Cultura

It’s Not News to Us

It’s Time to #EndHispandering! Take Back Latino Heritage Month

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hispanderingOn September 14 a Latina friend of mine who’s also a college professor said to me, “Brace yourself for Hispanic Heritage Month, I’m already getting phone calls about recommendations for mariachi bands.”

I laughed a bit, but her comment stayed with me. See, she’s half Colombian and I’m Puerto Rican, and the idea of becoming the “go to” people about such things struck me as, well, just another example of how stereotypes about Latinos often work.

The fact that people are asking her about mariachi bands reveals how U.S. society usually lumps us together under the umbrella label “Latino/a” or “Hispanic” despite our cultural differences and diversity.

At the same time, her warning (“brace yourself”) fittingly captured how many Latinxs/Hispanics feel about Hispanic Heritage Month (which I prefer to call Latino Heritage Month because I find it more inclusive, less Spanish-oriented).

Mas…It’s Time to #EndHispandering! Take Back Latino Heritage Month

Latino Heritage Month Pochismo Profile: Xochitl Cahuenga-Alvarado

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weliseCalifornia artist Xochitl Cahuenga-Alvarado (born in 1988 in Fresno) creates mixed media artworks and performances.

By investigating language on a meta-level, Cahuenga-Alvarado tries to grasp language.

Transformed into art, language becomes an ornament. At that moment, lots of ambiguities and indistinctnesses, which are inherent to the phenomenon, come to the surface. Ooooh, shiny!

Her mixed media artworks are an investigation into representations of (seemingly) concrete ages and situations as well as depictions and ideas of the Latin@ that can only be realized in mixed media art.

Mas…Latino Heritage Month Pochismo Profile: Xochitl Cahuenga-Alvarado

Lalo Alcaraz: My Big Fat Mexican Detroit Weekend (photos)

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detroitfI spent several days in Detroit this weekend with the UNITY Diversity in Journalism group, bringing our perspective as journalists of color to two vibrant local communities.

We had a panel at the gorgeous Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, and discussed the situation of Arab American media portrayals from our varied panelists.

At the end of this fruitful panel, I brought up how my last name Alcaraz, has Arabic language roots, and how I looked it up online to translate it. I was hopping it meant, Great Warrior, or Smart Guy, but instead it came up as “The Cherry.”

Mas…Lalo Alcaraz: My Big Fat Mexican Detroit Weekend (photos)

Dancing with Selena, memories of childhood, and pepperoni pizza

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Three hours into Selena night at the Regent in downtown Los Angeles, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom starts playing.

I feel this deep, animal sense of belonging.

This is my song and I need to be on stage. I claw my way up to the stage and slip in a puddle of what is maybe human sweat.

The hands of my fellow Selena enthusiasts pull me up.

We do what we came here to do: we dance.

Mas…Dancing with Selena, memories of childhood, and pepperoni pizza

Pocho Nerd Pride Alert: The Maya counting system is awesome (toon)

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articles-31071_recurso_jpgThe Maya, as we all know from Stand and Deliver, were bad ass – one of few ancient civilizations to create the concept of zero.

Since I am an awesome Latina nerd myself, I must share this awesome official Chilean government education ministry photograph of an actual ancient awesome Maya dude counting some stuff out in front of a chart of the awesome Maya counting system.

Mas…Pocho Nerd Pride Alert: The Maya counting system is awesome (toon)

Happy Rosh HaShanah from the Jews of Tijuana! Happy 5776! (video)

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tijuanaMexico, like the United Estates, is a “nation of immigrants.”

In the 1900s, Tijuana welcomed Jewish refugees fleeing wars, hate and poverty in Europe, Asia and the Mideast.

Tijuana Jews, the story of the extended Artenstein family, has become a POCHO Rosh HaShanah (New Year) tradition ever since we noticed rosh-ha-shanah rhymes with Tijuana.

The Jewish year 5776 begins at sundown Sunday, September 13. We wish all who celebrate a happy, healthy, peaceful, loving, prosperous, and sweet New Year. In Ladino — the hybrid Spanish-Hebrew language Jews spoke in Andaluz before the Inquisition — that’s ANYADA BUENA I DULSE!

Mas…Happy Rosh HaShanah from the Jews of Tijuana! Happy 5776! (video)

Tlaloc, sweetie, you get a little hostile when you’re hungry (toon)

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Sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don’t!

Para reír un rato.

Posted by Teotihuacan on Thursday, September 3, 2015

 

Mas…Tlaloc, sweetie, you get a little hostile when you’re hungry (toon)

It’s almost as if Escher animated a Kafka story: ‘The Guardian’ (video)

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guardianA wandering Everyman arrives at a metaphysical gate, controlled by a fearsome Guardian. He tries to pass through, but is denied.

Everyman and Guardian, however, are the same person. Each of us must confront his own fear, or else the shapeless Guardian who controls us will close the doors on the possibilities of our lives. We have nothing to fear, tu sabes, but fear itself. (Also mind killer.)

Mas…It’s almost as if Escher animated a Kafka story: ‘The Guardian’ (video)

Tunnels from 1531 discovered under streets of Puebla, Mexico (video)

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pueblatunnelsThe urban legend is true.

There ARE massive tunnels underneath the streets of Puebla, one of the first major cities of Spanish-era Mexico.

RT reports:

“…authorities have now confirmed their existence, and say the secret passageways could date back 500 years. The city hopes to turn the tunnels into an attraction.

The underground passages, which measure approximately seven meters high and three meters wide, were discovered during public works in the colonial city.

Mas…Tunnels from 1531 discovered under streets of Puebla, Mexico (video)

Clip y Save: Fall screenings of ‘Bordertown,’ maybe near you *UPDATED

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bordertownIf you follow POCHO Jefe-in-Chief Lalo Alcaraz and me, POCHO Associate Naranjero Gustavo Arellano, you know that we’ve been shamelessly promoting the upcoming FOX animated cartoon, Bordertown.

In case you’re just some random Googler who stumbled across this page, here’s the synopsis: BORDERTOWN satirizes life on the U.S.-Mexico border — la migra, changing demographics, religion, the drug war, and so much more.

Yeah, part of it is shameless self-promotion — I’m a consultant, while Lalo is a staff writer. But we’re doing it because we truly do believe this series is the Great Brown Hope: the network program that will finally show raza in all our hilarious, proud, chingón glory and that will become a ratings smash that’ll allow the beginning of #televisionreconquista.

Mas…Clip y Save: Fall screenings of ‘Bordertown,’ maybe near you *UPDATED

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