Mexico: Home of “Entrepreneurs” –and “Quotation Marks”

Photo: Laura Martínez. Coatepec, Veracruz. December 2022

Awwww, Mexico… The land of the coc nuts coold and the Special Chapo Coffee, is also ground zero for small businesses –and plenty of quotation marks.

A recent trip to the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Querétaro and Guanajuato just confirmed what this blogger always suspected: My people just looooove quotation marks.

Check out the following gallery (by yours truly) to see only a few examples of our love affair with the ubiquitous comillas.

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Then again… Some small business owners just take the simplest — and yet still adorable — way to peddle their wares, like this clothing store in Pinal de Amoles, Querétaro:

Clothes
Clothing

 

 

All Eyes on Mexico as the Team Preps to Play Argentina

All eyes were on the Mexico vs. Argentina match on Saturday afternoon, as the teams played their first Qatar 2022 game at the Lusail Stadium.

And even before the game, the memes and “memos” started to show up…

Mexican fans praying to our only possible savior: San Memo Ochoa

Speacking of hopes & wishes…

This post will be updated with whatever outcome… WISH US LUCK!

 

 

 

Day of the Dead Is the New Cinco de Mayo –and I Can’t Even

Come November, there’s one thing that really, really, gets on my nerves (besides pumpkin-spice stuff, of course) and that is America’s obsession with the Mexican tradition known as Día de Muertos (basically Day of the Dead) or as some here dare calling it: Mexico’s Halloween.

Organic yellow corn tortilla chips with typos for Día de Muertos en gringolandia

Anyhow, in an effort to show you I was right when back in 2018 I decided to call Day of the Dead the New Cinco de Mayo, I will be posting here some of the most bizarre/sad/pathetic/senseless examples of what America is doing with one of Mexico’s most beloved traditions.

CLICK THROUGH THE FOLLOWING GALLERY OF HORRORS and be sure to check back as I’ll be updating this thing as soon as new barbaridades come my way…

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I hate to say I told you, but I told you ….

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The NFL Changes “N” to “Ñ” to Give Logo an “Unmistakable Latin Flavor”

Remember that nonsensical trend of putting “eñes” where they don’t belong just to make something look –and sound– more authentically “Latino?”

Well, it looks like salsa makers and Hispanic journalists organizations are not alone in this thing. The latest to jump on the nonsensical “eñe wagon” (or should I say “wagoñ?”) is the National Football League, which has added an “eñe” to give its logo an “unmistakable Latin flavor.”

Ay, dios mío!

I get it. As we “celebrate” the dreaded Hispanic Heritage Month, corporations, politicians and NGOs want to sound all cute and Latin in order to properly pander to my people, but how about learning first to put the “eñe” where it DOES belong? Like in “jalapeño?” for example?

My Thoughts on the Whole “Latinx” Debate

I made a meme

I really didn’t want to do it, but then I thought about it and, well, what the heck? In my latest column for Hispanic Executive Magazine I went down the “x” rabbit hole and tried to “Hisplain” the so-called controversy around “Latinx.”

In a nutshell:

I must tell you I do not use “Latinx” in my daily life or my writing, nor do I identify myself as such. (Truth be told, I’m totally fine being called whatever—as long as you don’t call me before 8:00 a.m.)

But you can also click here to read the whole thing…

 

Look! It’s a Concha! It’s a Chancla! It’s a Con-chancla!

Move over Con-chamacos! Mexican Mother’s Day is today, so Panadería KaryCar, a pastry shop in Jalisco, had the awesome idea of launching the con-chanclas, a concha/chancla combination that is going to make your mamá very happy.

Now… if they only worked a bit harder on their grammar, because, as y’all know: #AccentsMatter

It’s mamá, not mama

Via: Panadería KaryCar

Filing under Mexicans: How Can Anyone Not Like Us?

FIFA Unveils Qatar 2022 Official Mascot; Hilarity Ensues

An Arabic word, La’eeb describes a “super-skilled player” that “encourages everyone to believe in themselves.”

FIFA on Friday officially unveiled La’eeb, the official mascot of the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

La’eeb, FIFA explains, is an Arabic word meaning “super-skilled player” and it is here to “encourage everyone to believe in themselves.”

But, as this blogger rightly expected, La’eeb was quickly embraced by the Mexican meme machine, with one Twitter user rapidly turning him into a trapo para las tortillas.

Filing under Mexicans: How Can Anyone Not Like Us?

Listo para las tortillas. h/t: @LuisValLe_A on Twitter

 

Mini Mariachi Singer Stars in Will Smith’s Super Bowl Commercial

7-year-old Mateo López stars in new ‘Bel-Air’ commercial airing Sunday

Football Americano? Nah…

I’ve never been fond of this so-called sport and was not going to watch it this year either, but…

I just learned that San Antonio’s renowned mini mariachi singer, Mateo López, is the star of one of the ads.

According to KSAT, the seven-year-old makes a brief appeareance in Smith’s minute-long commercial promoting the premiere of the revamped “Bel-Air,” a spinoff series from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

So, yup, babies, I’ll be watching!

Just look at him! 😍

Via: KSAT.com

 

Donovan Carrillo: The Mariachi-Clad Ice-Skating God Does Beijing

Donovan Carrillo, 2022

If you’re not following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, you might want to reconsider: On Monday, Feb. 7, a Made-in-Mexico Ice Skating God clad in a Mariachi suit made his Olympic debut.

Donovan Carrillo, the 22-year-old Guadalajara native, says he started figure skating to impress a girl he liked.

I don’t know about you, but this girl is already impressed!

Candlemas Is Just Around the Corner. Time to Dress your ‘Niño Dios’

As Mexicans prepare to celebrate Candlemass next week (February 2,) a wave of new options to dress up your Baby Jesus has emerged. And because Baby Jesus Doctor is no longer enough, what about Baby Jesus Doctor Covid or Baby Jesus Taquero?

So. Many. Options!

P.S. For those who asked, Candlemas (or Día de la Candelaria) commemorates the ritual purification of Mary 40 days after the birth of Jesus, which in Mexico pretty much boils down to two things: Dressing up your Baby Jesus in your favorite costume *and* eating tamales like there is no tomorrow.

Filing under Mexicans: How Can Anyone Not Like Us? 

Sombrero tip: Carlos Gutiérrez (El Coyotito)