Bookie's Bodega

  The documentary Lost Kingdoms of Central America from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) discusses the various cities of the Olmec, one of the first civilizations in Central America. These cities include San Lorenzo and La Venta, the second of which is discussed in an article by Rebecca Gonzalez Lauck entitled “La Venta.”  In both the article and documentary, the collection of stones is discussed (basalt, limestone, serpentine, etc.). We do not know how the Olmec transported stone to their cities, but we do know that the nearest quarries were very far from them, ranging from “60 kilometers to more than 400 kilometers” (Gonzalez Lauck 12). This intensive process indicates that the cost of using stone would have been costly and likely a show of wealth, especially when it came to serpentine, which was acquired from “Oaxaca, which is on the western coast of Mexico” ( Lost 36:11-36:21). Serpentine tended to be used more as a show of wealth and ceremony rather than an arc...

Tragedy at Ayotzinapa and Tlatelolco On September 26, 2014, the world lost 46 young men. 3 of these boys were shot dead by police, and 43 went missing, never to be seen again.  The story of these young men is also the story of the Mexican government failing its people. These young men were students of Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher's College and future educators. The podcast Latino USA discusses this case in its January 28, 2022 episode entitled "After Ayotzinapa: The Missing 43." The 43 Missing Students Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher's College is located in Guerrero, Mexico, a farming town. This school is heavily involved in activism, and its students were planning to travel to Mexico City to participate in a protest for the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968. However, before they had even begun their protests, they were wounded at the source. As they were commandeering buses to travel to Mexico City (a common practice), local police arrived on the scene and opened fire on the unarmed...