafts and great hospitality.
The most unique characteristic of earning the designation of being a Pueblo Mágico is that the village has to be a unique, bustling town (state capital towns/cities are not qualified).
A “Magical Village” is a place with symbolism, legends, history, important events, festivals, traditions, great food, and fun interactive shopping, day-to-day life – in other words, “magic” in its social and cultural manifestations, with great opportunities for tourism.
Guanajuato-based photographer Chema Sanchez has the feel of this Disney movie level magical town nailed. When we lived there I fell in love with the singing minstrels who danced me up and down the winding alleys in this one-of-a-kind city. I miss it everyday, but Chema’s amazing México Instagram feeds takes me back to this college town/state capital that includes the mummy museum, El Pípila on the mountain top and the minstrel music that constantly echos off of the surrounding mountains. This is literally the town that the afterlife kingdom in Pixar’s ‘Coco’ was fashioned after.
Mexico DF is managed by the 3 person team of Manuel Portillo González, Alex Revilla and Chac B who are photographers, bloggers and street artists. The ‘DF’ in the name is a throwback to when México City was referred to as ‘Distrito Federal’. The city went through a rebranding campaign in January, 2016 and completely changed the abbreviated name to CDMX, otherwise known as Ciudad de México. Rebranding a whole freaking city…amazing!
“CDMX” is now seen everywhere in México City from the city street signs to the sides of buses. It really is amazing how quickly they got rid of the “DF” moniker and rebranded in less than a year. This feed feels like you are wandering down the streets of México City.
Edward Nygma is a Oaxaca-based photographer who takes me back to when I spent 5 amazing weeks in the capital city of…you guessed it…Oaxaca, Oaxaca. When Mr. TexMex Fun Stuff and I first drove into Oaxaca, we followed a local’s advice and went straight to the Benito Juárez Market.
We could not get enough of the market’s smoke alley, lined with taco vendors grilling up fresh meat served with fresh tortillas, avocados and bright red salsa. Oh, and several cold cervezas brought to us by a nice teenage kid. The food, colors and native Zapotec culture are clearly the focus and passion of Edward’s feed.
Gustavo Moguel travels from the deserts of Sonora to the haciendas of the Yucatan to the museums of México City to craft his Insta feed into a total México journey. From underwater shots swimming with tropical fish to views from his kick ass drone, Gustavo has an eye for showcasing the beauty of México’s land, sea and air. Check it, yo…
Rodrigo GB loves architecture and reflections. It really comes through in his vivid photos which primarily focus on México City. He is based out of CDMX and tends to shuffle in some of the top ballet dancers from the city. I love the evolution and diversity of his feed and how he is displaying his art. #fabulosa #reflectonthis
Gastronautadf is a food blogger based out of México City. You know you’ve made it as a food blogger on Instagram when Rick Bayless follows you! Foodie greatness.
My mouth waters over this account. This. dude does a great job of combining food and booze, my two favorite things. #nohashtagneeded #yum
The Mexican Coolture® feed and brand has been created by the soul and talent of Mexican artists who make handmade masterpieces. inn the form of beaded hat bands, purse straps and handbags. “Mexico in your hands” = Hecho a mano for sure. These guys are promoting goods curated from artisans in México and they have never looked better.
I experienced my first Lucha Libre event a few years ago and literally laughed, cried and screamed the entire time. I even wrote a blog post about it, My Lucha Libre Experience – Laughing, Crying & Screaming which details the sheer exhilaration and hilarity of The Big Show.
I have not found anything else in my travels throughout this country that had me saying to myself over and over, “holy fuck, only in México.” The amazing México Instagram feed that captures the essence of Lucha Libre is definitely the World Wrestling Council. Feast your eyes on ‘the most Spectacular of Sports and the most Sporty of Shows’.
I couldn’t live with myself if I made a list of my favorite amazing México Instagram feeds you should follow and not list my boys from “Breaking Bad”. Yep, mis hombres, Brian Cranston and Aaron Paul teamed up again! But this time it they aren’t cooking meth!
They have invested in one of my favorite delicacies of ALL OF México…and one that I only recently acquired a love for while in Oaxaca…mezcal! Yeah baby!! The Blue Meth Boyz feed mixes their friendship and their passion for mezcal and México. Una mas mezcal por favor! Plus, they are both pretty hot when not tweaked out and wearing tighty whiteys!
I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t include my own Instagram feed in this list of amazing México Instagram feeds you should follow! I have wistfully created a random-ass feed while traveling through México in search of handmade goods for you.
