Can the forced displacement of families ever be justified? This is a question that knows no borders as governments seek out locations for new highways, hospitals, universities, and, especially, airports. The people of Atenco, Mexico, argue against plans to put one on their farmlands.

If you find it unusual that a farmer is comparing compensation for his land with the cost of presidential bath linens, you are clearly not aware of the toallagate scandal that rocked Vicente Fox’s administration and led to resignations at Los Pinos. We’re not sure what kind of towel US $400 buys, but it best be pretty darned afelpado is all we can say!

Something that induces lagrimas (tears) is said to be lacrimógeno. So if you were organizing a Festival de cine lacrimógeno, only tear-jerkers would fit the bill. If, on the other hand, you were organizing a protest of the forced seizure of your family’s farm, you might find yourself crying because of the gas lacrimógeno wafting through the air.

In this installment of the dispute documentary we hear Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata quoted over a protester’s loudspeaker. As Zapata said: “¡Victoria o muerte!” (“Victory or death!”). To protest the taking of their farmland, the people of Atenco are using stronger and stronger language. Listen in.

Our good friends from México City are willing to talk about everything: good, bad or ugly. Here we have their take on kidnapping, one of the growing fears of Mexicans.

Partido de la Revolución Democrática is what PRD stands for, and Mexican presidential hopeful Manuel López Obrador has been with the organization since its infancy when was known as the “Democratic Current” (Corriente Democrática), a dissenting wing of the once indomitable PRI, Partido Revolucionario Institucional.

López Obrador’s campaign commercials really try to shake potential voters out of their sillas, attempting to give the potentially marginalized a strong message: “now it’s our turn, now it’s your turn!” He blatantly positions himself against the rich, those who “take the biggest piece of the cake.”

Just, as immigration is a big campaign issue in the US, emigration touches a nerve in Mexico. When Andrés Manuel Lopéz Obrador ran for president of Mexico in 2006, he wanted to make it clear that his goal was to create jobs, in Mexico, so that would-be migrants would feel less need to flee north.

Should government pump money into the economy and generate jobs by financing giant public works projects? In the extremely close Mexican presidential election of 2006 (which he lost), Andrés Manuel López Obrador made it clear that that his answer is a decisive ¡Sí!

Political campaigns are tough (and they can get even tougher after the voting). In this video documenting Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidential race, we learn some of the tricks of the trade in Mexico.

Enjoying almost full support by his party as their presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped down from his post as Mayor of Mexico City, aka D.F. (Distrito Federal) to campaign for the presidency of Mexico in the 2006 elections against Felipe Calderón.

Útilies. It relates to school supplies, including notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, paper, scissors… anything children need to get through the school year. Not a big deal for the middle class, but it can be a serious challenge to those of lesser means. López Obrador made it a campaign promise that útilies would be provided free to all children throughout Mexico, just as he did for the children of Mexico City while he was mayor.

Arriving in December of ‘71, a young Arturo Vega decides that it is New York where he is going to clavar, or stay put. His journey began in Mexico, where he began his artistic life as an actor and participant in experimental theater or “happenings”—an art form which was not well received by the powers that be in that country.

The old saying goes “Hijo de tigre, sale pintado”. Literally, it means the baby tiger is going to bear the same marks as his father. But it also means that there are some things we inherit and carry with us. Here, Aterciopelados is singing about leaving some inherited, violent habits behind.

New York has the Hudson; Paris has the Seine; London has the Thames. Rivers were important in the building of these cities: they were commercial routes and also a source of food. Aterciopelados (in English, literally “The Velvety Ones”) the well-known Colombian band, remind us of the importance of our rivers with the title song of their socially conscious album Río.