Codex Fejérváry-Mayer (Tezcatlipoca)
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Wixáritari (Huichol) yarn paintings by the ‘Huichole’ people; indigenous to the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas and Durango; North Western Mexico.
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Spaniards, African slaves, and indigenous Indians in Colonial Mexico forged a unique ethnic blend known as ‘Afro Mexicans’
This multiple-part series will unravel the little-known history of how Mexico’s 15th-century assimilation of Spaniards, indigenous Indians, and African slaves into Afrakan Mexico,” eventually led to the founding of Los Angeles by Afro Mexicans and Mestizos in the 17th century when California was still under the rule of Mexico. Even though the Afro imprint in Mexico is unraveling more and more as time moves on, the reality of the truth is still largely mired in a Shadow History because the masses do not frequent libraries and this truth has never been taught as a history lesson in Mexico, much less as historic text in the U.S. To now, this invaluable historic truth has largely been available as scholarly works. The Compton Herald sought out this history, scaled down its volume from multiple scholarly sources, and now present it in nine parts for public consumption — Jarrette
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE of ancient Spanish America were the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs, Toltecs, Zapotecs and the Mixtecs, who inhabited a geographical area encompassing present-day Florida and much of what is now the Western U.S., Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean. These ancient peoples comprised the pre-Columbian indigenous civilizations before the arrival of all-conquering Spain as a colonizer of the region prior to the 16th century. These indigenous natives constituted modern-day Mexico’s “First Root.”Years following Spain’s conquest and colonization of the region — which included Central America, and the northern rim of South America, according to scholar/ historians, the indigenous population was all but decimated by previously unknown diseases from Europe. The remaining indigenous natives assimilated over time with the Spaniards — who were the “Second Root,” — producing a mixed race called mestizos, which eventually evolved as the most influential culture in the nation, dominating every facet of Mexican society in business and government to the present day.
Mexico’s race mixing did not end there with the Spaniards and indigenous culture. Though scant historical records exist about the acculturation of Africans in Mexico, the introduction of hundreds of thousands of African slaves — the ethnic “Third Root”into Mexico in the 14th and 15th centuries cannot be denied. This process of interracial mixing in Mexico became known as mestizaje.
But due to the suppressive efforts of the mestizo-dominant government through an inexact census, little is known of Mexico’s Third Root, or African ancestry as scholar/historians have come to identify Mexico’s African slave imprint, hence, Black Mexico
To a lesser degree, African-Mexicans also include zambanos, a mix of Africans and indigenous natives — more acculturation with scant documentation by the Mexican government due to the lack of investigative intrusion, analysis, and archiving.
Like America where White colonialists from England spearheaded the direction of the nation, the European colonial influence of Spain dictated the political and economic direction of the country with African and indigenous inroads minimal at best. The major difference is White settlers from England did not assimilate with America’s indigenous natives and African slaves who would come later, whereas the opposite was true in colonial Mexico.
The aforementioned history came painstakingly through the efforts of researchers and historians who traveled to the inner reaches of Mexico to locate the regions there bearing indelible imprints originating from across the Atlantic to West African shores. This multiple-part feature leans heavily on the scholarly work of historians here, and in Mexico to expose the shrouded history of African Mexico’s link to the African continent.
Photographer Tony Gleaton photographed visual evidence in a stunning photo essay of African Mexicans titled, “Africa’s Legacy In Mexico.” Images of the present day descendants of the African slaves brought to New Spain between 1500 and 1700 — are on display in the Smithsonian Museum as part of an exhibit titled, “Migrations in History,” which explores the nature and complexity of the movement of peoples, cultures, ideas, and objects.
From 1982 through 1988, Gleaton traveled extensively in Mexico, eventually befriending the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico where he came and went for nearly two years before traveling to Guerrero and Oaxaca, photographing the people there, whose darkened faces, Gleaton said quietly testified of their African past.
“The photographs are as much an effort to define my own life, with its heritage encompassing Africa and Europe,” Gleaton wrote in an essay, “as it is an endeavor to throw open the discourse on the broader aspects of ‘mestizaje,’ — the assimilation of Africans and Europeans with indigenous [Mexicans]. I came to photograph this area just south of Acapulco, a place I have come to view simply as a present-day reminder of African Africa’s legacy in Mexico.”
