La Universidad - Universities in Spanish Speaking Countries

In many Spanish speaking countries there are many good universities but getting into them is very difficult. In many countries, students have to take a test to be be admitted and only those students who are excellent are allowed to enter. In other countries, students are told what career to pursued depending on their grades. As a result, the students prepare many months in advance to take tests or follow whatever requirements the universities may have to be part of their student body. There are universities like the University of Complutense in Madrid where more than 120,000 students attend while there are many smaller universities where hundreds of students attend. The same is true in countries like Venezuela.
Like in the United States, there are private universities that are very expensive to attend and no scholarships available. There are also public universities where the majority of the students apply before graduating from High school. A disadvantage of the public universities is the size of the classes where there are so many students that there are no seats for everyone. Some universities are moderns and offer everything a student needs to prepare well while other universities are smaller and not equiped well enough to prepare the students for a good career.In Spain one of the oldest universities is la Universidad de Salamanca funded in the XIII Century. This university is famous not only for its architecture but for all the famous people who taught there. Like in many universities in the spanish speaking world, the length of time required to obtain a degree is five years-although many students take longer than that to finalize their studies. To adapt to the working world, students can attend classes in the morning,afternoon and evening depending on their work schedule. In the mayority of universities student are on their own when it is time to find a place to live since there are not dorms on campus as is the case of many universities in North America.
In a Spanish speaking country students are more likely to be more involved in the political movement by participating in marches and organizing protests against national and international injustice. So, when you have the opportunity to study abroad take into consideration that the students in the university you are attending might be very politically involved. Please do not allow this to prevent you from studying abroad and learning Spanish by living in a Spanish speaking country. Check with your embassy or government before traveling to be inform of the political climate present where you want to go.

Diego Rivera

Diego Rivera was a Mexican painter and muralist born in Guanajuato City, Guanajuato. Studied painting in Mexico before going to Europe in 1907.
While in Europe he took up cubism and had exhibitions in Paris and Madrid in 1913; he then had a show in New York City in 1916. In 1921 he returned to Mexico, where he undertook government-sponsored murals that reflected his communist politics in historical contexts.

He married Frida Kahlo in 1929, and their tempestuous marriage got to be as famous as their art. In the 1930s and '40s Rivera worked in the United States and Mexico, and many of his paintings drew controversy. His 1933 mural for the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan featured a portrait of Communist Party leader Lenin, the resulting uproar led to his dismissal and to the mural's official destruction in 1934.
Similarly, a 1948 mural for the Hotel de Prado in Mexico that included the words "God does not exist" was covered and held from public view for nine years.

His personal life was as dramatic as his artwork. In 1929, he married Kahlo who was roughly 20 years younger. The two had a passionate, but stormy relationship, divorcing once in 1939 only to remarry later. She died in 1954. He then married Emma Hurtado, his art dealer. Rivera died of heart failure on November 24, 1957, in Mexico City, Mexico.

Rivera's talent for historical murals and his tributes to earthy folk traditions made him one of the most influential artists in the Americas and one of Mexico's most beloved painters

El Festival Internacional Cervantino

Every year in the month of October the famous Festival Cervantino is held in honor of the illustrious author Miguel de Cervantes- the author of Don Quijote de La Mancha. There are musicians such as Banda Elastica, Banda de Guanajuato, Ramon Vargas, Susana Harp and many more. There are exhibitions, plays, concerts, cinema and all sorts of events, turning the city into a hotbed of culture.

Every year the festival invites a different country of honor, as well as a specific Mexican state, to bring traditional and contemporary performances from that region. The attendance is very wide, drawing spectators from throughout Mexico and the world and often tickets to performances (as well as local hotels) are booked months in advance.

Guanajuato is the capital of the state of the same name, birthplace of Mexico’s independence. El Festival Internacional Cervantino (The International Cervantes Festival) is the most important artistic and cultural event in Mexico. According to my mexican friends, this festival started when students at the University in Guanajato presented the entremeses (farces) of Cervantes in the city's plazas. Slowly these plays grew in importance, until the local government took interest. The first Festival Internacional Cervantino began September 29th, 1972. Today the festival is sponsored by the federal government of Mexico,Consejo Nacional Para La Cultura y Las Artes (the National Council on Culture and the Arts) and the government of the state of Guanajuato.


In its beginnings, the festival was devoted mainly to artistic creation in the Spanish language, in homage to Miguel de Cervantes. In the course of time, the universal scope of the influence of Cervantes gradually took the form of the vast variety of artistic and cultural expressions included in the festival today.

In recent years, the festival has become a magnet for a younger generation, more interested in the party atmosphere that accompanies the festival than in the performances themselves, and the streets are often jam-packed. In recent years, this young partying affluence affected in certain degree the festival reputation because many just went to excessively consume alcohol and some drugs. However, in 2007 edition, the Festival Internacional Cervantino was renewed and alcohol sale was regulated and making it illegal to consume it in the streets. In addition, the police increased its presence in the event, making its cultural sense to prevail.

