Fierce

20 Iconic Pictures From Mexican History

By April 30, 2019 at 2:36 pm

After having seen the iconic Notre Dame in flames, it’s more important than ever to appreciate the history and artefacts that we have been graced with from history. Let’s face it: there’s no shortage of interesting points in Mexican history! And so, we’ve put together a collection of gorgeous, thought-provoking, and politically stark pictures from Mexican history for you to enjoy.

1. The Aztec Empire

Flickr / British Library

The capital, Tenochtitlan, was established in 1325 – right where we know Mexico City to be today. By the time the Spanish arrived in the area, Tenochtitlan was populated by many different ethnic groups from around the area, with about 100,000 to 200,000 people living in the capital.

2. Hernán Cortés

Instagram / @papermoney_world

This guy was the Spanish conquistador who arrived on the Mexican mainland in 1519, and eventually ended up taking the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, without a battle. It turns out he couldn’t keep it for long, after having outraged the locals. In 1521, he secured Mexico for real.

3. The Battle of Calderon Bridge

Instagram / @father_hidalgo

1811 saw a band of rebel peasantry and workers, led by Father Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende, storm Calderon Bridge and try to take Guadalajara. Even though the rebel forces lost, Mexican independence was eventually won, and Mexico’s Day of Independence became September 16th, marking the day Hidalgo announced in his church that it was time to overthrow the Spanish.

4. Antonio López de Santa Anna

Instagram / @santa_anna1795

Antonio López de Santa Anna rose to prominence during Mexico’s War of Independence … fighting for the Spanish army. However, he eventually switched sides, which turned out to be a boon in disguise. This guy was President of Mexico 11 times, despite his dramatically inept skills on the battlefield.

5. Benito Juarez

Instagram / @emanuelrefi

Born into poverty, Benito Juarez climbed his way to the top, becoming President in 1858. The French ousted him in 1864 – but not for long! Juarez drove them out three years later, to become reinstated as President, leading Mexico until his death in 1872.

6. Porfirio Diaz

Instagram / @donporfirio

This guy wasn’t really good news for Mexico – apologies to anyone who is a Diaz fan. He tried for years to try and gain the presidency, and having failed, entered Mexico City with an army and “won” the following election. Despite the fact that he did modernise Mexico, he also ensured that the wealth remained rich, and the poor stayed destitute. Unsurprisingly, he was a prime target in the Mexican revolution in 1910.

7. Pancho Villa

Instagram / @thedeathdieclub

Attacker of the US, bandit, warlord, and one head figure of the Mexican Revolution, Pancho Villa certainly has a colorful history. His idealistic streak got him involved in the revolution – and despite the victory for the revolutionaries, Pancho Villa was eventually assassinated in 1923. 

8. Emilio Zapata’s Assassination

Instagram / @contrabandosydney

Emilio Zapata was one of the figureheads for the Mexican Revolution, but was betrayed and assassinated in 1919. This was particularly saddening, given that he was the real moral conscience of the Revolution.

9. The Battle of Puebla

Instagram / @blackluckvintage

“Cinco de Mayo” is a celebration of the unlikely victory Mexico had over the French in 1862. At the time, France sent an army to invade Mexico to collect on a debt, heading to the city of Puebla.  However, the smaller Mexican army managed to head off the French on the 5th of May – hence the national holiday.

10. Frida Kahlo’s Self-portrait with Cropped Hair

Instagram / @fridakahlo

Possibly one of the most iconic paintings from the most iconic artist to come out of Mexico, Frida Kahlo is known for her series of vibrant and detailed self-portraits that depicted the best and worst of herself.

11. Diego Rivera’s The Epic of the Mexican People

Instagram / @artandaboutpdx

It’s impossible to mention Frida Kahlo without also talking about her husband, Diego Rivera, if only for the fact that their art was influenced heavily by their tumultuous relationship. That being said, Rivera created this particular mural to celebrate the success of the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s.

12. David Alfaro Siqueiros’ Echo of a Scream

Instagram / @mmrthe1nonly

One of the first of the three greats of Mexican muralism, David Alfaro Siqueiros was heavily influenced by his politics when it came to creating art. Due to his radical politics and work with labor unions, he ended up being jailed a number of times throughout his life.

13. Jose Clemente Orozco’s The Epic of American Civilisation

Instagram / @rickdugdale

Despite his politics clearly diverging from the other two greats of Mexican muralism, Orozco was still distinctly influenced by his background when it came to his art, preferring to use Mexican iconography in his later work. The Epic of American Civilisation is one piece that illustrates Orozco’s shift toward pre-colonial, pre-European art.

