By Juan Carlos Rocha Infosurhoy.com SAN AUGUSTÍN, Colombia – About 1,000 years ago, among the rugged and lush mountains where Colombia’s major rivers were born, a culture whose name remains unknown sculpted hundreds of stone monuments. These sculptures were buried with the deceased, remaining hidden for centuries. The archaeological treasure of San Agustín, whose name [...]
As Indigenous People Abandon Traditional Dress, Weavers Take to E-Commerce to Boost Sales
By Marissa Revilla Global Press Institute Indigenous weavers in Chiapas are using innovative designs and methods to sell their goods internationally. Nearly 200,000 women work as artisans in Chiapas. Cooperatives, workshops, innovative designs and a new e-commerce platform aim to preserve the craft while boosting sales that have been declining locally as indigenous communities abandon [...]
US and Colombian jazz groups unite for Medellin festival
By Hannah Mead Colombia Reports Medellin is due to host a three-day jazz festival featuring US and Colombian university jazz orchestras for the fourth year running. The University Jazz Festival, coordinated by language / culture institute Colombo Americano and the Medellin city government, will present three nights of concerts displaying “different interpretations of Jazz, from [...]
Peru’s native languages are fighting for survival
By Diego M. Ortiz Peru This Week Peru’s indigenous languages are fighting for survival, but effort are being made to keep them alive. Peru has lost at least 37 native languages like “Uro” and “Paquina,” but even with that huge loss, there still remain 47 native languages in the country. At one point there were [...]
Chilean Students Protest
By Jennifer Bisgaier Council on Hemispheric Affairs Over the past few weeks, Chilean students in major cities, including Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepción, and Temuco, have returned to the streets in full force in order to protest recent changes implemented by the Education Ministry and demand “free education for all.” The dramatic protests, which began back in [...]
American produce distributor launches crowdfunding campaign to give impoverished Mexican farmers seeds needed for planting
LatinaLista — In the years since 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed among the United States, Canada and Mexico, debate has intensified as to who the real beneficiaries are of the international trade agreement. Analysis and documentation clearly show that NAFTA has not helped poor Mexican farmers. Instead of reaping [...]