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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 13h

An elegant Maya ceramic figurine from Campeche depicts a kneeling noblewoman holding a lidded jar. Made between 600 and 800 CE, the object shows artificial cranial deformation and facial paint. Archeologists associate this vessel with elite rituals involving beverages or fluids for ceremonies.

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Reposted by Bart van Zwieten

Only in Latin America! A candidate named Hitler Mussolini was elected mayor in Peru. Leftwing (!!) Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores beats far-right candidate in a mayoral election in a remote district of the Andes. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Candidate named Hitler Mussolini elected mayor in Peru

Leftwing Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores beats far-right candidate in election in remote district of Andes

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Reposted by Bart van Zwieten

DESFILE DE ALEBRIJES MONUMENTALES 2025: ¡La Invasión de Gigantes Mágicos en CDMX!

Every October, over 200 giant alebrijes roll down Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City in the Desfile de Alebrijes Monumentales. Schools, workshops and neighborhood groups, create the towering creatures, then pull them by hand along the parade route. October 17. m.youtube.com/shorts/HUzPB...

m.youtube.com

YouTube video by Distrito Cultura

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Reposted by Bart van Zwieten

Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 13h

Argentine Americans are among the most economically successful U.S. Hispanic groups. They have the highest median household income ($80k) and exceptional college graduation rates. This is driven by Argentina’s strong public education and economic crises pushing highly skilled professionals abroad.

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Candidate named Hitler Mussolini elected mayor in Peru

Leftwing Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores beats far-right candidate in election in remote district of Andes

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DESFILE DE ALEBRIJES MONUMENTALES 2025: ¡La Invasión de Gigantes Mágicos en CDMX!

m.youtube.com

YouTube video by Distrito Cultura

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

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Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This clay Maya figurine from Jaina Island, Campeche, dates from 600 to 900 CE. It portrays an ancestor or the old god Pawahtun emerging from a flower, symbolizing rebirth in the afterlife. The artifact operates as a functional whistle, creating sound when air passes through its hollow stem.

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Mexico City has 151 officially recognized museums and over 200 spaces when including unregistered or independent exhibition venues, making it second globally behind London in total museum count. See here the 10 largest based on visitor numbers. The National Anthropology Museum is world class!

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The US delivered $5 million in military equipment to Guatemala, the first such transfer since Washington imposed an arms embargo nearly 50 years ago over human-rights abuses. President Arévalo said the shipment marks a new phase in bilateral security cooperation. www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...

yahoo.com

US sends military equipment to Guatemala for first time since 1977

The United States on Monday delivered military equipment to Guatemala for the first time in nearly 50 years, ending an arms embargo imposed over human rights abuses. President Bernardo Arévalo said Gu...

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Reposted by Bart van Zwieten

This Maya ceramic funerary urn originates from the Quiche department in the highland region of Guatemala. Created during the Late Classic Period between 600 and 900 CE, the vessel features relief carvings of jaguars, human skulls, and molded spines to represent deities of the underworld, Xibalba.

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Exclusive | How the Pentagon Is Escalating Trump’s Drug War in Latin America

How the Pentagon is escalating Trump’s drug war in Latin America. The Southcom commander General Francis Donovan shares exclusive new details on the use of high-tech drones in the jungle, and says that US-assisted land strikes are an option. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

wsj.com

Gen. Francis Donovan shared new details on the use of high-tech drones in the jungle and said that U.S.-assisted land strikes are an option.

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Latin America holds over half of global lithium (64M tonnes in the Lithium Triangle: Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile). It is a vital resource essential for manufacturing EV batteries and renewable energy storage, driving the global clean energy transition. It’s still mostly in the ground however…..

