Frida Kahlo de Rivera was born in a town outside Mexico City in 1907. She was born in her parents’ home that is now called Casa Azul, or Blue house, owing to its color. She had three sisters and two half-sisters from her father’s first marriage. Her father was from Germany and her mother was Mexican, indigenous and Spanish in origin.
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Mexico had a rich history before the arrival of the Europeans. Notably they had many independent indigenous groups including the Aztec, Maya, Mixtec and Tolmec among others. These civilizations flourished at various times and in various regions of this large country over a period of 10,000 years.
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This blog focuses on three types of traditional Latin American music and dancing: mariachi from Mexico, salsa from the Caribbean and cueca from South America.
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Diego Rivera (1886-1957) was a famous Mexican artist. He specialized in the painting of murals in both Mexico and in the United States. From a young age, Rivera liked to draw and by the age of 10 he was enrolled in an Academy of Art in Mexico City. By 1907 he was studying in Madrid, Spain.
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I have had many requests from students to publish something in their target language. So this month my blog is A biography written in Spanish about the social activist Rigoberto Menchú. This extraordinary woman came from a poor background as an indigenous person in Guatemala. She suffered greatly at the hands of the military during the Guatemalan Civil War. She went on to learn the Spanish language, write a best-selling book, win a Nobel Peace Prize and tour the world giving speeches on behalf of the United Nations. The words in bold are included in a glossary below the reading to help with understanding.
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