Hello all,

My name is Mike Charters and I am currently a junior majoring in Global Studies with a minor in Nutrition and Spanish. I love to travel and play music and I am looking forward to exploring the local music scene and eating local food. This experience should be awesome and I am looking forward to meeting you all.

Here is a picture of my dog, his name is Baxter. He is awesome

Hi everyone,
This is pretty last minute and a little late, but I have decided to join you all next semester in Oaxaca. My name is Selina and I just transferred to UVM this year, and to be honest I'm not sure what grade I'm technically in (I think second semester sophomore?). My major right now is Global Studies but I'm thinking of changing it to Global Health. I love traveling and am super excited to explore Oaxaca and learn about the healthcare system in Mexico, and particularly in the region we will be in. I am interested to see what health systems they have in place and what access there is to them. I look forward to meeting you all, and spending next semester with you in a warm, sunny place with great food.
-Selina Hurley
p.s. this picture is from my trip to Ethiopia a few years back, with two boys whom I love dearly named Teddy and Solomon

Mexico's Relationship with the US

The relationship between the United States and Mexico has been very complicated. The relationship had a very rocky start to say the least because less than 20 years of becoming an independent nation from Spain, Mexico lost Texas to the US. There was then the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848 where the US wins California, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Nevada, and Mexico only get $15 million in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican land. By the 20^th century the two countries were able to find some common ground. Due to the Mexican Revolution, the US allowed more than 890,000 Mexicans to migrate to the US. Then in 1933, the Good Neighbor Policy was introduced. This called for the US would not pursue interventionist policies in Mexico (and the rest of Latin America); thus alleviating some of the power tension between the two countries. From there, the US and Mexico have had stronger and tighter relations. There is a bilateral cooperation to fight the War on Drugs and the economies now rely on each other, especially after the signing of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Today Mexico is the US’s second largest export market, third largest trading partner, and there is about $500 billion trade between the two countries.

Now there are still some issues between the US and Mexico, especially with the border. Since 9/11 the US has tightened up its security on all borders, especially with Mexico. The two nations share a 2,000 miles long border that now has a fence along the border that stretches for about 670 miles. Even though the estimated number of illegal immigrants coming into the US has decreased, the Hispanic minority in the US has become the biggest minority (exceeding the African-American population). This has caused a lot of tension between the US government and states because of the fear of Americans losing job opportunities to the immigrants. However, President Obama has passed the Immigration Accountability Executive Actions which is allowing about 5 million undocumented immigrants to stay in the US, with some restrictions (ex. Criminal background).

Sources:

·       http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm

·       http://www.euronews.com/2014/02/18/the-us-and-mexico-a-strong-but-difficult-relationship/

·       http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/us-mexico-relationship-enrique-pea-nieto-113980

·       https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/20/fact-sheet-immigration-accountability-executive-action

·       http://www.cfr.org/mexico/us-mexico-relations-1810-present/p19092

Health Care System of Oaxaca-Mateo

The health care system in Mexico has been steadily increasing over the past century.  The health care system is comprised of a mix between publicly available health care and privatized hospitals.  Around 2/3 of the hospitals in Mexico are run by private companies where you have to pay all costs out of pocket, or get insurance to cover them.  The other third of hospitals are hospitals that are funded by the government. The Federal government of Mexico has long had a policy of subsidizing health care costs depending on how much money you make.  For example, a poor unemployed person would have any medical attention they need fully paid for.  Two years ago, the government passed legislation guaranteeing universal health care to all citizens no matter what.

The quality of Mexican health care is very high.  Many Mexican doctors are trained in the US, and vice versa, so the Mexican health care system is often compared to the United States' in terms of quality and reliability of care.  However, Mexico's health care system is significantly cheaper than in the US, so many poor people in Mexico can still afford health care with government help.  Mexican health care is so cheap that many people who live in Texas and California often go into Mexico for health care, especially for things like dental work and plastic surgery, because costs are often a fraction of what they are in the US.