I’m still learning the ropes on what a ‘professional feed’ should look like, but as you know by now, I’m not a very professional broad.
I hope you enjoy the pictures, video and stories that chronicle my road tripping travels through México as I build TexMex Fun Stuff and search for handmade treasures (tesoros en Español!). Viva México! ?????✈️
Are you looking for more inspiration from México? Check out the TexMex Fun Stuff Blog for more sights, sounds and badass-ness uncovered while exploring México searching for handmade fun stuff for you!
As Mr. TexMex Fun Stuff and I sit “trapped” in our AirBnB in Puerto Vallarta, we realized that I haven’t contributed jack shit to our fun followers in a while. And since we as a society are collectively “trapped” with this whole coronavirus scenario, this would be a good time to use time wisely. Which, of course, I thought was wise.
Anyway, being fresh out of ideas I asked our buddies John and Rick what they would be interested in reading. They suggested getting to the bottom of wacky Mexican life hacks that we Americans don’t understand…like why do Mexicans use white vinegar, Pinol, VapoRub and muriatic acid for freaking everything?!
These Mexican Staples ARE NOT MIRACLES. However, they were all hoarded at the beginning of this crisis! | Photos: Google Images
These are great questions worth exploring. However, Mr. TexMex Fun Stuff and I thought a more timely topic would be Milagros…that’s Spanish for Miracles…cuz now would be the time for a few of them.
Definition of “Miracle” brought to you by Dictionary.com:
noun
an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.
such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.
You DAMN right, girl! | Photo: Unknown. Meme courtesy of IMGFlip
Whether you believe Dictionary.com’s or the Catholic Church’s definition of miracles…Mexicans talk about them ALL THE TIME! Once I started understanding a wee bit of Español, I started hearing my Mexican friends and neighbors use the word “milagro” super frequently.
Then I started noticing these crazy tin or silver charm things being referred to as “milagros”. Thoughts entered my head like, “What is that guy doing with that tiny corn on the cob? How come she has a wee bitty metal heart? That dude just kissed a little shiny hand – WTF?!”
Saints and birds and cows, oh my! So many metallic thingee-doodles! | Photos: Directfrommexico.com and Etsy respectively.
Come to find out that for centuries, Mexicans have been fashioning votive charms into representations of milagros. Allow me to mansplain…Mexicans have turned little metallic thingee-doodles into symbols of miracles!
“WTF does votive mean?,” you ask! You’re not alone. To be honest, I thought votives were nouns, like, my idea of “votives” were candles like these…
Votive candles. Not a noun as it turns out. And no one gets credit for this photo, not even Yankee Candle. Sorry for the derailment.
HOWEVER, the REAL Definition of “Votive” as per Dictionary.com is actually: advective
offered, given, dedicated, etc., in accordance with a vow: a votive offering.
performed, undertaken, etc., in consequence of a vow.
of the nature of or expressive of a wish or desire.
So a Votive Milagro is an offering to a saint that performs miracles – and the more specific you can get, the better! Got leg pain? Buy a leg votive milagro and present it to your favorite saint as a wish or offering!
Experiencing a heartache? Or heartburn, for that matter… Buy a heart votive milagro and present it to your favorite saint as a wish or offering! See how that works?! After a while I guess everyone dropped the ‘votive’ and just went with ‘milagro’ because the votive part is just assumed.
Being a Preacher’s Kid, I’m not a big reader of religious stuff. BUT, I was seeing those little tin arms, legs, hearts and farm animals often enough to be interested in the subject. So I went to “the webs” to see if I could find out more about their history…because God forbid I step foot in a church. Good old Wikipedia broke it down like this…
Milagros are small religious charms that people usually nail onto sacred objects, pin on the clothing of saint statues, or hang with little red ribbons or threads from altars and shrines. Typically, a believer will make a vow to a saint or to a sacred object, and later on she will make a pilgrimage to the site of the shrine or church and take a milagro there and leave it as a sign of gratitude and devotion. People also carry milagros for protection and good luck.
You see all those little silver things on the heart things? Those are milagros on sacred hearts! We’ll get to sacred hearts in a minute | Photo: Good Old Google Images!