14. Women are Allowed to Vote

Instagram / @lilysevs

1954 saw the introduction of the women’s vote in Mexico.

15. The Tlatelolco Massacre 

Instagram / @moneyca

Ten days before the 1968 Olympics opened in Mexico City, thousands of Mexican students and civilians gathered in The Plaza of the Three Cultures in the district of Tlatelolco to protest the current government’s policies. The protest ended in security forces opening fire on the unarmed protests, where it is estimated that hundreds were killed.

16. The 1968 Summer Olympics

Instagram / @rubenhudsonitthipat

Despite the events of the massacre, the Olympics still went ahead. In fact, this particular Olympics saw plenty of politics come into play, with tensions between the Soviets and its surrounding countries influencing the results, and even American athletes giving the black power salute.

17. Financial Crisis

Instagram / @dhanipapermoney

Large oil reserves were discovered off the coast of Mexico. While the oil money was to be designated towards national industrial expansion, social welfare and the agricultural industry, the government pre-empted their financial windfall and borrowed large sums of money from the US to start boosting growth. They later found out that the oil was low-quality, and not worth much money. This resulted in Mexico being stuck with the world’s largest foreign debt.

18. Earthquake in Mexico City

Instagram / @wdykpodcast

September 19, 1985 saw an earthquake in Mexico City that registered 8.1 on the Richter Scale. Nearly 10,000 people were killed, and many were displaced. This was catastrophic for the already financially-devastated Mexico. Many residents ending up joining grassroots civil-rights movements to campaign for human rights in the aftermath of the earthquake.

19. Change in Government

Instagram / @chaos_is.a_ladder

Vicente Fox, leader of the opposition party in Mexico, won the national election. This was the first time in 70 years that a party other than the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) was in power in Mexico. This lead to millions of secret files being released, detailing previous repression of Mexican activists in the 1960s and 70s.

20. Anti-Drug Reform

Instagram / @ejercito_y_policias_de_mexico

A new stage in Mexico’s governance is introduced, with a federal police force created to tackle drug cartels. This lead to open warfare between rival drug gangs, and the high-profile arrest of Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, the then-head of the brutal Zetas drugs cartel.

So, congratulations! You can now call yourself a Mexican history buff. Was there anything that surprised you? Share it with us on our Facebook page – you can find it by clicking on the logo at the top of the page.

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This New Facility Cost $12 Million And It’s All Designed To Stop Rampant Avocado Theft

Culture

This New Facility Cost $12 Million And It’s All Designed To Stop Rampant Avocado Theft

avocadosfrommexico / Instagram
By Justin Lessner July 16, 2019 at 2:55 pm

So avocado theft is one of the reasons that our beloved aguacate has been getting more and more expensive. According to Mexican authorities, the industry loses more than 12 tons of avocados to theft each day! That’s a lot of missed guacamole potential.

So together with the USDA, one Mexican group is creating a new facility and identifying new shipping routes to help cut these losses which are spiraling out of control.

Avocado growers have teamed up to build a facility that helps prevent theft.

Credit: @poandpo / Twitter

The absolutely depressing rise in avocado prices has left many of us nearly penniless but our problems pale in comparison to those being faced by the agricultural industry in Mexico.

Each and every day nearly 12 tons of avocados are stolen between the orchards and packing plants.

Between 2017 and 2019, Mexico reported 440 avocado theft investigations, and because Mexican-grown avocados made up 78 percent of the U.S. market last year, this spells trouble Stateside as well. Producers lose an average of four truckloads of avocados per day because of organized crime intervention. The majority of Mexican avocados that make their way to the U.S. come from the state of Michoacan, in a city called Uruapan, which accounts for 92 percent of Mexico’s avocado production last year,

I mean, apparently, avocado theft is a legit thing.

Credit: @jckichen / Twitter

And we’re not talking about shoving that $1.99 avocado in your pocket at the supermarket or “forgetting to pay” for a few that may have fallen into your purse.

Back in 2017, three men in California were arrested on suspicion of grand theft of avocados after the disappearance of $300,000 worth of the creamy fruit.

Police believe the men were stealing and selling avocados to unsuspecting customers for at least several months. 

The new $12 million facility is meant to finally address the issue of widespread theft.

A new $12 million facility will be built; a venture between the Association of Export Producers and Packers of Avocado from Mexico (APEAM), the Mexican Department of Agriculture and Agrarian Development (SADER), and also house the local offices for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Casa APEAM, as the facility is called, will also be part of Mexican officials new strategy to find safer export routes for avocados out of Mexico.