Bobby Vaughn, professor of anthropology at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif. has amassed a photo collection as part of his studies of African-Mexicans of the Costa Chica regions of Guerrero, Mexico and Oaxaca, Mexico. Both areas have significant populations of African-Mexicans, who settled in the area as escaped slaves. Vaughn’s Web site and photo galleries report his extensive studies on the culture, history, and unique experience of Mexicans of African descent. He writes on his website: “One of the research questions that most interests me is ‘How do African people in Mexico understand and live their African identity — assuming they have a African identity at all?’ ”
The Spaniards were cruel taskmasters and drove the African slaves to work under horrendous conditions on the sugar plantations of coastal Veracruz. Attempting escape from their captors was the only viable option for the enslaved Africans. Successful escapees fled to the high country where jungle and canyons could conceal them. Indigenous natives also fled to these remote areas and joined forces with the escaped African slaves, which led to inter-mixing and the seed of the zambano culture
Missing Mexico Teachers: Police Violently Suppresses Teachers Protest
A series of images have emerged that bear witness to a brutal crackdown by police on teachers protesting in Acapulco, Mexico.
Teachers from the CETEG union marched on the Juan Alvarez de Acapulco airport on Tuesday in a protest over pay.
It has been reported that an estimated 94,000 CETEG workers and other public servants have not received their salaries in Mexico, and around 2,000 teachers turned out to demand the authorities resolve the pay issue.
The demonstration was violently broken, however, in scenes that have prompted outrage on social media. Greying teachers were photographed with their faces bloodied, many requiring hospital treatment.
According to local media reports, police arrested several members of the union for attempting to block access to the international airport, with activists on social media putting the number detained at around 100.
Relations between the country’s educators and the government lie in tatters following the abduction and suspected massacre of 43 student
teachers who disappeared in September.
As well as the ongoing disputes over pay, the protesters also repeated calls for justice over the missing 43 students, agency photographers reported.
Last month the focus of those leading the campaign for answers on the massacre turned to the Mexican army, which has been forced to repeatedly deny allegations its soldiers were involved.
Omar Garcia, a 24-year-old student who was threatened by soldiers after escaping from police gunmen that fateful night, has been a leading figure in the campaign.
“We have reason to believe that the army was involved in the disappearance of our companions,” Mr Garcia said then. “They were there that night. They probably covered up, facilitated, or played a leading role in the disappearances.”
Mexico Releases First Maya-Speaking Television Soap Opera
A soap opera called “Baktun” spoken entirely in Maya will premiere to Mexican television audiences, featuring Maya actors from the Yucatan Peninsula with their dialogue captioned in Spanish.
The 21-episode soap series, which premiered at Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology in June, will be aired by Quintana Roo state television in August and is it set to hit YouTube soon.
The project—which focuses on modern Maya communities living in the Yucatan Peninsula and the problems they face—aims to preserve the indigenous language.
"Baktun" is produced and directed by documentary filmmaker Bruno Carcamo.
Read more.
12-Year-Old Alejandrina, One of 100,000 Kids Working in Mexico Farms
An estimated 100,000 Mexican children under 14 pick crops for pay. Alejandrina, 12, wanted to be a teacher. Instead, she became a migrant farmworker, following the pepper harvest from farm to farm. “I think that it’s too late because … I failed myself, for not being in school,” she said.
Part 4 of the LA Times report on Mexico mega farms focuses on the children — who like Alejandrina have sacrificed their education and even childhood — to work in the fields under often inhumane conditions.
With much of the produce harvested by Mexican children going to the United States, this story is really one of US corporations like Walmart, Target and Whole Foods neglecting the social accountability agreements they have made to insure such abuses as those suffered by the children featured in this report do not happen on their watch.
We support calls being made for the Fair Food Program to be extended to Mexico farms. Although the produce industry is promising to improve Mexican farmworker conditions, according to follow up report by the LA Times, we are skeptical and will make sure to inform you on any developments.
For Alejandrina and the 100,000 other children working in Mexico’s agricultural industry, we cannot allow this story to be forgotten.
Read LA Times report: In Mexico’s fields, children toil to harvest crops that make it to American tables
Girls will say they busy and be in their bed relaxin or sleep
Sounds busy to me