Ask friends who received chocolate as a Valentine’s Day gift today where it’s originally from and you’re likely to hear Germany or Switzerland. It may take a friend who is especially learned to give you the correct answer: Mexico.
Chocolate, derived from the Nahuatl xocolatl, meaning “bitter water,” has existed in Mexico for thousands of years. Made into a chile-infused drink still common today in many parts of Mexico, xocolatl was and continues to be a nutritious delicacy.
So coveted was xocolatl as a drink that the cacao seeds used to make it were traded as currency and paid as tribute to the state.
Unlike chewing gum and peanut butter, which also have their origins in Mexico, chocolate’s roots are indisputable. As mentioned earlier, even the word’s origin is Mexican. Nevertheless, it may be necessary on this day of love and friendship to share with those close to us a bit of history on this great thing called chocolate.
To the world we say, “you’re welcome.”
Photo: Carved figure of a man holding a cacao pod; Scanned image of the Codex Zouche-Nuttal which describes the cacao plant and its uses; Ground cacao beans on a metate
Mexico will hold presidential elections this July 1st in what is gearing up to be a contentious duel between the country’s three major parties.
The three major party candidates (shown above from left to right) are: Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, the PRD; Josefina Vázquez Mota of the National Action Party, the PAN; and Enrique Peña Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the PRI.
Look for more coverage and discussion on Mexico’s presidential election in the coming months.
Se calcula que mil millones de mariposas viajan a Mexico cada invierno. La Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca, Patrimonio de la Humanidad, protege a 8 colonias de mariposas para garantizar la supervivencia de la biosfera y la majestuosa mariposa monarca.
It is estimated that one billion butterflies travel to Mexico each winter. The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, protects 8 butterfly colonies to ensure the survival of both the biosphere and the majestic monarch butterfly.
La Uanapikua (caminata) inicio el 28 de enero del 2012 de Jarácuaro, Michoacán, para trasladar el Ch’jpiri Tamapu (fuego viejo) a Kunguripo (Santiago Conguripo, Michoacán), sede del Kurhikuaeri K’uinchekua (Renovación del Fuego e inicio del Año Nuevo P’urhépecha).
Hoy, la activista Norma Andrade anunció que dejará el país tras haber sufrido un segundo ataque la semana pasada, sin embargo, no especificó donde se refugiará.
“Aun cuando me duela mucho, lo voy a tener que hacer. Somos muchos los activistas que hemos sido atacados”, afirmó la activista mexicana en entrevista con Milenio TV.
Además, agregó que al momento del segundo ataque -perpetrado afuera de su nuevo domicilio en el Distrito Federal- no contaba con protección, ya que las medidas cautelares fueron dictadas a su hija.
“Quiero pensar que es por desestabilizar su gobierno, ahorita no sabemos de dónde viene la cosa”, comentó la activista.
If so, it accomplished its objective of creating a composite male and female face based on the most common features of various countries from around the world. In this case, Mexico.
It’s all part of a project called The Face of Tomorrow, and the work of photographer Mike Mike.
Mike photographs volunteers originally from the cities participating in his project and then uses the first 100 people he photographs to make a composite.
Discussion: The Economic Exploitation of the 2012 “Mayan Prophecy”
As the end of the Mayan long count calendar approaches, countries such as Mexico, Guatemala and Belize have launched tourism campaigns aimed at promoting travel to renowned Mayan cultural sites. The interpretation of the calendar has led to the belief among some that Dec 21, 2012 marks the end of civilization.
Mexico, for example, is planning to spend millions of dollars in states that make up parts of the Mayan world and host hundreds of cultural events. But will the tourism boom benefit the Mayan people?
Indigenous Mayan claim they have not been entirely included in these plans and that their communities will benefit minimally. There are also concerns that their culture is being misrepresented.
Turn on any radio or television in Mexico and almost every other ad is government propaganda.
This is one of many anti-ads produced in recent weeks in response to the federal government’s ‘Vivir Mejor’ campaign, the Calderón administration’s slogan.
This United States funded and led drug war has cost Mexico more than 50,000 lives.
It’s time the US gets out of Mexico. And don’t forget to take Felipe Calderón with you!
Digital artist Tonatiuh Moreno of Guadalajara interrupts Felipe Calderón to challenge his drug war policy during a speech yesterday to local business leaders shouting, “When will this war be over?”
More than seven million young Mexicans are jobless, with the situation among young women even worse.
The global economic crisis has forced millions out of job, but it has been particularly hard for young people.
In Mexico, the unemployment level among young people is nearly twice the national average, with more than seven million citizens between the ages of 15 and 29 out of work.
The situation for women is even worse as they struggle to find jobs. A recent study has found that unemployment is highest among the most educated women.