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Brazil’s presidential election: key factors that explain Bolsonaro’s larger-than-expected first round victory against Lula, citing the evangelical church, urban violence, Lula’s out-of-touch campaign, the global far right and Lula’s age as contributing factors. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Far right on the march and Lula’s failures: key drivers of Flávio Bolsonaro’s Brazil surge

Experts say strength of evangelical church and stubbornness of Lula, 80, also helped propel Jair Bolsonaro’s son to first-round election win

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This pottery vessel shaped like a human skull features polychrome lacquer decoration. It was crafted in Cholula, in the state of Puebla, during the Postclassic period between 700 and 1540 CE. The piece reflects the Mixteca-Puebla style and was traded into the Tehuacan region through ancient commerce

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Over 50% of South America's GDP comes just from Brazil: - Brazil: 50.5% - Argentina: 15.3% - Colombia: 9.8% South America is a region investors should keep a close eye on: 1. A relatively young population. 2. A growing middle class. 3. Availability of commodities.

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Costa Rica's Grynspan narrowly ahead in race to be next UN chief, sources say

Former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan is the frontrunner to become the 10th UN Secretary-General, according to the latest UN Security Council straw poll. If she wins, she would be the first ever female United Nations Secretary General. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

reuters.com

An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday placed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the ‌frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN secretary-general, so...

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Mexica (Aztec) ceramic effigy burner from Tlahuac (Mexico City). Crafted 1250-1520 CE during the Late Postclassic period, this sculpture represents Chicomecoatl, the goddess of mature maize. The standing figure holds two corn cobs in each hand and wears a large headdress with four rosettes.

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Argentina’s poverty rate rose 4.1% to 32.3%. Extreme poverty climbed to 7.5% and 44.5% of children under 15 were classified as poor. Soup kitchens, barter clubs and short-term borrowing point to growing economic strain despite the sharp reduction in inflation. www.reuters.com/world/americ...

reuters.com

Poverty rate tests Argentina's Milei ahead of election

Overflowing soup kitchens, a resurgence of cash-free barter clubs and families taking out short-term loans for groceries are highlighting growing social strains in Argentina, as official data on Thur...

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Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Books by Latin American authors with the most translations, per country. No.1 is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (80+ translations; Brazil), followed by One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez (45+; Colombia) and Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo (35+; Mexico). All great reads, recommended.

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A new Equal Earth has been accepted by the UN. This map projection shows countries depicted with their true relative size.

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People always overreact to election results in Latin America. The reality is that Brazil like several other Latin American countries has been swinging back and forth from right to left for many years. The only Lat American country that seems to be avoiding this fate is Mexico.

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Populism is a political approach that pits the "common people" against a perceived corrupt elite. They’re getting rid of left-wing populism and in cones right-wing populism which combines anti-elite messages with social conservatism, focusing heavily on national identity, borders and immigration.

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An ancient Maya ceramic cup from Petén, Guatemala, created around 700-850 CE, depicts a royal palace scene. A red-painted noble wearing an elaborate ceremonial headdress sits in profile. He holds an offering with a live jaguar cub resting in his lap, representing high-status tribute.

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The 10 largest countries in the world by area. I knew Brazil was large, but it surprised me to see how large Argentina is!

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If the right were to win the Presidency in Brazil - and there is a real chance in the 2nd round on the 25th of October - , this is what the ideological map of Latin America would look like. Claudia Sheinbaum would essentially be left standing alone.

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There will be a 2nd round in Brazil’s presidential election. Bolsonaro won - surprisingly - the first round from Lula with over 2% of difference. The other 3 candidates hold over 7% of the votes, which could mainly go to Bolsonaro in the 2nd round, is the prediction, which would mean Lula’s out….

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The rise of Mesoamerican cultures started 4500 years ago with the domestication of corn. First was the great culture of the Olmecas in 1500 BCE, 3500 years ago, followed by the Zapotecs, Teotihuacan, the Maya’s and latest the Aztecs, with many smaller and regionally localized cultures in between.

