Mexico
Pandemic, border crackdown hamper Catholics’ aid to migrants
By David Crary — April 6, 2020
NOGALES, Mexico (AP) — For years, Catholic-led, U-S.-based nonprofits have been at the forefront of efforts to support migrants and asylum seekers along the Mexican border. Tough new border policies, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, have drastically changed their work, much of which now takes place in Mexico. The once heavy flow of undocumented border-crossers […]
Candidates should know that evangelicals are looking for nuanced debate on immigration
By Briana Stensrud — March 19, 2020
(RNS) — A rich dialogue is developing among conservative evangelical women about how to best help families seeking refuge in America.
Day of the Dead: From Aztec goddess worship to modern Mexican celebration
By Kirby Farah — October 28, 2019
(The Conversation) — While Halloween has its origins in Christian tradition, Day of the Dead is a mix of a thriving indigenous culture and the religion of its 16th-century conquerers.
Science, facts and truth matter most when human lives are at stake
By Thomas Reese — August 21, 2019
(RNS) — When the facts are uncertain, when the research is incomplete, we must lean toward the solution that is safest for the people affected. Gambling with people's lives is not acceptable.
Conchero dancers carry forward Mexico’s pre-Hispanic traditions
By Irving Cabrera Torres — August 15, 2019
(RNS) — An ancient dance tradition with roots in Mexico’s indigenous culture, the Conchero calls down ancestral spirits to give their blessing.
Despite deaths of its chief promoters, Mexican cult of Santa Muerte prospers
By Jair Cabrera Torres — July 5, 2019
SANTA ANA CHAPITIRO, Mexico (RNS) — The image of death has loomed over Mexican music, dance and literature for centuries. A new addition is the cult of Santa Muerte, which has become increasingly popular in the past two decades.
In Mexico, Holy Week penitents continue bloody 16th-century traditions of absolution
By Irving Cabrera Torres — April 22, 2019
TAXCO, Mexico (RNS) — The celebration of Holy Week in this colonial town southwest of Mexico City is one of the most dramatic and shocking in the country.
As Venezuela refugee crisis builds, church struggles to carry out pope’s call
By Eduardo Campos Lima — April 11, 2019
SAO PAULO (RNS) — The flow of refugees has overwhelmed efforts to meet Pope Francis' call to provide 'hospitality and acceptance' for immigrants.
In Mexico, modern witches celebrate ancient rites of spring
By Irving Cabrera Torres — March 27, 2019
CATEMACO, Mexico (RNS) — Sorcerers, witches, healers and spiritual guides appeared the first Friday of March as they have for almost 50 years in this small town in southern Mexico.
Mexico’s Fiesta de la Candelaria ends Christmas with a bang
By Irving Cabrera Torres — February 8, 2019
(RNS) — A traditional Candlemas celebration in the southern Mexican town of Tlacotalpan combines mischief and heartfelt adoration of the Virgin Mary.
Native artisans fight to survive in ‘the town of the Nativities’
By Irving Cabrera Torres — December 20, 2018
AMOZOC, Mexico (RNS) — For 100 years, this central Mexican town has made Nativity sets and other religious figures by hand. Now foreign competition has put its future in doubt.
The clown pilgrims of Our Lady of Guadalupe
By Irving Cabrera Torres — December 12, 2018
(RNS) — One of the most distinctive devotions to the patron saint of Mexico is a parade of clowns who make a pilgrimage to thank the Virgin for their good fortune.
Faith groups in Tijuana rise to meet needs of migrant caravan waiting at the border
By Jair Cabrera Torres — December 4, 2018
TIJUANA, Mexico (RNS) — In a border city overwhelmed with more than 6,000 asylum-seekers, one group had bulked up its meal program to serve more than 1,200 breakfasts a day.
Death is a way of life as Mexico celebrates Day of the Dead
By Irving Cabrera Torres — November 2, 2018
SAN ANDRÉS MIXQUIC, Mexico (RNS) — In Mexican families, the remembrance of loved ones is so frequent and natural that it can seem as if the deceased has never died.
For Mexico’s Virgin of Zapopan, a 300-year-old journey home from Guadalajara
By Ameyalli Diaz Castro — October 16, 2018
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (RNS) — Every year, millions of Catholic pilgrims accompany the medieval statue of Our Lady of Expectation as it is carried from the cathedral in Guadalajara to its home in neighboring Zapopan.
