Your one-stop shop for all things Latin/Hispanic/Mexican
Mexican dairy company Grupo Lala recently launched a limited edition of milk and milk-related products featuring – what else? – characters from Star Wars, which is kind of ironic considering most of us targeted by the popular franchise are now lactose intolerant.
I guess I just age myself, but I still want to get my hands on one of these, if only to drink with my Star Wars-themed tamales.
You may not know this but Semana Santa (Holy Week) is a very important religious holiday in Mexico, and among the many events that take place during the course of the week, the so-called passion play is one of the most popular — and well-attended. It consists of a representation of the via crucis, and involves everyone, from workers, students and housewives who become actors for one day to play the roles of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Nazarenes, the apostles — and other characters (not all of them strictly Biblical) including a spy, a dog, and a wandering Jew.
In the play, when Christ gets captured, we see him carrying a cross a long way and until he reaches a location that represents Mount Calvary. In the most famous of these representations (the one that takes place in Iztapalapa) we see Christ carrying his cross from the town’s main square to the nearby Cerro de la Estrella in the heart of Mexico City.
Unfortunately, not all Mexican towns and cities have a mountain or even a hill around, so they resort to crucify Jesus on pretty much any location, including an electricity pole. This, as you can imagine, can have bring about some funky accidents.
JUST WATCH. ¡Pobre Jesús!
Marketing and advertising executives would be well advised to use the advertising tactics of Mr. Miguel Fong, some dude I don’t know but who teaches English in Mexico.
If you are bilingual, you will now have appreciated the power of the above ad. But here’s a quick translation for my beloved monolingual followers:
WANTED
He responds to the name “Unforgettable”
If you cannot read this name, it is because its in English. Contact me so you can learn!
Nice job Mr. Fong, I wish other language institutions would follow your lead.
Via: Reddit
Remember the Absolut brouhaha?
Remember the Alamo?
Well, none of those contentious binational confrontations would ever come close to what’s happening these days after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to rename the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America.
His idea, though controversial, has become a boon for meme creators, much to this blogger’s delight…
… Because this is the only heart-shaped thing I could possibly care about. Today, and every other day.
Just when I thought I had seen all kinds of nonsensical marketing fusions, comes Native Jarritos a collaboration between personal care company Native and one of Mexico’s most famed sugary soft drinks: Jarritos.
Why? Because, for some reason, some high-level marketing executive thought it would be an amazing idea for people to go around smelling like a Mexican refresco.
The collection features Watermelon, Passion Fruit, Mandarin and Pineapple and it can be yours for “only” $13. Hurry! No matter if you end up a sweaty mess… you just have to roll on your deodorant and smell like a taquería de barrio. Yay!
Hat tip: Ignacio Sánchez Pardo on BlueSky
Three Kings Day – better known as Día de Reyes in Spanish-speaking countries – is celebrated on Jan. 6 to honor the Three Wise Men (Los tres reyes magos) who went through great lenghts to visit baby Jesus and bring tons of presents to celebrate his birth.
In Mexico – and a few other countries – the festivity includes the cutting of a special, oval-shaped cake known as the rosca de reyes, which comes filled with tiny plastic dolls symbolizing the hiding of the infant Jesus from King Herod’s troops. But because this is 2025 and Star Wars has become part of our daily lives, some very creative Mexicans are making Baby Yodas for you to stuff your rosca with instead.
Move over, Reyes Magos, here come los Magos Reyes!
Alguien está vendiendo Babies Yoda para Roscas de Reyes y no les voy a decir quién soy… 😅
Lleve, lleve, bara, bara… pic.twitter.com/e5Eyl0ob4K
— Luz_AdrianaK (@Luz_AdrianaK) December 20, 2020
I don’t know about you, I just think it’s adorbs!
Behold the Shalom Amigos Jewish Mexican Hanukkah Shirt, a fine product to kick off your 2024 Hanukkah celebrations, which this year begins on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900, so we’re calling it Chrismukkah.
It’s still on sale and it can be yours for $16.27 if you hurry! That way you can use the precious money saved on some Mexican sugnanivot or a few Shalom tortillas.
Happy Hanukkah to all my amigos who celebrate!
A Peruvian police officer dressed as The Grinch got busy this week in the capital, Lima, helping his fellow non-Grinch officers busting a drug gang.
Just look at him banging the hell of that door before getting his hands on three drug traffickers.
Video via: The Associated Press
If you’ve ever visited Mexico, I’m sure you have noticed the ubiquitous organ grinders (known as organilleros,) that tend to gather around main plazas or outside churches to provide entertainment –and one of the most characteristic sounds of my country.
Nowadays, most of Mexico’s organilleros belong to a union (formed in the late 1970s) and wear their characteristic brown uniform and hats. But there are exceptions, of course, as this dude found by a friend in CDMX, who roams about the streets of the capital city dressed up as none other but The Grinch.
And this, my friends, is the most charming thing I’ve seen lately in this annus horribilis.
WATCH HIM IN ACTION:
Remember Burger King’s Texican Whopper?
Well, that was nothing compared to the recently launched Mexican Street Corn Whopper, a weird-looking sandwich stuffed with what appears to be a bunch of Fritos.
I have, of course, many questions, starting with why on Earth anyone would think this has anything to do with Mexican street corn, let alone, why would you want to add tortilla chips to your burger?
I have not tried this thing, nor have plans to do so, but passing on a thorough review from one brave soul who did eat one:
Thank goodness this didn’t have actual Mexican Street Corn lurking between the sesame seed bun. Because I can’t imagine a mere burger bun overcoming gravity’s attempt to pull down the loose corn kernels while it’s also trying to prevent the lettuce and tortilla strips from falling out.
Anyhow, there’s one thing for me to say: I think I’ll pass.
Back in 2019, and just in time for Día de Muertos (or what Americans dare call “Mexican Halloween”) Mattel came up with a signature Barbie Día de Muertos which – according to a very long press release – featured a “long, embroidered dress decorated with flowers and butterflies [and] a crown with the iconic monarch butterflies and the cempasúchitl flower to honor, in every way, the symbols and offerings of this emblematic Mexican tradition.”
Today, as if 2024 hadn’t brought so many calamities to this world, she is back, and she’s not alone: Mattel’s Special Edition Barbie Día de Muertos comes with a catrina-faced Ken Doll Día de Muertos, featuring a “charro look” and a “calavera sugar skull bolero tie and sombrero with a golden band.”
(Oh did I mention they’re like $80 each?)
And I thought Barbie Frida Kahlo was pathetic.
If you thought pan de muerto was the only sweet Mexican sweet bread to enjoy around Halloween time, think again: Del Norte Bakery, a popular bakery in Dallas, TX, decided to dress up their conchas with themes like mummies, spiders and pumpkins.
According to the local press, the Halloween conchas can be found on weekends at the bakery’s three locations until they sell out. So, if you live around the Dallas area, what are you waiting for? Go get yours, but don’t give me the evil eye.
Via: Dallas Morning News
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say these tacos will make your belly explode … or something.
Also, filing under Mexicans: How can anyone not like us?
Photo: Laura Martínez, CDMX
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