The overall health of the Mexican population has been on the rise over the past fifty years.  Infant mortality rate has gone down, which means that infants are surviving more which is usually an indicator of better diet and less presence of disease.  Also, the life expectancy has been going up and the overall prevalence of diseases has been going down.  However, Mexico still has a problem with heart diseases and other problems like obesity.  When the swine flu epidemic happened in the late 2000's, Mexico was applauded for the way their hospitals handled the situation and contained the disease very well, in large part to well trained doctors and nurses and also good sanitation of hospitals.  In general, the Mexican health care system is effective for most of the population.  Poorer, rural people can sometimes have to travel a long way for medical attention, but otherwise the system is good for all citizens.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Mexico

About Oaxaca: Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous Cultures by Kate Leier

My topic is Indigenous cultures, which is something very vital to Oaxaca and it’s history. Oaxaca is unique in that it is a hub for rich indigenous history, and its culture is a defining aspect for Oaxaca.  National Geographic tells us that “While there are officially 16 indigenous groups in Oaxaca, every group actually has hundreds of subgroups, each distinguished by unique linguistic and social traditions. Oaxaca, like the nearby states of Guerrero and Chiapas, contains a startlingly diverse range of indigenous cultures with roots that reach back many centuries.”

Many consider Oaxaca to be the most ethnically diverse of all of the states of Mexico. One article tells that “Oaxaca's rugged topography has played a significant role in giving rise to its amazing cultural diversity. Because individual towns and tribal groups lived in isolation from each other for long periods of time, the subsequent seclusion allowed sixteen ethnolinguistic groups to maintain their individual languages, customs and ancestral traditions intact well into the colonial era and - to some extent - to the present day.”

A prominent ethnic group there today are the Zapotec. Approximately 347,000 people, or 9% of the population of Oaxaca identify as Zapotec. There is much archeological evidence to suggest that the Zapotecs were one of the first ethnic groups to gain prominence in the area that is now Oaxaca. Unlike many other ethnic groups, they have no history or folklore of migrations ,and instead believe that their gods and early ancestors emerged from rocks and caves. They refer to themselves as Be’ena’a, which roughly translates to “The People” or “True People.” This refers to the fact that they are seen as the rightful people of the land, a true ethnic group of Oaxaca.

Another important indigenous group of Oaxaca are the Mixtecs. One article tells that “The Mixtecs originally inhabited the southern portions of what are now the states of Guerrero and Puebla. However, they started moving south and eastward, eventually making their way to the Central Valley of Oaxaca..” Their dominance in the valley of Oaxaca was more short lived. Today, roughly 6.1% of the population or 241,000 people identify as Mixtec. They call themselves the Ñuu Savi, "People of the Rain." Their homeland is the Mixteca, a region which occupies the western half of the Mexican state of Oaxaca and small parts of Guerrero and Puebla, states on Oaxaca's northern and western borders.

As many people know, the Aztecs were an indigenous group that dominated much of pre-colonial Mexico. Both the Zapotecs and Mixtecs had run-ins with the Aztecs. Both struggled to keep the Aztecs from gaining control of their trade routes to Chiapas and Guatemala. They had bigger things to worry about, with the Spanish colonists coming shortly after the Aztec rise reached Oaxaca.

References:

http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/oaxaca_cultures.html

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/371-the-indigenous-people-of-oaxaca

http://www.history.com/topics/mexico/oaxaca

About Oaxaca: Education System

The Mexican education system is similar to that of the US. There is educación  preescolar, which is optional for children 3-5. This is followed by escuela primaria, which is for kids 6-11 and considered mandatory. The next education level is secundaria for ages 12-14 and is also mandatory. These three stages of education are considered educación básica and are free. They focus on teaching general education, from cognitive skills of the youngest levels to scientific and social disciplines to private vocational programs of the older students. After they complete these years, the students receive a transcript to which they can apply to higher education programs. This portion of their education is called educacion media superior or preparatoria and can focus on either general or technical education and is for students 15-17. Students then can go into higher education, educacion superior where they can get their degrees.
The grading system is also similar but differs in a different scale use. It ranges from a scale of 1-10 with 9-10 being the best (Muy bien- MB) followed by 8 (Bien- B), then 6-7 (Suficiente- S), and then finally 0-5 as the worst equaling a fail (Reprobado- R).
In Oaxaca, poverty limits the education of students. 45% do not have a high school diploma and 22% are illiterate. Furthermore, in rural areas, there is a lack of availability of education beyond middle school grades causing an increase in school dropouts after age 11. Because Oaxaca has such a high indigenous population, that combined with poverty result in the indigenous population having a lack of education. Only 5% of Oaxaca's indigenous population reaches a middle or higher education, while the rest of Mexico on average has 26% of the indigenous population reach middle or higher education. Similarly, almost 90% of indigenous teachers do not have an adequate academic background.