Different milagros have different meanings and uses, and are often interpreted differently by different people, or for different occasions. For example, a milagro of a body part, such as a leg, might be used as part of a prayer or vow for the improvement for some condition associated with a leg – such as arthritis. Or, it might refer to a concept such a travel, the leg implying walking, which implies any form of travel. Similarly, a heart might represent a heart condition that one is praying for a cure: or a romance, or the Sacred Heart of Jesus or of Mary, and a prayer that the power of those spiritual forces might come into ones life. Often, a sacred image in a home will have milagros nailed to the frame, in such a way that the saint represented in the picture might bless the persons represented by the milagros, or the cares of these persons.
So you know how we mentioned that milagros get nailed onto sacred objects? Well the most common is a heart. In fact, one of the most common symbols in religious folk art is the Mexican Sacred Heart. These hearts come in various forms: surrounded by flames, with a crown, with a dagger through the center and sometimes with a crown of thorns – all allegedly representing Jesus’ compassion for humanity.
So just to make sure you are following…Folk artists in central México make sacred hearts as decor, not for prayer. Yes, the heart represents a prayer, a wish, notes of gratitude or thanks. But, they are just pretty in your house as a Christmas ornament, as a magnet on your fridge, Valentines Day decor, you get it.
So basically, the hearts with thorns or rays of light that I used to think were “milagros” are actually “sacred hearts”. A very popular trend is for sacred hearts to be covered in milagros – like some of the ones pictured above! #combopackage.
But I was not alone in my confusion. If you google ‘Mexican Milagros’ for instance you will find yourself in a sea of images with both the milagros and the sacred hearts….like, which is it?!
Here are classic examples of sacred hearts. For a year I sold these aprons on the left as “Milagros” instead of “Sacred Hearts”. #oops #uninformed | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Hopefully I have cleared that mystery up for all of us. Time to get back to FaceBook to see if the sky is still falling. In all seriousness, take care of yourself and others. This is a weird one and we need to stick together by…ironically…not literally sticking together! Peace, love and milagros from PV, México!
And for my kick ass homies, John and Rick…and in the spirit of this crazy fucking corona thingee-doodle…”you can take the girl outta class, but you can’t take class outta the girl”. #AmIright?
This bitch (me) loves memes and milagros! Credit has already been mass given. Get it? Mass?! Given?! Chinga.
Looking for more inspiration from México? Check out the TexMex Fun Stuff Blog for more sights, sounds and badass-ness uncovered while exploring México searching for handmade fun stuff for you!
I see this Virgin of Guadalupe broad everywhere. She is insanely iconic to Mexican culture…but why? The Virgin Mary as the Mother of God or at least the female expression of God is a Christian concept. But Catholics in Latin America take it to another level. So how did this virgin become such a big part of Mexican religious and national identity?
“Iconic” often describes something or someone that is considered symbolic of something else, like spirituality, virtue, or evil and corruption. The iconic Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom. Michelangelo’s iconic statue of David was supposed to represent anatomical perfection. In Christianity, the Virgin Mary is an iconic image of purity and closeness to God.
Vocabulary.com
So much Virgin of Guadalupe merchandise…so little time! | Photo: El Estudio
Not only has Mother Mary gone mainstream as an image, but her day of celebration (Dec 12) is the most important holiday of the year in México! I mean, really… it kicks off a 3-week long wretched excess party during the holidays which finally ends on Three Kings Day on January 6. This party streak is also known as: The Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon (blog post on that to follow).
Soooooo many Nuestra Señora shrines in México City | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Let’s start with the plethora of names for her: Patron Saint of México (Patroness de México), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), La Reina de México (The Queen of México), La Virgen de Guadalupe (The Virgin of Guadalupe), Empress of the Americas, México’s #1 Mother and of course…Virgin Mary.
Also, there are many versions of her story and how she became the ultimate Goddess and Madre of México…One chick, one day, one miracle in Central México almost 500 years ago…here we go, yo.
Long history short: According to tradition, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to an indigenous peasant (way more native/Aztec than Spanish) named Juan Diego in central México on Dec. 9, 1531. Juan Diego was minding his own business when the Virgin came from out of nowhere and asked that a shrine be built in her name on the spot where she appeared. This happened to be on Tepeyac Hill, which is now in a northern suburb of México City (The Beast).
Tepeyac Hill, which now houses Our Lady’s basilica, is a burb of the Beast | Map/Photo: Avalontravelbooks.com
After this apparition, Juan Diego traipsed his way down to the Big Cheese Catholic bishop, also named Juan, to tell him about Our Lady’s request. Juan De Zumárraga was the first bishop and archbishop of México and he just straight up didn’t believe the other Juan. #notcredible
In fact, Juan De Zumárraga (or J De Z as we will call him) demanded a sign before he would approve construction of the shrine/church/basilica situation. So poor dejected Juan Diego just went back home. Three days later (December 12), Juan Diego’s uncle lay dying and so he was sent back to the church to get a priest to read his uncle his last rites.
