· January, 2013

Stories about Latin America from January, 2013

Peru: Discussing “Gastrofascism”

  12 January 2013

About a month ago, Javier Puente published on Selecting Stones, a critical article about the surge of Peruvian cuisine and, above all, about the role chef Gastón Acurio has in it. According to its author, Peasant and Chef: The Limits of Peruvian Gastro-Fascism, 1994-2012 is an attempt to “contextualize the...

The Three Kings Visit New York

  10 January 2013

The Three Kings came and went, but not before passing through New York City to celebrate with hundreds of children that came out for the parade. This Christmas celebration has been a part of the Caribbean and Latin American cultural traditions for numerous centuries.

Students Revisit the Unique Link between Corsica and Puerto Rico

  10 January 2013

Puerto Rico and Corsica (France) share a common bond that is often revisited by an exchange program led by the university of Puerto Rico [fr]. Notwithstanding their similar geographic and agricultural traits (Cultivation of Corsican Citron), the islands are also link by history when hundreds of Corsicans immigrated to Puerto Rico as early...

Ecuador: National Assembly's New Widget

  9 January 2013

Ecuador's National Assembly has a new widget [es]. Boosted by political communication specialist Antonio Gutiérrez-Rubi, the initiative “is an online directory for political activism and digital communication, a simple tool to first-hand know who they are, what applications they used and what is the online activity of the representatives in...

Brazil Debates Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation – Part II

  9 January 2013

While European politics has made a favorable move to abolish prostitution as a legalized profession in the old continent, recently in France a couple was convicted to three years in prison for organizing a prostitution scheme of young Brazilians. In Brazil, the government and the media are trying to raise awareness on human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Madagascar's Vanilla Beans Came from Mexico

  8 January 2013

Antoine Ganne tells the unique story of how Vanilla came to populate the island of Madagascar and Reunion island [fr] from the Gulf of Mexico. Ganne explains that European traders brought Vanilla from Mexico to Louis XIV who wanted to grow it on Reunion Island but failed. A young Reunionese slave,...

Cubans Defend Themselves Against Esperanza Aguirre's Accusations

  8 January 2013

The president of the People's Party in Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, stated that she did not recognize "any justice on the island of Cuba" and called the time that Ángel Carromero spent in prison "torture," after he was condemned to imprisonment in Havana for "involuntary manslaughter," in the car accident that cost the lives of Cuban dissidents Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero. The Cuban blogosphere reacts.

Borinquen Brass Play Music in Every Corner of Puerto Rico

  7 January 2013

The brass wind ensemble Borinquen Brass has 13 members, including a percussionist, and six years of experience giving free concerts in Puerto Rico. The ensemble's endeavor is to offer a valuable community and educational service to audiences that otherwise wouldn't have access to this kind of music.

Tiptoeing Tradition, Cuba Welcomes the New Year

  6 January 2013

The year 2012, marked by the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Cuba, Hurricane Sandy's trail of destruction, and the controversial legal regulation of the public use of music also made a mark on the island's blogosphere. The extension of Internet access was also a topic that set the digital agenda.

Peru: Rally Dakar 2013 Kicks Off

  5 January 2013

From Peru, Global Voices author Juan Arellano posts on his own blog Globalizado [es] pictures of the start of the 2013 Dakar Rally in Lima, as well as links to other posts and articles related to this sports event.

“Why Do I Feel So Much Pain, Violeta Parra?”

  4 January 2013

Patricio Zamorano writes a poetic piece for UK-based blog Chileno on the Chilean film about the life of Violeta Parra: how to assess the Chilean film “Violeta [Parra] went to heaven” on opening night in Washington DC. After listing many reasons why Chile hurts, the author ends addressing Violeta Parra...

Reasons to Celebrate the New Year

  1 January 2013

Uruguayan blogger Anna Donner Rybak lists many reasons [es] for celebrating the arrival of a new year, even though many can find it “ridiculous”: Many people say they are fed up with these times of Santa Clauses, of people that are happy, many say say many things. It might be...

“Should Women Be Pretty?”

  1 January 2013

That's the question raised by Nathy2310 from Costa Rica on her blog post “Women, should they be pretty?” and writes [es]: Today I want to tell all those women who criticize other females’ bodies: THAT'S ENOUGH!!! Stop demanding women to have svelte bodies, magazine women bodies, stop watching them with...

About our Latin America coverage

Gabriela Mesones Rojo
Gabriela Mesones Rojo is the Latin America Spanish-language editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Fernanda Canofre
Fernanda Canofre is the Brazil editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.