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'Gringo' Birds Dominate Mexican Cockfighting Ring
Under soaring coconut palms and tropical fruit trees, roosters bred for battle are carried into a glowing, makeshift ring for a fight to the death. ViVa Aerobus Brings No-Frills Service to Texas Capital Viva Aerobus' Monterrey terminal has a decidedly warehouse feel: traditional ticket counters are nowhere to be found, exposed piping crawls along the cavernous ceiling and some passengers in a waiting area short on seating lean against the wall before their flights. Stomach It and Find the Best Eats on the Street The faithful gather beneath a bridge, drawn by the smell of grilling steak strips and frying sausages. If tacos are holy in Mexico City (and surely they are) then for many, the Chupacabras food stall beneath the freeway Rio Churrubusco is the shrine. Specter of Violence Hangs over Dam Fight At a makeshift checkpoint near the Papagayo River, machete-wielding farmers stand vigil. They are here to keep out the heavy machinery, as well as the undercover agents they say come disguised as teachers and doctors trying to bribe their leaders. Uncertain Future for Mexico's Oil Giant These are grim days for Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly, Petróleos Mexicanos, better known as Pemex. Deportations Haunt Mexican Countryside It's been five months since Luís Romero Chegue, an illegal immigrant who lived and worked for two years in metro Atlanta, was deported from Gwinnett County to his struggling hometown in southwestern Mexico. Georgia Laws Impact Mexico Towns Lanky teenagers hang out in clumps at the volleyball courts, laughing and teasing, enjoying what could be their last days here. Coke Replaces Controversial Sweetener in Mexican 'Zero' Coca-Cola has reformulated the Mexican version of Coca-Cola Zero, removing a controversial artificial sweetener that is banned in the United States and caused an outcry from consumer advocates in Mexico. UT Betting on Mexico In an attempt to strengthen its presence in Mexico, the University of Texas at Austin sponsored a unique academic conference here this week that brought UT researchers together with counterparts from five of Mexico's leading universities. Cactus Poachers Ravage Mexican Desert These moonscape lands used to guard secret treasures. Delicate balls of snowy thread, twisting cones topped with graceful pink flowers, spiky lemon-lime colored orbs until recently dotted the central Mexican desert. Judges Latest Target in Mexico Drug War Judges have become the latest target of Mexico's drug violence, a sign that warring drug cartels are escalating their attacks on the Mexican government, analysts warn. Watching Obama, Mexico Opens a Window on Its Racial Issues The Mexican media has crowned Barack Obama the "black Kennedy" and interpreted his strong candidacy as a signal that the United States is finally entering the age of racial enlightenment. Congressmen Urge More U.S. Help for Mexico in Drug War Two Central Texas lawmakers warned that Mexican cartel violence is spilling across the Texas border and urged greater U.S. cooperation to fight the cartels. Mexican Farmers Fret as NAFTA Extends Its Reach Farmers and activists here are planning a series of protests as NAFTA enters its final stage on New Years Day, when the last tariffs and quotas on corn, beans, milk and sugar melt away. In the Age of Designer Drinks, Rebirth for an Ancient Elixir Reviled and ridiculed by the modern age, time has not been kind to pulque, a thick, milky alcoholic drink that was enjoyed by Aztec kings long before the Spanish arrived. Pop Star Murders Highlight Unrelenting Mexico Violence Mexico is reeling from the gruesome executions of two popular musicians last week in a record year for drug violence, despite a yearlong military operation against Mexico's major drug cartels. UT Connection Runs Deep in Cuatro Ciénegas With its dizzying variety of wildlife, Cuatro Ciénegas is one of the most studied spots on earth and no institution has been more involved lately than the University of Texas. Desert Jewel in Mexico Offers Mystery, Relaxation We drove across the scorched land, past stunted mesquite and pillows of white gypsum dunes, and looked for the water. Here in this isolated corner of the Chihuahua Desert, a harsh wasteland stretching from Texas to Zacatecas, we had been promised a unique oasis. Mexican Frustration with U.S. Immigration Policy Builds Anger in Mexico is growing in the wake of a number of new state laws in the United States, including those in Georgia, Oklahoma and Arizona, considered by critics to be anti-Mexican — a shift likely reflected in President Felipe Calderon's verbal lashing this week of U.S. presidential candidates. College Football, U.S.-Style, Takes Hold in Mexico It's Saturday afternoon, the hot dogs are slathered in jalapeños, and the stadium is already rocking, two hours before kickoff. Blame Game Begins over Flooding in Tabasco In one of the country's worst flooding disasters, as many as 500,000 people are homeless and at least 10 are dead after rainwater and swollen rivers washed over 80 percent of Tabasco state last week. Calderon Administration Struggles to Fulfill Jobs Promise Cesar Mora has been looking for steady work for three frustrating years since he graduated with a degree in applied mathematics from Mexico's National Autonomous University. Mexico City DJ Finds Inspiration in Chaos Camilo Lara must have one of the biggest record collections in the Americas. With 45,000 albums and compact discs, his music has crowded the Mexico City DJ out of apartments, landed him in the hospital for back surgery (those record crates are heavy) and