Well, lo and behold, if Nuestra Señora didn’t show her ass up again! She reappeared to Juan Diego and ordered him to collect roses in his cloak and take them to J De Z since he was heading there anyway. So Juan Diego took the roses to the bishop and when he opened his cloak, the roses fell to the floor and magically the image of the Virgin was imprinted on the inside!
That seemed to be all the proof that J De Z needed, so construction of the basilica in the Virgin’s name began on the spot where she appeared. Not sure of what became of Juan Diego’s uncle though.
Virgin sightings all over México City, Our Lady’s hometown! | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
FUN FACT: Juan Diego’s actual cloak with the image is still on display in the Basilica de Guadalupe. For the record, originally only the figure of Mary was on the cloak. Later the gold rays, the baby angel beneath her and the glowing warm orangey-red light surrounding her was added-probably by Bishop J De Z. It has never been restored yet it looks just as it did in 1531 after 488 years!
Unusual? Yes. A miracle? Maybe. A little far fetched? Hard to say. BUUUUUUUT…This is what PROBABLY happened…
A statue of Juan Diego and J De Z on Tepeyac Hill. Notice the basilica above. | Credit…Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times
According to author Rosemary Reuther, an American feminist scholar and Catholic theologian, who wrote “Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History” (book available on Amazon)…this situation in México is likely a copy cat. It is well known that Spanish priests were sent to the ‘New Spain’ to endear/force upon Catholicism (and its biggest heroine…the virgin/Mary/Mother of God) to the indigenous natives of México.
The central part of México had predominantly been ruled by Aztecs when the Spanish successfully invaded. The Aztecs believed in a myriad of gods, not one god from a mother who never actually had sex with anyone. And Juan Diego was likely Aztec. Here is why Reuther thinks this story is more or less a nod to a previous event that, according to tradition, happened in the region of Extremadura, Spain centuries earlier…
The Original Virgin Story
Reuther explains that a small wooden statue of the Virgin was carved by The Episcopal, Luke right after Jesus (Son of the Virgin Mary) died. St. Luke had sculpted this statue of the Virgin and was laid to rest with it in Antioch, Turkey. Someone at some point dug into St. Luke’s grave and took the Virgin sculpture with them to the Pope in Rome. #graverobber. The next Pope inherited her and then eventually gave her to Leander the Great who was hanging out in Seville, Spain circa 7th century.
Circa 8th century, the city of Seville was captured by the Arabs/Moors of Islam and so a whole slew of priests took a bunch of Catholic relics, including Luke’s statue, and buried them in the hills of Extremadura, near the river of Guadalupe. They hid it so well that no one could find it for centuries. Oops.
Extremadura, Spain and the specific location of the town of Guadalupe on the Guadalupe River. | Photo: Google Maps
Then one day, a shepherd named Gil (yeah, seriously) was herding his cows on a delightfully crisp mid-14th century morning when he realized that one of his cows was missing.
Gil immediately left the flock to look for it and discovered the dead body of his good buddy next to the banks of the Guadalupe River. Gil was devastated and all, but decided to take advantage of the cow’s skin. When he pulled out his knife to score a little hide, THE VIRGIN APPEARED TO HIM AND SAID,
“Don’t be afraid. I am the Mother of God, Savior of the human lineage. Take your cow and take it to the herd with the others and then go to your land. You’ll tell the clerics what you’ve seen. Tell them from me that I’m sending you there, too. Let them come to this place where you are now. Let them dig where the dead cow was, under these stones: you will find an image of me. When they take her out, tell them not to move it or take it from this place where it is now, but make a box in which they put it. Time will come that in this place become a very remarkable church.”
Our Virgin of Guadalupe deserves altars and altars always include papel picado! | Photo: TexMex Fun Stuff
Needless to say, Gil did just that and not a damn one of those clerics believed him. #soundfamiliar? Anyway, he was super bummed and his day was about to get worse…Gil arrived home to find that his firstborn son had died. CHINGA! His entire family and village were at his house mourning this loss when Gil, who couldn’t take much more of this shit, dropped to his knees and begged Our Lady with much devotion:
“Ma’am, you brought my cow back to life. Let’s do this again with my son and we’ll show all these motherfuckers how powerful and miraculous you are.” OK, I took some serious liberties with that one, but the original quote is way too long.
