· December, 2005

Stories about Latin America from December, 2005

Guatemala: Giving to the Neediest

  30 December 2005

The bloggers behind Guate360 did a great service to their country by collecting online donations (ES) in order to buy discounted Christmas gifts for rural children around the country. You can still make a donation via Amazon. One commenter notes that the first gifts were handed out on Wednesday in...

Costa Rica: Coyol Wine in Nicoya

  30 December 2005

The traditional Coyol Wine of Santa Cruz and Nicoya is now in season. Costa Rica Blogs advises that you can “hoose from the strong, bitter wine that is milked from the tree at 6 am, or from the sweet wine that comes out when the tree is milked at noon...

Bolivia: Evo Morales Update

  30 December 2005

Both Alvaro Ruiz-Navajas and Eduardo Avila have updates on President-Elect Evo Morales. Speaking of a recent Wall Street Journal article on the Bolivian Election, Jim Shultz says, “This just proves how utterly wrong writers can be when they try to paint themselves as experts about places they have never been.”

Argentina: Remembering Cromañon

  30 December 2005

Toutatis remembers the first anniversary of the Cromañón tragedy, when 194 concertgoers died in a blaze at the República Cromañón concert venue. Toutatis remarks that the tragedy “has changed the way nightclubs, rockclubs and bars in the city are controlled and granted permits” as well as influenced the impeachment trial...

Cuba: Blessings from Bamboleo

  30 December 2005

Farandulera has a video clip of Bamboleo's lead singer, Tanya Pantoja blessing the audience during a show in Havana this past summer.

Brazil: New Year's Superstition

  30 December 2005

As the clock turns 12 this New Year's Eve, you should be jumping up and down on your right foot. For more Brazilian New Year's superstition, check out “New Year's (The Brazilian Way)” at Made in Brazil.

Latin America: Day of the “Innocents”

  29 December 2005

Mariano Amartino has a summary of blogs “celebrating” El Dia de los Inocentes – the Spanish speaking world's version of April Fool's Day. As such, Definitely Maybe announced that Google bought Yahoo.

Mexico: Mexican Community Medicine

  29 December 2005

Enrico, a medical student in Guadalajara who grew up in Texas, has an excellent four part series (1, 2, 3, 4) on Mexican community medicine and how it compares to the U.S. medical system.

Panama: Christmas in Panama

  28 December 2005

Don Ray is a big fan of Christmas in Panama. Check out that table of food and you might find yourself there next year.

Mexico: The Zapatista Podcast

  28 December 2005

Anarchogeek notes that “everybody's favorite revolutionary social movement,” the Zapatistas of Southern Mexico, now have their own podcast. Also noted: “It's a good radio program to learn from because the speakers don't rush through their words like most latino commercial radio, but speak slowly, deliberately, focusing on their words because...

Venezuela: Media Cover Up?

  28 December 2005

Following up on Alex Beech's post on anti-Semitism in Venzuela, Miguel Octavio wonders why he had such a difficult time finding the quote from Chavez. Checking Google's cache, he finally dug it up in a page from El Nacional, which had been deleted.

Latin America: Pan-American Literary Blog

  28 December 2005

El Boomeran(g) (ES) is a new group blog by eight critics and writers spread across Latin America and Spain. Sponsored by media conglomerate Grupo PRISA (owners of Spain's largest daily El Pais), the site is divided by: 1.) novels in progress 2.) criticism 3.) the “chronicle” and 4.) a forum.

Argentina: Novelist Manuel Puig

  28 December 2005

Jeff Barry celebrates what would have been Argentinean novelist, Manuel Puig's 73rd birthday by picking up his most well-known novel, The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Barry also notes that Puig‘s translator, Suzanne Jill Levine is one of the best and that Puig himself wrote a novel in English which...

Venezuela: Treatment of Jews

  27 December 2005

Responding to Alex Beech's post on governmental aggressions against Venezuela's Jewish community, former Ambassador of Venezuela to Israel, Milos Alcalay writes a letter noting the recent shift in stance taken by the Chavez administration.

Cuba: Tolerance of Homosexuality

  27 December 2005

Leftside says a new exhibit in Cuba by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe signals an attitude shift in Cuban society regarding tolerance of homosexuality.

Colombia: New Destructive Environmental Law

  27 December 2005

Adam Isacson dissects a new, controversial forestry law, which was passed through the Colombian Congress “without the congressmen who attended the session having seen the text they were to approve.”

Costa Rica: Cell Phone Insurance a Hit

  27 December 2005

Costa Rica Blogs calls cell phone insurance a big success. JD Clark has the latest numbers from five major polls regarding the upcoming presidential elections. Former president, Oscar Arias looks poised for a major victory.

Chilean Cinema Trends

  27 December 2005

Chilean cinema has been growing and growing as years go by. The “Festival de cine de Valdivia” (ES), the best known Chilean festival of cinema, has taken place in the city of Valdivia (ES) since 1993. Every year, Chilean producers and directors have the possibility to present their new works...

Mexico: Interview with Javier Treviño

  27 December 2005

La versión original de este artículo está disponible en español. The following interview, conducted by Mexican contributing writer, Alan Flores, was translated by Linda Evarts. The interviewee, Javier Treviño Cantú, is a columnist for El Norte and professor of public policy at the Tec de Monterrey. While reading authors of...

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.