Calliope articles from May 2005

Calliope archives from May 2005

"Mexicanos viva Mexico!" "Mexicans, long live Mexico!".(Musings)
May 1, 2005... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES THE CRY FOR FREEDOM HAS BEEN SOUNDED. It is also impossible to know when it was first heard. What is certain is that Mexico's was not the first, nor the last. Like every struggle, Mexico's had...

El grito de Dolores.(fiery speech of Father Miguel Hidalgo, Mexican freedom struggle)
May 1, 2005... Soon after midnight, on September 16, 1810, in the small town of Dolores in the colony of New Spain, the stillness was shattered by the pealing bells of the local church--a signal of distress in those times that usually indicated some sort of...

Morelos takes the torch of independence.(Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon)(Biography)
May 1, 2005... Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain might have died with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, had it not been for a short, stocky priest named Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. Morelos was not one of the well-to-do criollos who had met secretly...

The jewel in the Spanish crown.(New Spain)
May 1, 2005... When Spanish conquistadores ("conquerors") first explored the land known today as Mexico in 1519, they were dazzled by its riches. They marveled at the majestic stone buildings that graced the cities of the Mexica (or Aztecs) who ruled the...

Who was who in New Spain?(Mexico)
May 1, 2005... The Spaniards who ruled New Spain governed a large country, inhabited mostly by Native Americans. In 1650, only one out of every 100 people had been born in Spain. This one percent of the population was called peninsulares, meaning they were...

Cut-paper pictures.(Activity)
May 1, 2005... Have you ever made a snowflake by folding and cutting paper? Imagine instead making a paper picture of a knight slaying a dragon or an eagle clutching a rattlesnake in its talons. Cut-paper artists have created detailed works with such...

A new plan for Mexico.
May 1, 2005... Augustin de Iturbide rode tall in his saddle as he entered Mexico City in triumph in 1821. For the first time in more than 300 years, Mexico was independent. People hailed him as El Librador ("The Liberator"). The future looked bright for both...

Born into debt.
May 1, 2005... In 1542, the New Laws promoted by the Spanish colonist Father Bartoleme de Las Casas took effect. These laws declared Native Americans to be free subjects of the king of Spain and prohibited forced labor, that is, the practice of encomienda....

Word origins.(Fun With Words)
May 1, 2005... Mexico The name "Mexico" derives from Mextli, the name of the war god honored by the Aztecs, the people living in Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. Tornado The history of this word is a bit twisty itself, as it has taken several...

Word stories.(Fun With Words)
May 1, 2005... Anchovy English uses the word "anchovy" to refer to a family of fish found mostly in warm waters. Although relatively small, anchovies have large mouths. The name is quite appropriate, as it traces its roots through the Spanish name for the...

Spanish into English.(Fun With Words)
May 1, 2005... The English language has adopted many words directly from Spanish. Below are a few. Can you think of others? Banana--sweet, curved, yellowish, tropical fruit Barracuda--fierce fish found in tropical seas Embargo--government order...

Expressions.(Fun With Words)
May 1, 2005... "Pieces of eight" Here's a phrase that brings images of fierce pirates to mind! Just think of all the "pieces of eight" those wily robbers are supposed to have hidden throughout the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. What were they? Silver coins...

Testing the principles of federalism.(Mexico)
May 1, 2005... Mexico's 1824 constitution was an experiment in federalism that lasted approximately 12 years in a country where politics and regional differences frustrated attempts to mold a unified nation. The war for independence had ended Spain's control...

What's in a word?
May 1, 2005... In this issue of CALLIOPE, you have encountered words that describe different forms of government. Following are a few definitions that explain and link these different forms to events in Mexico's long struggle to gain independence and...

Santa Anna: soldier and politician.
May 1, 2005... The son of a wealthy Veracruz businessman, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna used his military background and organizational skills to capture the political spotlight. Honored by his supporters and vilified by his opponents, he, like other Latin...

Peopling the northern frontier.(northern states of Mexico, shortage of people)
May 1, 2005... The newly independent republic of Mexico faced daunting problems. Among them was not having enough people, especially on the northern frontier. Mexico needed people to develop the land and to establish settlements. Where to get them was the...

The DeWitt colony.(Green DeWitt)
May 1, 2005... Coahuila y Tejas was the name of the Mexican territory that formed the country's northern border. This vast area--known now as Texas--was part of independent Mexico in 1824. During that same time period, Mexico was itself one of the largest...

The conflicts mount.(Mexico, after liberation)
May 1, 2005... Mexico's newly won independence from Spain in 1821 ushered in a period of political unrest. Mexico was a vast country with regions that wished to be self-governing. Between 1833 and 1855, the presidency changed 36 times, and only one president...

The republic continues.(Texas, freedom struggle, annexure )
May 1, 2005... Supported by arms and money from the United States government and crying "Remember the Alamo," the American general Sam Houston and his volunteers defeated General Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. (See also page 30.) Free of Mexican...

Que dulce es la musical! (What sweet music!).(Activity)
May 1, 2005... In 1824, musicians of Mexico celebrated their new constitution to the beat of one of their favorite instruments, the maracas. Now, you can make and play this instrument from the days of Mexico's "New Republic." YOU NEED: * scrap...

Ask Calliope.
May 1, 2005... Who was Sinan? --Mariam, 12, Web post A slave born in 1489 of Greek parents, Sinan was taken as a child to Istanbul (in present-day Turkey) to be trained as a Janissary--a member of an elite corps of Ottoman soldiers, all of whom had...

A Brief History of Mexico.(BOOKS)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... A Brief History of Mexico, by Lynn V. Foster (Facts On File, 2004, www.factsonfile.com), covers Mexico's history--from the rise of the first civilization of North America continuing through the period of the Spanish conquest and the revolution...

Mexico.(BOOKS)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Mexico, by Alan Knight (Cambridge University Press, 2002, www.cup.com), is three-volume general history of Mexico that offers a comprehensive narrative and analysis of Mexican history, focusing especially on political, economic, and social...

The Oxford History of Mexico.(BOOKS)(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... The Oxford History of Mexico, edited by Michael C. Meyer and William H. Beezley (Oxford, 2000, www.oup.com/usa), explores all aspects of the country's history from precolonial times to the present--including politics, religion, technology,...

Cobblestone resources.(Off the Shelf)
May 1, 2005... Materials that complement this theme's topic, "Mexico's Road to Independence," and are available from Cobblestone Publishing include: US-Mexican War (COBO012) Mexico (FAC0012) Portugal/Spain Divide the World (CAL9804) ...

On the Net.(Spanish America)
May 1, 2005... Here's a site that covers Spanish America, with links to the roles Mexico, California, Texas, and Spain played in the independence movements of the 1800s: www.houstonculture.org/spanish/colonial.html For a site that focuses on Mexican...

El Grito celebration.
May 1, 2005... Every September 16, Mexicans celebrate "El Grito"--their independence, the day in 1810 that Father Miguel Hidalgo rang the bell to rally the Mexicans to take up arms against the Spanish. Today, that bell hangs in the National Palace in Mexico...

Celebrate independence with Quesadillas.(Activity)(Mexican food)
May 1, 2005... Many of the foods of Mexico use tortillas--flat, round "pancakes" that are made with corn or flour. Here's an easy recipe for quesadilla, a corn-based tortilla with cheese that usually has some type of meat (usually beef, chicken, or pork)....