Before the stunned gaze of all those present, Gil’s son rose, as if awakening from a dream, and everyone marveled at the great miracle. Then Gil told them about the whole cow situation and how the Virgin appeared by the river and how she wants a church in her honor to be constructed in that exact place.
And, oh by the way, she also mentioned that they should dig for the sculpture that St. Luke carved and that the clerics of Seville buried so many years before. The whole village ran to the Guadalupe river and started digging.
Sure enough, they found her statue plus the other relics and documentation that were in a marble casing (almost like a mini casket). Off they went to show and tell the bishops in the nearby mid-size town of Cacéres! This time Gil was TOTALLY CREDIBLE.
A Tale of Two Virgins. Their Lady of Extremadura, Spain on the left and Our Lady of Tepeyac, Mexico on the right | Photo: culturacolectiva.com
The mass construction of the basilica in The Virgin’s name, (which ended up including a monastery, a school, chapel, etc.) ended up creating a village of workers around it. They decided to name their new town Guadalupe since the Guadalupe River ran through it and everyone had pretty much agreed that they should call the shrine “The Virgin of Guadalupe”. Not extremely original, but certainly sensible.
Fast Forward
Combo graphic courtesy of Allison twerking the meme generator, imgflip.com and also Biography.com
If you remember from your history books, Hernán Cortés invaded México in the early 1500’s when his troops overthrew the Aztecs in their capital city. Welp, Cortés and his some of his men spent a great deal of time in the Extremadura region of Spain and had become enormous devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe prior to the invasion of México.
Reuther contends that some of Cortés’s army spent time in the Tepeyac hood while preparing to take the Aztec capital (now Mexico City) in 1521. It is probable that while they were there, the story of the original Virgin of Guadalupe was bastardized into a Mexican version, whereas the apparition showed herself to an indigenous man so as to get the Aztecs on board with the “miracle of Christianity.” #itworked
The Pilgrimage
Another similarity between the two Virgins is the pilgrimage by their devotees to their respective sacred places. People bike and walk hundreds of miles to her basilica in México City and to “satellite” basilicas all over México to pay respects and ask for miracles on December 12 every year. The Virgin of Extremadura welcomes visitors all year long who come from far and wide to show their devotion. #Cortés
Paying homage to the Queen of México…The pilgrimage ends at the Basilica on the exact spot of her first sighting | Photo: ABC News
Popular Culture
WeAreLiveLatin.com is a blog about all things fabulously Mexican and they phrased this phenomenon better than I ever could…
“The icon of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was used by father Miguel Hidalgo as he launched the fight for independence. The image of the Virgin has since been an important image in México’s struggle for freedom and as a patriotic symbol. Revolutionaries like Zapata always carried a flag with her image as they went into battle, and later, when they marched triumphantly into México City.
She is present in all aspects of Mexican life, and her image has become synonymous with México. In places like truck stops, bus stations and automobile garages, there are small shrines to the Virgin where people can pray. In many churches and shrines, instead of a crucifix there is an image of the Virgin. Her image is deeply etched into the consciousness of the Mexican people; so much so that it has even become a form of kitsch. She can be found on t-shirts, calendars, towels, tattoos, cups, and even bank checks.” So there.
We Are Live Latin
Icon-ness
You know you’re an icon when another icon imitates you for her pregnancy and baby pix!
Bey seems to think she’s “Up there” with the Virgin of Guadalupe! | Photos: Beyonce.com
And now for some blasphemy
OK, you may or may not have noticed that I am not super Jesus-y/religious-y/Believer-y. My thoughts on all of the above are this: this story is as ridiculous as the actual Christmas story. Of course it is. However, this woman is so important to the land and culture that I live in now that I don’t dare question the validity of it all around my Mexican friends. That would be sacrilege to the level of un-friending, and not just on FaceBook.
“BUUUUUUUUUT!,” as my dear Mexicana bestie, Julissa says…every sacred situation deserves a good meme. So here we go in Español…
Did I manage to explain why the Virgin of Guadalupe is a bad ass broad? Good. The End.
Are you looking for more inspiration from México? Check out the TexMex Fun Stuff Blog for more sights, sounds and badass-ness uncovered while exploring México searching for handmade fun stuff for you!
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“Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History”
