Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM)

I am Fulbright-Garcia Robles Fellowship recipient with a focus on Binational Business. As a result, during my 10-month stay in Mexico City, I take MBA level business courses at the ITAM, the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico. The ITAM has two campuses, the undergraduate campus in Rio Hondo near San Angel and the graduate campus in Santa Teresa near Pedregal. Both campuses are in the south of the city.

The ITAM is well respected on a national and international level. The students in the MBA program are generally very sharp and incredibly driven. The atmosphere is collegial but with the expected elements of competitiveness. The faculty is equally impressive, as most are at the forefront of their fields. In general, the ITAM is a prestigious place to learn about binational business, because of its facilities, students and faculty.

The ITAM is a feeder school for many American and European graduate schools looking for attractive and promising graduate-level applicants.

Playas de Acapulco

Acapulco beach is quite the scene. There are plenty of great hangout places and the sun is perfect over the Pacific ocean. 

Angelitos Negros

Taxco angel on the wall.
This angelito reminded me of an old and classic Mexican film titled "Angelitos Negros" (1948)starring Pedro Infante. The film's title actually comes from a popular Mexican song titled "Pintame Angelitos Negros." Both the song and the film tackle the issue of race in Mexican society.

The song specifically discusses the lack of black angels in religious murals, sculpture collections, and figurine ensembles. In the song, the singer pleads to the painter to add a black baby even though the virgin may be white and the other angels fair skinned.

The film tackles the challenges of interracial marriages/arrangements and their effects on later generations. In this film, Pedro Infante and his wife in the film are both white, but they have a black daughter. Discovering the roots of their black daughter helps both Pedro Infante and his wife in the film understand more about their heritage.

http://pedroinfante.yomarnathalia.com/pinfante/AngelitosNegros1948.html

Although Mexico is primarily an indigenous and european blend of peoples, it should be noted that in states like Veracruz and Guerrero there is a substantial black population. In Veracruz and Guerrero, the blacks are descendants of the slave trade, as Acapulco in Guerrero and Veracruz, Veracruz are two main seaports that were used heavily during the Spanish colonial period in Mexico.

Acapulco Times

This weekend I took off to Acapulco, Mexico´s oldest beach resort on the Pacific Ocean in the state of Guerrero. Acapulco is about 3.5 hours south of Mexico City. If you go by bus, you take about 5 hours and get to watch an American movie with Spanish subtitles if you´re lucky. If you´re not, then you get some dubbed Spanish over the original. A bus ride to Acapulco from Mexico City is about 290 pesos each way.

Parishioners

Taxco's church is full of parishioners inside praying to their favorite saint, tourists strolling around its pastel colored halls, and photographers stealing shots of its cherubs, angels and apostles.

Iglesia

This is a picture of Taxco's main church on the Zocalo (central square). The shot was taken from Restaurante Las Ranas, where you can get some mean green enchiladas mineras with chicken inside!

Old Colonial Walls

Taxco is graced with old colonial walls that are losing their coats of paint to the all-encroaching test of time. Walking around this small town surrounded by hills and steep cliffs is very therapeutic. In fact, the town seems very condensed, as if it were built to keep you inside and close to everyone there. It is impossible to not be friendly when you are sharing narrow streets, steep stairs and crumbling walls with other people.

Feria Nacional de la Plata

Taxco is a charming silver mining town where indigenous and mestizo artisans of the state of Guerrero share their crafts with the rest of the world. In Mexico, as in other places around the world, the concept of death is embraced with humor, iconography, and physical personifications.

Tiempo de Taxco

This past weekend I took off to Taxco, an old silver mining town about 3 hours south of Mexico City. I paid $104 pesos (roughly $9.50 US dollars) to get there. I was there for the official start of the Festival Nacional de la Plata. Throughout the festival, a princess and her court are selected, the governor oversees the festivities in the state of Guerrero, and various Mexican pop stars perform live every night.
Taxco is a picturesque colonial city with a stunning central square, quaint cobblestone streets and impressive alley-ways. The people here are extremely friendly, the food is surprisingly cheap and good, and the hotels are equally economically and very nice (about $400 pesos for a double).

Playa de los Artistas

Playa de los Artistas in Montezuma, Costa Rica delivers. You will be fed and treated as the shipwrecked pirate you were in a past life. The sangria is amazing, especially as you enjoy the Pacific Ocean at your feet.