Monday Memo: Iguala Students—Cuban Internet—Nicaragua Canal—Strike in Haiti—Unasur facilitates U.S.-Venezuela dialogue
Likely top stories this week: Independent forensic team deems Mexico’s 43 missing students case inconclusive; Cuban authorities to expand Internet centers in 2015; archaeological relics uncovered along Nicaragua Canal route; a general strike in Haiti on eve of Carnival; Unasur seeks to facilitate U.S.-Venezuela dialogue. Independent Forensic Team Deems Mexico’s 43 Missing Students Case Inconclusive: … Read more
AQ Slideshow: Climbing Aconcagua, the Summit of the Americas
Mila Marlina is the unlikeliest of mountaineers. At 4’9” and 82 pounds, she is about the size of a large backpack. The 42-year-old is from coastal Indonesia, where the climate is tropical and the culture doesn’t encourage a wife and mother to disappear for weeks into the mountains. Yet this season, Marlina was one of … Read more
Business Innovator: Amazon Beer Cervejaria
The high wall that separates Amazon Beer’s brewery and bottling plant from the teeming jungle hardly holds back the snakes, monkeys and giant hairy spiders. But invasive animals are only one of the challenges faced by Arlindo Guimarães and his son Caio in developing the only craft brewery in the Amazon. “A lot of people … Read more
Arts Innovator: Favianna Rodriguez
Speaking out against injustice is nothing new for Favianna Rodriguez. In high school, the Oakland native led marches and walk-outs against California’s Proposition 187, a ballot initiative that prohibited undocumented immigrants from accessing state services. Today, Rodriguez’ butterfly imagery, together with the slogan “migration is beautiful,” has become a national symbol for the immigration reform … Read more
From the Think Tanks
Despite record economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2003 and 2010, the region has not yet succeeded in overcoming external constraints. In Regional Integration: Towards an Inclusive Value Chain Strategy, the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) details how the rise of geographically defined value chains has made … Read more
A Dash of Color: Latin America’s Color Runs
Chalk it up to the running craze in Latin America. Or to the revitalization of the region’s cities. Either way, the U.S.-based Color Run is turning the hemisphere’s streets into a rainbow of vibrant color. The urban running events—which are billed as “the happiest 5K on the planet”—involve a 3.1-mile sprint through a city while … Read more
10 Things to Do: Yucatán Peninsula
Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, also called the Mayan Riviera, is home to extraordinary pre-Columbian ruins and stunning beaches. Spanning three Mexican states and parts of Belize and Guatemala, the Yucatán is also turning into one of the premiere music and nightlife meccas. All prices are in U.S. dollars.— Wilda Escarfuller 1. Climb a pyramid. The Chichén … Read more
Patron Saint Festivals in the Americas
In Latin America, the party doesn’t end between Christmas and Carnival; the first three months of the year are also dedicated to numerous fiestas patronales, or patron saint festivals. The celebrations reflect a common Catholic heritage, but also incorporate elements of the region’s African and Indigenous roots. In Puerto Rico, the merriment kicks off after … Read more
Film Review: Casa Grande
In the locker room of his private, all boys high school, 17-year-old Jean bickers with his classmates over an unpaid debt. “Like father, like son,” says one of Jean’s friends before the boys collide in a classic locker-room brawl. It’s an emotional and revealing scene in Casa Grande (literally “the big house,” but released under … Read more
Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants
Latin America’s restaurant scene and its chefs are enjoying their moment in the spotlight. From Mexican chef Enrique Olvera’s New York outpost, Cosme, to Brazilian chef Alex Atala’s 150,000+ Instagram followers, these chefs are joining the ranks of culinary rock stars. Nothing confirms the region’s place in the global foodie scene like hosting a spinoff … Read more
Panorama
Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and events from around the hemisphere with AQ‘s Panorama. Each issue, AQ packs its bags and offers readers travel tips on a new Americas destination.
Innovators
Some of our hemisphere’s emerging leaders in politics, business, civil society, and the arts.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays! The AQ team is on vacation until January 5. Until then, readers eager for analysis on the region can always catch up on our print issues and remember to give the gift of AQ to their loved ones for the holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving from Americas Quarterly!
Happy Thanksgiving! The AQ team is on vacation for Thanksgiving and will return on Monday, December 1. Until then, readers eager for analysis on the region can always catch up on our recent Fall 2014 issue.
