A short-lived UNAM program meant to open its doors to foreign art students left behind a legacy of artists with careers here.
Stories by Leigh Thelmadatter
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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.
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Xochimilco’s nearly 450-year-old Niñopa statue adapts to the pandemic
Mexico City’s most famous child star is likely the Niñopa, a baby Jesus statue that resides with a different Catholic family each year.
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Coahuila municipality’s communities originated in escaped US ancestors
Muzquiz, Coahuila, is home to two unique communities: one of Kickapoo Indians and one of Black Seminoles, who both fled the United States.
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Specialty coffee markets provide a way for Mexican growers to shine
Thanks to a rise in specialty niche markets, coffee production across Mexico has recently begun a resurgence.
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Mexico’s Christmas dinners combine Spanish and indigenous favorites
Bacalao and romeritos are the stars of Christmas dinners in Mexico, passed down through indigenous and Spanish ancestors.
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After nearly two centuries, Laredo and Nuevo Laredo stay intertwined
A war split Laredo in 1848, leading to Nuevo Laredo’s creation. Despite belonging to different nations, the two cities remain intertwined.
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Breaking stereotypes, Mexico’s women bikers steer their own path
Women motorcyclists here lag behind world numbers, but in the last decade, they have made progress, forming groups and events for themselves.
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From food to tourist attraction: the long road of Mexico’s sea turtles
As popular as it is to protect sea turtles, this was not always the case: nesting turtles were stalked for their meat, shells, and eggs.
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Monterrey’s ‘little goats’ obsession emigrated here with Spain’s unwanted
Monterrey’s favorite dish, cabrito, came to Mexico with the Jews, Moors and Portuguese from Spain who brought a Mediterranean love of goat.
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Unique Chiapas church keeps alive its parishioners’ pre-Hispanic traditions
In Chiapas, San Juan Chamula’s Catholic parishioners don’t accept most church rituals, preferring unique ones from their indigenous roots.
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Firm keeps historic neighborhoods alive by ‘recycling’ their heritage
Architectural firm Reurbano banks on a strategy of revitalizing yet preserving the “heritage blueprint” of Mexico City’s old neighborhoods.
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Monterrey doll artisans’ work bears a ‘neither here nor there’ perspective
Doll artisans Mayra René and Bertha García bring the best of traditions from north and south of the border into their work, avoiding clichés.
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Bike tour offers sightseeing while helping local artisans survive
Nonprofit CDMX Ayuda Mutua sponsors a bike tour on November 7 that will tour the city’s historic center and visti with artisans.
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Mariana Yampolsky: photographer, expat pioneer of road-tripping in Mexico
The US-born photographer was perhaps the most important documenter of folkloric Mexico of the mid and latter 20th century.
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Mexico became this sculptor’s land of artistic opportunity
Italian-born artist Francesca Dalla says her muse blossomed in Mexico, where she developed her own brand of surrealism.
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Nightmare at IMSS: husband with Covid opens window into the bureaucracy
My husband Alejandro has officially been diagnosed with Covid-19 and it has been nothing short of a nightmare.
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Mexico City’s best-known haunted houses, real and fake
With Day of the Dead and Halloween coming up thoughts turn to the hereafter at this time of year. And Mexico has many ghost stories.
