Texas – Fake Flamenco

Afro-Latinos, history, Immigration, Mexico, Spanish Culture and Language

Freedom 1st Step on Mexican Soil

Did you know the Underground Railway went south to Mexico as well as north to Canada? The route was more informal, but the liberation was just as real. At least 5,000 to 10,000 enslaved Africans sought their freedom in Mexico in the 1800s. Why? In Mexico, the enslaved Africans were freed by law in 1829, […]

Mexico, Spanish Culture and Language

When Did the Texan Navy Lasso Cozumel?

Maybe you can’t blame a Lone Star Navy for trying. See after the Alamo, the Texans had better luck in their skirmishes with Santa Anna, stealing Texas out from under Mexico’s nose. The next year, the Texans kept hollering about Mexican shipping blockades. So in 1837, the Texas Navy steamed down the coast. Captain Johnny […]

Living Abroad, Spanish Culture and Language

A Chilean Christmas

What does December bring to mind? Snow drifts? Elves? Menorahs? Holiday lights? Most likely winter. Could summer arrive in December? As someone who grew up at 45ºN latitude, the question seems absurd. Although, later in Texas I experienced Decembers that were not very cold, they were still called winter. In Arizona and New Mexico, people […]

Immigration, Living Abroad

¿Quién es el o la inmigrante? 2a parte

¿Se puede ver en la cara de alguién si sea ciudadano de los EEUU? Vamos a ver los resultados en términos de la historia de cuatro amigos.

Immigration, Living Abroad

Where are you from? Part II

Immigration IQ, Part II Thanks for your responses! What does a US citizen look like? Funny how the people who read my blog could surmise that the answers were not easy to guess. Although race, age and gender don’t reveal who is an immigrant, in our daily interactions sometimes we believe we can guess where […]

Immigration, Spanish Culture and Language

Who is an United States immigrant?

Which of these people are immigrants to the United States? Which are citizens? Which are both? Make one guess. Pick one person. How about the woman in blue and white? Citizen, immigrant, or both? Leave your comments below. I’ll start, when I met the man in purple, Diego, I guessed he was an immigrant and […]