A problem in the education system that affects Oaxaca, is the corporate influence of the system, through the implementation of standardized tests. This has a negative impact on the school system, because if students don't do well on the test, the teachers are blamed and removed. They are then forced to go to private school and pay to take courses and tests. If they don't do well on the tests then they are fired. This is problematic, because it requires students to be good at taking tests as well as encourages teachers to teach to the test, which has the possibility to inhibit the learning of other students. There is also a reward system implemented, where teachers receive points based on their test scores and then qualify for raises based on the number of points they have. This is a poor system, because teachers who score well on the test are not necessarily the best teachers, and it divides the teachers against each other.


Sources:
http://www.classbase.com/countries/Mexico/Education-System
https://www.justlanded.com/english/Mexico/Mexico-Guide/Education/Introduction
http://oaxaca.icf-xchange.org/aboutoaxaca
http://www.cft.org/key-issues/quality-education/end-high-stakes/539-oaxacan-teachers-challenge-the-test.html

Hi Everyone!

Hello! My name is Sara Flores-Amper and I'm looking forward to start this journey with all of you! This was a pretty last-minute decision, so it's a little late but nonetheless, I am so excited to meet all of you! I am a sophomore(after a break) here at UVM and I am majoring in Dietetics. I'm really looking forward to experiencing the day-to-day life of a different culture and learning about traditions and food! I really love cooking and experimenting with healthy recipes so I'm hoping to be able to make some delicious and healthy versions of traditional foods from Oaxaca!

“About Oaxaca”: Literature

Octavio Paz was a Mexican writer and poet-diplomat. Paz was known especially for his surrealist and existentialist work as well as his involvement in Mexican politics. Born in 1914, Paz was introduced to literature at a very early age through his grandfather’s extensive library containing many works of classic Mexican and European literature. After publishing his first poem, “Cabellera” as a teenager in 1931, Paz later when on to publish his first collection of poems, Luna Silvestre, two years later.

In 1937, Paz traveled to Valencia, Spain to participate in the Second International Congress of Anti-Fascist Writers and in 1938 when he returned to Mexico he started the journal Taller. This new magazine catalyzed a new movement of writers and literature in Mexico.

In 1945, Paz joined the Mexican diplomatic service and was sent to France to where he started writing his study of Mexican identity in his work The Labyrinth of Solitude. In his essay, Paz explores the Mexican identity and the concept of solitude and its effects on man. One excerpt from his essay: “Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone, and the only one who seeks out another. His nature – if that word can be used in reference to man, who has 'invented' himself by saying 'no' to nature – consists in his longing to realize himself in another. Man is nostalgia and a search for communion. Therefore, when he is aware of himself he is aware of his lack of another, that is, of his solitude” (Paz).

About twenty years after publishing his major essay, Paz was appointed Mexican ambassador to India where many of his works were influenced by his stay there. However in 1968, Paz resigned in “protest against the government's bloodstained suppression of the student demonstrations in Tlatelolco during the Olympic Games in Mexico” (“Octavio”). After resigning, he continued to work on other pieces such as Plural and Vuelta and in 1980 was named honorary doctor at Harvard. Paz died in Mexico City, Mexico in 1998, at the age of 84.

Works Cited

Paz, Octavio. The Labrynth of Solitude: Life and Thought in Mexico. London: Allen

Lane. The Penguin, 1967. Print.

"Octavio Paz - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 6 Nov 2015.

