Check out this collection of 1950′s Cuban Advertisements.
It’s a great collection of art from the pre-revolution era, which shows ads for rum, department stores, movies, and other things. It’s worth checking out.
(Via: Boing Boing)
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Mexican Sub-Cultures
A recent article in USA Today tells about Mexican youth subcultures and the troubles that have been happening between them lately.
“A spate of attacks by punks and other groups on the emos has thrown a spotlight on the rapid growth of these “urban tribes” of disaffected, tech-savvy teens and young adults.”
Emos, punks, goths, and other subcultures have all emerged in the last few years, and there is tension between them at times.
“The divisions among young people turned violent in March, when Internet posts and cellphone messages began appearing urging darks, punketos (punk rockers) and other groups to chase the emos from their hangout on the main plaza in the city of Querétaro.”On March 7, hundreds of teens rushed the emos in the plaza, beating three of them. Television footage showed an emo pinned against a wall while the mob chanted, “He wants to cry! He wants to cry!” Police arrested 28 people.
A week later, riot police were called after punk rockers hurled bottles at a pro-emo protest at the Insurgentes Traffic Circle, an emo hangout in Mexico City. The tension subsided after a group of Hare Krishnas marched through the traffic circle, apparently unaware of what was going on.
I believe these subcultures will continue to grow in the future, and if the church continues doing what it is doing, we will never even think about the needs of these various groups.
Unfortunately, these different subcultures are not even being taken into consideration by the majority of the church. I am praying that God will raise up a generation of youth workers who have the passion and knowledge to be able to reach out to these young people. I hope I get to be a part of the generation of leaders who makes a difference in the lives of these young people.
Watch the news story (in Spanish) from Youtube.
The Research Lab
Missionaries (and youth workers) are constantly studying culture to be able to effectively communicate and minister. We’ve studied a lot of culture throughout our time here in Mexico. So, if you’re interested in Mexican youth culture and Mexican culture in general, be sure to check out The Research Lab.
In the lab, you can download our research on Mexico. Maybe you’ll learn something. If you’re a missionary in Mexico, we hope it helps you understand the culture better. We’re not experts, but we have learned some things.
We’ll be adding more to the Lab as we continue to research and investigate youth culture in Mexico. You can also check out all of our posts in the culture category.
April Fools Day in Mexico
I was explaining the idea of April fool’s day to my students in class today, and they told me about Mexican April Fool’s Day, which falls on December 28, and is called “Día de los Inocentes” or “Día de los Santos Inocentes.” The name means Day of the Innocent Ones or Day of the Innocent Saints.
On this day in Mexico (December 28), you are not to lend anyone money because they will just take it, and you are considered the fool. They also play pranks on each other like Americans do on April 1. Also, the newspapers and media outlets publish stories that are not true, just like the do in the United States.
If someone falls for your prank on The Day of Innocent Ones, you sing the following song, “Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar, porque sabes que en este día, a nadie debes confiar.”
The translation is, “You let them fool you, you innocent dove. You know that today you shouldn’t trust anyone.”
Churrería El Moro
If you’re looking for a great place to visit in Mexico City, and you’ve got a sweet tooth, you should definitely check out Churrería El Moro in downtown Mexico City. It’s on Lazaro Cardenas, also known as Eje Central, and the place is full of history.
It was established in 1935, and they sell churros and chocolate. In case you didn’t know, chocolate is from Mexico. So, the chocolate at El Moro is world famous. And the churros are delicious, too. They cost 3 pesos each, which is a great price for such a delicious snack. You can get a combo of chocolate and churros for a little more than 40 pesos.
So, if you’re visiting Mexico City, you should definitely take some time to go to Churrería El Moro.
Check out the video of churros being made.
When Musicians and Politics Meet
Things like this new video from Will.I.Am happen when artists and politics meet. I always think it’s interesting when celebrities try to leverage their fame to get something done.
Why should we listen any more to Oprah than we listen to the guy down the street? What do celebrities know about politics? Since when are they experts? Their voice is as important as the other guys, but not more important. We tend to take what they say with more authority, and I’m not sure why.
By the way, interesting use of the Spanish language and Latin celebrities. Their vote will be important in this election.
On the other hand, the video is great. I love how they are using new media to distribute messages to people. I like the initiative shown and the creativity. This kind of stuff needs to be happening. It appeals to voters and to the next generation. I think it will also have an impact in the election.
Original Youtube post.
Technorati Tags: Obama; Youtube; Election08
Three Kings Day
In Mexico, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6, and it is called “El Dia de Los Tres Reyes,” or “Three Kings Day.” It is the day when the three wise men from the east arrived looking for baby Jesus. The tradition has even given names to the three kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, and they arrived on horse, camel, and elephant.
I’m sure there are many ways of celebrating this day, but here are some of the things I have seen and learned in my time in Mexico. You can get your pictures taken with the three kings like you would get your picture taken with Santa Claus. The children write a note to the three kings asking for a gift (remember, they originally brought gifts to baby Jesus), and they send it off tied to a helium balloon. Then, the kings bring the gift for the children on the Three Kings Day.
Another tradition behind Three Kings Day is the Rosca de Reyes, which is a sweet bread that has a plastic baby Jesus inside of it. Each person cuts their piece of bread, and the one who finds the baby Jesus must have a party on the 2nd of February.
Photos by: Bookish in North Park via Flickr and SpacePotato