Silvano Aureoles, the governor of Michoacán, said he is working with avocado producers to plot new trucking routes to avoid the theft of trucks and merchandise. Part of these new actions could be exporting the avocados from the Port of Lázaro Cárdenas instead of the Port of Manzanillo, putting surveillance cameras on the road to Lázaro Cárdenas and increasing surveillance of truck shipments out of Michoacán.

And this news couldn’t come soon enough because prices for avocados continue to skyrocket!

Credit: @wdsu / Twitter

Avocado prices have been soaring recently, with a recent report revealing that the national price of Hass avocados has risen by 93 cents since last year.

On the wholesale side (think restaurants, markets), last year a 25-pound box cost $37 but that price has risen to $89 in 2019. That’s a huge and unfortunate increase for lovers of aguacate.

READ: 24 Ways To Use Avocado That Aren’t Guacamole

Tags: avocados, Crime, Mexico

One Of Mexico’s Biggest Soccer Clubs Has Banned The Use Of The Homophobic Chant That Has Gone On For Far Too Long

Entertainment

One Of Mexico’s Biggest Soccer Clubs Has Banned The Use Of The Homophobic Chant That Has Gone On For Far Too Long

VillasArmy / Twitter
By Justin Lessner July 16, 2019 at 12:26 pm

U.S.-based Mexico fan group Pancho Villas’ Army has inserted a “no goalkeeper chant” clause into the group’s membership and made abstaining from shouting the anti-gay chant a condition for buying tickets for games in their section, in a bid to help put an end to the chant often heard in stadiums when the Mexico national team plays.

This could be progress towards finally ending the homophobic chant heard all too often at Mexican football games.

The group, Pancho Villa’s Army, made the announcement banning its members from yelling the chant.

Credit: @villasarmy / Twitter

In an open letter to its members, the group says: “One area where I think we can improve upon is the infamous PU%* Chant. For me and many others, it is no longer relevant to debate what the word means or doesn’t mean. Its simply a matter of respect and common courtesy. We should do our best to be good guests at all the stadiums that welcome us.”

The group notes that fans already follow several other rules. So what’s another rule if its meant to make sure everyone feels more comfortable.

The group has even added the rule into its code of conduct. In their letter they add: “Moving forward, we will adopt a  “No Pu%^ Chant” clause into our membership rules and code of conduct. While our code generally covers the chant we will specifically list it as unacceptable conduct. The same clause will be inserted into our ticket purchases pages. We already informed all PVA ticket purchasers that our section is a standing, cheering, and singing section. The same page will now inform potential PVA ticket purchasers that our section is a NO PU&% CHANT section too.”

All of this comes as the Mexican team and Mexican fans come under increased scrutiny for the homophobic slur.

Credit: @MikeMadden / Twitter

A section of El Tri fans regularly shout an anti-gay slur as the opposition goalkeeper runs up to take his goal-kick and the federation has been fined on multiple occasions by FIFA because of it, although it was stamped out at Russia 2018 after an educational campaign from the federation, fan groups and players, as well as the threat of Fan IDs being taken away.

But the chant was heard regularly during Mexico games in the United States this summer at the Gold Cup.

Fans that have bought tickets for Mexico’s game on Sept. 10 against Argentina in San Antonio, Texas and don’t want to adhere to the policy will receive a refund for their tickets.

The group says the decision is about being inclusive of all fans, including those from the LGBTQ community.

“It’s about people joining who wish to create an environment that feels welcoming to our LGBTQ Mexico fans,” reads the statement. “As an organization that has LGBTQ leaders and members we take this charge very seriously.”

The reaction on Twitter was overwhelmingly positive with soccer fans from around the world celebrating the announcement.

Most on Twitter were thrilled that at least one group was taking the steps necessary to address the issue. They’re going directly to their members and making it a condition of membership to stop using the chant.

FIFA has warned soccer federations all over the world, including Mexico, that discriminatory chanting will activate the “three-step procedure” that could lead to the abandoning of World Cup qualifying matches if the chant is heard. The referee would first stop the match, then suspend it and eventually abandon it if the discriminatory behavior doesn’t cease. Yet at nearly every game of El Tri you’ll still hear the chant.

Many pointed out that PVA will be on the right side of history with this new rule.

Despite there being an ongoing debate among fans if the chant is meant to be homophobic or not, people are realizing that all fans should be comfortable – and, yes, that includes those from the LGBTQ community.

And as one of the first fan clubs to issue an official rule, Pancho Villa’s Army will have been seen as a leader on this issue. So bravo PVA! And thank you.

READ: Why Do Mexico’s Football Fans Keep Going Unpunished For Shouting Homophobic Slurs At Opposing Players

Tags: Homophobia, futbol, Mexico
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