<http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1990/paz-bio.html>

About Oaxaca: Biodiversity

First of all, biodiversity is the variety of different types of life found on earth. It is a measure of the variety of organisms present in different ecosystems. Oaxaca happens to be one of the most biodiverse places on the planet due to high amounts of rainfall and being near the equator which both significantly increase biodiversity. Depending on where you are in Oaxaca, biodiversity can vary greatly.

On land there are many different types of animals. Oaxaca has the highest diversity of birds and reptiles in Mexico with 634 bird species and 258 reptile species. They have the 2nd highest diversity of mammals in Mexico, with 194 different species. Finally they have the 3rd highest amount of amphibian species in Mexico with 106 different species.

As for plants, Oaxaca is not the most diverse in Mexico in any category. Coming in second with ferns, third with flowering plants, and fourth with gymnosperms (non-flowing plants). Even though Oaxaca doesn't rank first in any plant species, they still have quite a bit relative to the rest of the world.

As for the coast of Oaxaca, there are more marine species than in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean. In a study, they found 2,157 species of plants and marine mammals. Although there are other places in the world with a higher marine biodiversity, Oaxaca has some of the highest in all of Mexico.

References:
http://geo-mexico.com/?p=2778
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity
http://www.checklist.org.br/getpdf?SL115-11

Major Religions/Spiritual Beliefs

 The Spanish invasion brought a prominent Catholic presence to Mexico, still very present particularly in land south of the Rio Grande (Oaxaca), heavily impacting both religion and politics. According to the 2000 census, still 74% of Oaxaca’s population (2.6 million people) are Roman Catholic, while only about 234,150 people were Protestant, 37,504 Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,199 Jews, and 150,000 people reported no religion (Oaxaca, Nations Encyclopedia). This shows the lasting influence Spain had on the history of religion in Mexico. 

 In 1528, Spanish Dominican friars settled in Antequerea and formally established the Bishopric of Oaxaca in 1535, bringing even more Catholic priests to the area (Schmal). Even though there is a strong devotion to Catholicism, Oaxacans show their Mexican heritage through traditional forms of expressing their religion. A prime example of this is when the Spanish attempted to change the festival Guelaguestza (one of Oaxaca’s greatest festivals) into the feast of the Virgin of Carmel by giving them the same dates (officially celebrated on the two Mondays following July 16th). This Spanish attempt failed however, as the celebration retains many of its pre-Hispanic customs with great displays of music and dancing (About Oaxaca).

 These missionaries persisted in their work of destroying indigenous pagan religions specifically in Oaxaca, but also in Mexico as a whole, until their independence in 1821. Mexico (not only Oaxaca) responded to their previous religious oppression by Spain with a new constitution that preached religious tolerance and freedom, however also created anti-church laws so that while these Catholic churches stayed open, religious orders were suppressed, religious vows were declared illegal, and nuns and priests could not wear their attire in public. While the nations intention was to create religious freedom, these laws actually denied the almost 100% catholic population to practice their beliefs. It wasn’t until 1940, with the presidential election of the devout catholic, Laxxaro Cardenas, that these laws were changed, however issues with the Vatican persisted unto the 1990s. Finally, today people truly have religious freedom (The Catholic Church in Mexico: Triumphs and Traumas). 

Bibliography:

"About Oaxaca." Oaxaca Mexico All About Oaxaca RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://allaboutoaxaca.com/about-oaxaca/>.

Schmal, John P. "The Indigenous People of Oaxaca." : Mexico Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/371-the-indigenous-people-of-oaxaca>.

"Oaxaca." Nations Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/mexico/Michoac-n-Zacatecas/Oaxaca.html>.

"The Catholic Church in Mexico: Triumphs and Traumas." : Mexico History. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/668-the-catholic-church-in-mexico-triumphs-and-traumas> 

About Oaxaca: Family Structures and Traditions - Vanessa

Although I could not pinpoint the family structures and traditions to Oaxaca, there is research on the topic on Mexico as a whole. It should be noted that no one family is the same and there can be a multitude of family dynamics. Traditionally, Mexican families hold a patriarchal, heterosexual structure. The roles of a household are mother and father and are typically gendered. The women usually perform the care taking, cooking, and cleaning. Which are all considered in the private sphere meaning it is usually done in the household and is a labor that is unpaid. While the men work for a wage in the public sphere of working which is deemed productive labor. Both men and women of a family may earn wages but typically the women is also the role of the woman to care for the household which is whole other job in itself that goes unnoticed.

