Found a couple interesting blog posts at the gloCaltravel blog for those interested in traveling to this part of Mexico. The posts are also interested for learning more about the Maya of this region. Could make for good reading for young adults for a class or project!
Naha and Metzabok, Selva Lacandona
Enjoy!
Mexico City is widely considered the heart of Mexico and it’s one of the best places to get to know the country. However, it can be a rather intimidating place to travel, especially with a family. Let me first say that if you use common sense and basic travel safety, Mexico City is no more dangerous than any other big city in the U.S.
Now, for those ready to plan a trip to Mexico City, I’d recommend checking out this list of kid-friendly places to visit there.
The website does focus on the area around the Zocalo, so I would have to say that Coyoacan is also a very family-friendly place to see and stroll. San Angel is also great and is very close by.
If you’d like to see the southern part of Mexico City, stay at the Hostal de Coyoacan. It’s centrally located and very comfortable.
Also, a family boat trip down the floating gardens of Xochimilco is a must!
There are pages about popular songs from the region, common folk arts, and cuisine. Although the website is in Spanish, there is still a lot of great information here for kids, adults, and educators. Song lyrics, recipes, and photos all give a great sense of the culture of Veracruz.
Enjoy!
“The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present” is the newest exhibit at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is a fascinating presentation of the history of the African culture in Mexico, specifically in the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca.
An interesting fact about the history of the African culture in Mexico is that the Mexican government only recently acknowledged Africa as the “Third Root” of Mexican culture, the other two roots being Spanish and Indigenous cultures. It wasn’t until 1992 that the Mexican government officially recognized the contribution of Afro-Mexicans by declaring Africa Mexico’s “Third Root.” Long overdue indeed!
Here, I’m including several wonderful resources so that you can explore more information about the influences of African culture in Mexico.
There are some unique facts to explore, including information on how Mexico was a destination of many African-America slaves in the U.S. freed through the Underground Railroad. The indigenous Seminole of Florida were apparently involved in helping these slaves reach several communities in Mexico, where slavery was illegal. Enjoy!
An article about Africans in Mexico from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
An article about the NHCC exhibit.
The Smithsonian has an interesting article about migrations from Africa to Mexico.
Today I wanted to publish a few tips from a reader who recently traveled with their children to Pahuatlan and San Pablito in the state of Puebla. This area is famous for amate bark paper. It is also a wonderful place to see indigenous Otomi and Nahua cultures. I highly recommend this area for family travel. It is safe, beautiful, full of culture and a great way to expose your children to the real Mexico. While Pahuatlan is a comfortable colonial town, the villages of San Pablito and Atla suffer from very real poverty.
Please note that if you visit this area, you should take extra care to respect the traditional indigenous cultures of the region. Ask before taking any photos of people, dress conservatively, and behave appropriately. Remember, this area gets few visitors from the U.S. and abroad, so your are effectively an ambassador for your country. Do your best to leave a good impression.
Kent: I just wanted you to know that we returned yesterday from Mexico and had a wonderful time. Thanks for all your advice. We did drive up to Pahuatlan, and thru the Hotel San Carlos we used a taxi driver/guide by name Abelardo Ponce Varges. He took us to San Pablito which was a fabulous experience. He was very reasonable if you ever want to use him, and speaks some English because he was in the US for a couple years.
His number is 01 776 75 205 14 at Pahuatlan.
All of central mexico was pretty amazing, and the people were very friendlyand helpful.
Best Chitra
Thanks again for letting me publish your comments!
Over the last month I’ve been tutoring the young son of a Mexican/Honduran family living here in the U.S. Their son is enrolled in a bilingual school, so I want to reinforce his Spanish language skills. One of the techniques I’ve been using is practicing reading and singing traditional nursery rhymes in Spanish. Here’s an example that will be familiar to most of you. “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in Spanish.
La itzi, bitzi (or witzi bitzi) araña,
tejió su telaraña.
Vino la lluvia,
y se la llevó.
Salió el sol,
se secó la lluvia.
Y la itzi, bitzi araña,
otra vez subió.
The words when translated to English are a little different, but the idea is the same.
The itsy bitsy spider
Wove her spider web
The rain came
And took it away
The sun came out
And dried up the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up again
If you’re looking for more nursery rhymes and traditional children’s songs in Spanish, try out these websites:
A website about Mexican culture from three students at the Good Shepherd School in New York.
Children in Mexico have access to a wonderful tradition of handmade toys. Many of these toys are not only functional, they are also beautiful pieces of folk art. I just came across a cool book of photos and poetry that celebrates Mexican toys. It’s called Abracadabra: Mexican Toys and it’s published by Sunbelt Publications. This book makes a great gift for children and adults alike!
Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan, A. C. (PPY) is a non-profit organization working to protect the biodiversity and important ecosystems of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The Pronatura website is a wonderful resource for students who want to learn about the ecosystems of Mexico. There, students can check out the wildlife of this unique part of Mexico, and how professionals are taking steps to preserve this important habitat. Their website also has some awesome photos!
If you’d like to enjoy a festive Mexican carnival with your kids, Mazatlan may be the place to go. According to the Mexico Guru website, there are lots of events for children, and the environment is generally safe for families:
The tourism board touts Mazatlan’s carnival as family-oriented, and it’s true that there are poetry contents, literary awards, and ballet in the baseball stadium. Kids compete for prizes at school, and a couple is elected as diminutive king and queen to reign over the annual awards presentations. Extended families attend rock and ska concerts at venues throughout the city; they dance the tambora, the traditional oompah band music of northern Mexico.
Mazatlan’s Carnival is well under way this month. During the next few weeks you’ll see parades and great events along Mazatlan’s famous seaside walkway (Malecon). Confetti filled eggs, costumes, festive music and food are all part of the event. See the Mexican Guru website for more information. They have dates of the carnival events, a city guide, a list of places to eat, and more.
This past Friday the 2nd of February, Mexicans celebrated the Catholic tradition of “El dia de la Candelaria” or Candle Mass. While this holiday is celebrated throughout the world, Mexico has its own unique traditions for this day. For example, remember the Rosca de Reyes from the King’s Day celebration? Whoever got a piece of the cake with a small plastic baby in it is supposed to host a party on El dia de la Candelaria, typically with tamales. Additionally, it is common to dress up figures of the baby Jesus with a new set of fancy clothes (called a “Ropon”). I read at this website that the person who found the baby Jesus in the Rosca also has to provide the new clothes for the baby Jesus. However, in my 3 years living in Mexico I didn’t see this first hand.
If you’d like to learn more about the Mexican traditions on El dia de la Candelaria, please see this website.