In siding against the Aztecs with Hernán Cortés, the Tlaxcala people both got privileges in the colonial era and stigmatized as traitors.
Stories by Leigh Thelmadatter
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Artisans’ longstanding partnership falls victim to its own success
A once mutually beneficial mercantile relationship between two artisan communities now threatens the health of their economies and ecosystems.
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Bright star of Tonalá’s famed burnished pottery artisans began as an outlier
Unlike many of Tonalá’s acclaimed maestros, José Luis Cortéz didn’t grow up with the craft. He fell in love with it as a factory worker.
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Baja California artist continues Mexican tradition of examining womanhood
Alejandra Phelts’s art evokes the creative legacy of female Mexican greats like Frida Kahlo, Remedio Varo and María Izquierdo.
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Puppetry duo brings rural communities entertainment, emotional support
Sandra Reyes and Ángel Ledezma’s work entertains children in remote towns but also helps the kids’ adult relatives process trauma and grief.
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Are Mexico’s iconic donkeys in danger of extinction?
Many believe the nation’s pack animals are dying out, but they are still part of life in areas where using vehicles is near impossible.
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People power fuels Mexico’s newest wave of murals
Leigh Thelmadatter catalogues a nationwide movement of street art popping up in communities where residents are recruited as artists.
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Nahua weaver group doesn’t just preserve dying skills, it’s changing lives
The women of Zongolica, Veracruz, came together to keep knowledge of their traditional techniques alive, but they’ve managed so much more.
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How an accident led to one Oaxacan woman’s revival of a dying handcraft
Barro negro, or black clay pottery, might have disappeared forever from San Bartolo, Oaxaca, if not for one woman’s ingenuity and good timing.
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Cubans, soccer players and Yanks: citizenship’s lure draws a varied mix
Requirements for Mexican naturalization tend to favor educated Spanish speakers, but the nation receives applications from all over the world.
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Is a symbol of rebellion once known worldwide dying out in Chiapas?
Zapatista rebel dolls, sold to visitors fascinated by the 1990s indigenous uprising, are now near impossible to find in Chiapas.
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Mexico loses artist who ‘played with dolls’ after 1985 earthquake
Vicente Rojo, who died on March 17 at age 89, was an artist whose work reflected many of the major events of 20th-century Mexico.
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Kitten season: not as happy a time of year as it might sound
Cats can give birth year-round, but both temperature and varying day length seem to lead to more babies being born during certain periods.
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Patriotic or predatory? Inside Mexicans’ love-hate relationship with Oxxo
The first Oxxo convenience stores opened in 1978 to sell beer. Today, the popular chain is highly involved in customers’ financial lives.
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Nonprofits help Mexico’s artisans learn to sell in a socially distanced world
Covid deprived many artisans of their usual sales methods, but these NGOs are teaching them internet marketing and greater independence.
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A century after the Revolution’s end, the Adelitas still await real recognition
In the 100 years since Mexico’s civil war finished, how historians have portrayed the women who fought in or supported it hasn’t evolved much.
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Former Caribbean art students’ careers thrive across the sea in Mexico
A short-lived UNAM program meant to open its doors to foreign art students left behind a legacy of artists with careers here.
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Southern Mixtecs find challenges and successes in the northwest
Over a century, thousands of members of the indigenous group have been migrating to the Baja Peninsula to find better economic opportunities.
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Though now part of the mainstream, Chinelos still retain an aura of mystery
Although being one of these dancers isn’t against the law anymore, anonymity is still an important part of the performers’ tradition.
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An unlikely modern icon, Sor Juana’s celebrity cuts across age and class
Mexico’s widely beloved 17th-century nun, intellectual and feminist avatar didn’t let societal gender norms limit her thirst for knowledge.
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Want to speak like a native? Learn the language of Mexico’s hand gestures
With intermingled cultures, Mexico and the United States have many gesticulations in common. But don’t assume that they mean the same thing.
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Food writer travels the world for his art but adopted Mexico as his home
James Oseland fell in love with Mexico the moment he saw it. Decades later, he’s finally been able to make the nation his permanent home.
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A single mother’s need to survive spawned decades of Otomí industry
Today’s version of Tenango folk embroidery was born in the 1960s, when drought forced subsistence farmers to find a new form of income.
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Mexico’s snow and ice sculptors are champions in an unfamiliar medium
Born in Mexico City, Abel Ramírez never saw snow until his 40s, but he’s competed — and won — snow and ice sculpture competitions worldwide.
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Mexico City residents fight crime’s arrival in their neighborhood
Eduardo Klein, a Mexico City restaurateur in Polanco, decided to act when gangs moved into the neighborhood and began extorting businesses.