The women predominantly care for the family. Specifically, the mother keeps the family running through cooking, cleaning, and overall providing care for the home. Daughters share responsibilities and are brought up with intention that they must learn from their mothers because they will be one someday. Fathers are seen as the head of the households and the one who makes the decisions for the family. The sons are the next in the authority male in the patriarchal line. There is a word machismo, macho in English, which describe the characteristics of how men should hold themselves. They must be tough, strong, and display masculinity. To compare Mexico’s family structure to the United States, the values are similar to the American household in the 1950s and 60s era. From recent research however, modern family structures are evolving and specifically the roles of mother and father are becoming less defined. Mothers and fathers may split duties in the household in a move towards gender equity.

Religion plays a large role in Mexico’s traditions being that 89% of people practice Catholicism, and another 6% practice Protestantism.  There are many religious festivities that celebrate the numerous worshiped saints such as San Juan, San Jose, and Santa Maria. A popular tradition and rite of passage for a girl in Mexico is called a quinceanera. It is a celebration to signify when a girl turns fifteen and becomes a young woman. The young woman dresses up in special dress, there is music, dancing, and food. The celebration is also a special moment between her father and the young woman in which they share a dance. This marks the girl transforming into maturity as a young woman.

Sources:

http://family.lovetoknow.com/family-values/mexican-family-culture

http://family.jrank.org/pages/1164/Mexico-Contemporary-Family.html

About Oaxaca: Famous People from Oaxaca

        So far in our pre-departure orientation class, we have learned a lot about the history of Oaxaca through both in-class sessions and our own personal research. While the history of Oaxaca is extraordinarily interesting, I thought it would be fun to focus on some famous faces of Oaxaca that aren't historic figures, but rather, pop-culture icons that are relevant today. 
        Patricia Reyes Spíndola was born July 11, 1953 in Oaxaca City. She is a famous actress who has had major roles in films such as Frida (2002), Del otro lado (1999), and Las razones del corazón (2011). She won the Ariel Prize for her roles in Los motivos de Luz and La reina de la noche, which are a major motion picture and a Mexican telenovela, respectively. She is a member of the board of the "Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and in 1998, she was chosen to be a judge at a very prestigious film festival in Spain called "San Sebastian." Currently, Spíndola owns and operates a small acting school with her sister in Mexico City. Today, you can see her in the AMC hit series "Fear the 
Walking Dead" where she plays Griselda Salazar.
        Lupita Tovar was born on July 27, 1910 also in Oaxaca City. In 1930, she got her first role at Universal Studios in the Spanish version of "The Cat Creeps." Tovar began filming more and more movies with the same producer, Paul Kohner. In 1932, they were married and Kohner became one of the top agents in Hollywood. One of Tovar's biggest films was Universal's Spanish Dracula. Perhaps her most groundbreaking role was a film "Santa" (1932) which was the first Mexican talkie film. Tovar gave up making films in the 1940's and is still alive today at age 105.
        Lily Downs was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca on September 19, 1968. She was born to the Mixtec singer Anita Sanchez and a Scottish-American art professor and filmaker, Allen Downs. She grew up in Oaxaca, California, and then Minesota where she attended the University of Minesota with a major in voice and anthropology. This musician is often accompanied by her band, La Misteriosa. Her music is often political and about social justice. Downs has recieved a Latin Grammy and a Grammy nomination additionally she has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Scared Music Festival and the Latino Inaugural Ball for President Obama. Her music has been heard on the soundtracks of many major motion pictures.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1105038/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/lupita-tovar-still-carrying-on/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Reyes_Sp%C3%ADndola

http://www.inquisitr.com/2118672/ruben-blades-patricia-reyes-spindola-fear-the-walking-dead-what-will-walkers-be-called/