sent him into dangerous neighborhoods in search of shadowy record dealers. U.S. Plan for Drug War Has Some in Mexico Worried A massive U.S. aid package to fight violent drug cartels has sparked a collective bout of hand-wringing in Mexico, where anything hinting at U.S. intervention has long been viewed with suspicion. Police Capture Alleged Cannibalistic Serial Killer On the stove, a frying pan with chunks of flesh. In the refrigerator, a leg and part of an arm, both de-boned. The bones were stuffed into a cereal box. Mexico Aiming for Kinder, Gentler Elections When Felipe Calderon unleashed a series of blistering TV ads comparing front-runner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to Venezuelan lightning rod Hugo Chavez, most experts agree Mexico's 2006 presidential election shifted course. Guatemala Votes, Hopes for Peaceful Election After a bloody campaign season that saw nearly 50 candidates slain, Guatemalans went to the polls Sunday amid fears of violence and mudslides. Guatemalan Election Drowns in Blood Hector Montenegro is running for Congress, but he's having trouble thinking of anything except his 15-year-old daughter. Three weeks ago, her throat was slit before she was stuffed into a taxi trunk. Felix's Rains Could Wreak Election Havoc Election observers warned that heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Felix could disrupt Sunday's fiercely contested presidential election, already considered a logistical headache. Perry Hails Texas-Mexico Ties, Blasts Border Fence Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday criticized the proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico as he expressed optimism about the future of economic ties between his state and Mexico. Coke Using Banned U.S. Sweetener in Mexico Consumer advocates here are blasting Coca-Cola over its use of a sweetener that's been banned in the United States since 1969, but is now an ingredient in the Mexican version of Coca-Cola Zero. Mexico Braces for Second Punch from Dean Mexico braced for a second hit Wednesday from powerful hurricane Dean after it plowed across the Yucatan peninsula Tuesday, leaving a wide trail of destruction but initially no reported deaths. Dean Expected to Make Landfall near Mexico-Belize Border Posh resorts and Mayan villages up and down this coast braced for the arrival of a potentially monstrous Hurricane Dean early Tuesday morning, as tourists scrambled to find flights or shelter. Wrestling Students Have Big Lucha Libre Dreams On the fifth floor of a dingy gym in one of this city's most dangerous neighborhoods, an unusual group of students fling each other around the wrestling ring, swan dive off the top rope and try to master painful leg locks. Going Down? Sinkholes Threaten Mexican Capital As if life-shortening pollution, hours-long traffic jams and kidnappings weren't bad enough, Mexico City residents now have to worry about the earth opening up and swallowing them. Mexico's Brutal Election Leaves Scars a Year Later In the year since a brutally contested presidential election plunged Mexico into a summer of turmoil, a kind of weary normalcy has descended on the country. In Mexican Mountains, New Life for an Ancient Delicacy On one side of the mountains is the so-called Hot Earth, a region plagued by drug violence and infested with clandestine marijuana fields. On the other is the Bermuda Triangle, so named by the truckers who lose their loads to highway bandits. Despite Push, Hybrid Cars Hard to Find in Mexico With its choking cloud of haze and hellish traffic jams, this megalopolis of 20 million would seem a natural fit for cleaner-burning hybrid cars. Inside Mexico's Drug Cartel Underworld Mexican journalist Ricardo Ravelo has been covering drug trafficking for more than a decade for Proceso, the nation's leading weekly news magazine. He is the author of several books on the drug trade. His latest, Herencia Maldita (Cursed Inheritance), published in May provides a detailed look at the roots of the current drug war, which has left more than 1,000 dead so far this year. Mexico City Seeks to Corral an Army of Street Vendors Aztec warriors spotted an eagle holding a serpent in its mouth and, struck by the omen, founded the canal city of Tenochtitlan, precursor to the Mexican capital. Business Leaders, University Of Texas Forge Connections With Mexico High in the hills overlooking this city, a packed room of about 500 University of Texas officials, Austin business leaders and Mexican alumni raised their hands in a Hook 'em Horns sign and belted out the "Eyes of Texas." |
Jeremy Schwartz Jeremy Schwartz was an accomplished metro reporter for the Austin American-Statesman before taking up his post as Mexico City-based Latin America correspondent for Cox Newspapers in April 2006. Schwartz covered community and minority affairs among other assignments for the Statesman and served a stint as acting Mexico City correspondent for Cox in 2005. His first reporting job was at the Daily Journal in Caracas, Venezuela. He also worked as a reporter for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in Texas and the Imperial Valley Press in El Centro, Calif. In 2001, his reporting on border issues, immigration and the Texas state prison system received recognition by the Associated Press Managing Editors and the Headliners Foundation of Texas. Schwartz is fluent in Spanish and in the early 1990s served as a VISTA volunteer in San Antonio, Texas, coordinating services in low-income neighborhoods. Cox Newspapers Washington Bureau 400 North Capitol St., N.W., Suite 750 Washington, D.C. 20001-1536 Phone: 202-331-0900 |
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