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Ceramic incense burner lid from Escuintla, Guatemala, 250–900 CE. Its Teotihuacan-style butterfly iconography highlights extensive trade networks in Mesoamerica. Coastal and overland routes connected the Maya civilization to central Mexican cultures, facilitating economic and deep symbolic exchanges

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Datafolha: 78% dizem ser favoráveis à proibição das bets, e 18% se dizem contra

There is an election today in Brazil. More than three-quarters of Brazilians are in favour of banning online betting: 78% say they are in favor of banning bets, and 18% say they are against. President Lula banned it last week. www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2026/1...

www1.folha.uol.com.br

Levantamento capta a percepção dos brasileiros na esteira da MP de Lula que proibiu apostas online

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This necklace is in the beautiful Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca (Museum of Oaxacan Cultures), in the permanent exhibition dedicated to Sala III: El Tesoro de la Tumba 7 de Monte Albán. The museum is located inside the historic Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxaca de Juárez.

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Geopolitics may be the last thing in the minds of Brazilian voters at tomorrow’s presidential election. But the US-China rivalry will definitely quietly loom over the election. And in many ways, the US has already lost much of its strategic influence in Brazil to China, see this graph.

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In 1966 the coup went ahead entirely against U.S. diplomatic efforts. Although the U.S. later adjusted to Onganía's dictatorship due to his fierce anti-communist alignment, Washington played no role in putting him in power.

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In 1962 U.S. officials were caught off guard by the military's sudden intervention. President Kennedy intentionally refused to immediately comment or recognize the new de facto regime, hoping to preserve constitutional order before eventually conceding to diplomatic realities.

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You’re right. In 1955 U.S. economic pressures only fueled the domestic instability that led to Perón’s downfall, the coup itself was an entirely local operation executed by the Argentine military, opposition parties, and the Catholic Church.

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This gemstone and gold bell necklace originates from Tomb 7 in Monte Albán, in the state of Oaxaca. Deposited between 1250 CE and 1521 CE, the piece features Zapotec and Mixtec craftsmanship, combining gold bells, rock crystal, jet, jade, and quartz beads in a single elite burial arrangement.

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Is Cuba next? And the intervention in Venezuela was no incident: see this interesting map of the long and frequent history of US interventionism in Latin American countries.

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Brazil: ‘no one disrespects Our Lady’: fears for Brazil’s patron saint grip country ahead of election. Speculation that Flávio Bolsonaro will try to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of position could become deciding factor in run-up to this Sunday. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

‘No one disrespects Our Lady’: fears for Brazil’s patron saint grip country ahead of election

Speculation that Flávio Bolsonaro will try to strip Our Lady of Aparecida of position could become deciding factor in run-up to Sunday

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Unfortunately the OAS turns out to be a toothless entity, - Washington/US dominated - ; the nomination of a weak Surinamese Secretary General with Washington’s approval is a point in case.

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This Maya jade plaque shows a king in Nebaj style from Guatemala, made around 600-900 CE. The ruler wears royal jade and holds an underworld shield, showing how rulers claimed divine power. Found far away in Teotihucan, near Mexico City, it proves trade and diplomacy connected ancient cultures.

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Some North American hummingbird species travel thousands of kilometers each year. Spanning from Canada to Mexico and parts of Central America, 10 hummingbird species undertake a migratory cycle, primarily in search of flowers, nectar, and insects. bioteca.biodiversidad.gob.mx/janium/Docum...

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Shield of the Americas Blacklists 24 Criminal Groups | On the Radar

The 15 governments in the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas coalition pledged to freeze assets and impose visa restrictions and legal sanctions on people knowingly supporting 24 criminal organizations, including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel. insightcrime.org/news/shield-...

insightcrime.org

Fifteen governments pledged to freeze assets and deny visas to anyone aiding Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa Cartel and 22 other groups.

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This Maya cup is made of ceramic (earthenware) and finished with fine polychrome slip paint.

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This Maya cup dates between 550 and 950 CE. It features detailed brushwork depicting a ruler seated on a jaguar cushion facing a text column. The text contains a primary standard sequence dedicatory formula. Origin: Peten department, Guatemala.

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Brazilian elections on 4 October determines the US hegemony in South America. Will Brazil join Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Peru in cozying up to Washington? The candidates are in a statistical tie. Washington’s preference: the Bolsonaro oligarchy, over leftwing Lula.

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