This year's 36th edition of the International Cervantes Festival will bring together the most outstanding artists of Asia, Europe and America. Around 2,000 artists from 24 countries will be participating in this event, celebrated from October 8 - 26. The guests of honor for 2008 are the autonomous community of Catalonia and the Mexican State of Campeche.

Churros con Chocolate

Churros with hot chocolate is usually eaten for breakfast but also can be eaten as a snack. In addition to being something you eat it is also a social ocassion . In countries where many Spaniards live you might be able to find places that sell churros. Sometimes you might even find a street vendor making churros.
Many people get toguther in small places called churrerias to visit and eat churros together.
When you order churros in Spain you get a cup of thick hot chocolate and a plate topped with hot churros.
Some people say that the custom of eating churros dates back to the XIX century when people sold churros very cheap at fairs. Thanks to the americas for the chocolate,we can now eat churros with chocolate. So, if you go to Spain or other countries see if you can find a place to seat and try these delicious churros with chocolate.

6 porciones
Ingredientes:

4 tazas de agua (4 Cups of water)
3 1/2 libras de harina para torta (3 1/2 lbs of cake flour)
1/8 libra de mantequilla (1/8 lb of butter)
Sal y Ron al gusto (salt and rum to taste)

En un recicpiente hervir el agua, la mantequilla, la sal y el ron durante 5 min. Incorporar la harina y mezclar constantemente. Retirar la mezcla del fuego y colocarla en un batidora para eliminar los grumos.

(Boil water add butter,salt,rumfor for 5 minutes. Add flour mixing constantly. Retired from heat and pour into a mixer to eliminate any lumps)

Depositar la mezcla en una manga pastelera con boquilla de estrella y hacer churros de aproximadamente 20 cm. Freir los churros y pasarlos en un cama de azucar y canela en polvo hasta que queden totalmente cubiertos.

(Place the mixture in a sleeve with a star tip to make the churros with an approximate length of 20 cm. Fry the churros and place them on a tray with sugar and cinamon until all covered.)

Chocolate:

2 Latas de leche evaporada (2 cans evaporated milk)
1 Vainilla en rama (1 vanilla pod)
2 clavos de olor (2 cloves)
1 Cucharada de Maizena (1 TB cornstarch)
1 Cucharada de leche(1 TB milk)
1 libra de chocolate (1 lb. chocolate)
1 lata de leche condensada(1 can condensed milk)

Hervir la leche evaporada, la vainilla, y clavos de olor. Retirar del fuego y agregar la maizena y la leche. Añadir esta mezcla al chocolate hasta que se derrita y luego incorporar la leche condensada y mezclar.

(Boil evaporated milk, vanilla,cloves. Take away from the fire and add cornstarch and milk. Add this mix to chocolate until it melts and later add condensed milk and mix)

Servir 3 churros en un plato acompañado por una taza de chocolate caliente.

(serve 3 churros on a plate with a cup of chocolate)

Enjoy!!!

Venezuelan New Currency

Almost a year ago, the Venezuelan government released the new currency to be used starting this year named "Bolivar Fuerte" or Strong Bolivar versus the currently used (weak?) Bolivar. With the introduction of the new currency it was only fitting for the old and current Bolivar to hit a new low on the black market exchange of $6000 Bs. per $1 US or $6 Bolivar Fuerte per $1 US.

In January of 2007 the black market exchange was around $3,800 per $1 US, in other words the Bolivar has lost ~63% of its value in 10 months. Now I'm not totally opposed to the removal of zeros from the currency since for years people have unofficially been removing them. For example if you go to a store and the item costs $1000 they will often just say one bolivar. What is wrong is that the government is advertising the "new Bolivar Fuerte" as more stable when in fact the only thing that will have changed is the number of zeros and the pictures. Whether the Bs per US $ goes from 3,800 to $6,000 or 3.8 to 6 the currency still loses 63% of it's value, so in reality nothing changes.

Jorge Luis Borges

Borges' Biography in Spanish

A Timeline of Jorge Luis Borges

1899
Jorge Luis Borges is born in Buenos Aires on August 24.

1899 - 1914
Borges is primarily educated at home by his parents and English grandmother.

1914-1921
The Borges family travels around Europe, evading the war. Most of the time is spent in Geneva, where Borges attends school from 1914 - 1919, moving to Spain for the next year and a half.

1921
Family returns to Argentina

1923
Publishes Fervor de Buenos Aires, his first book of poems.

1925
Publishes Luna de Enfrente, his second book of poems.

1929
Publishes Cauderno San Martín, his third book of poems.
Wins Second Municipal Prize of 3000 pesos for a book of essays.

1930
Publishes the book Evaristo Carriego.

1932
Publishes Discusión, the earliest of his essay collections to survive.

1933 - 1934
Publishes A Universal History of Infamy.

1936
Publishes A History of Eternity, a collection of essays.

1937
Gets job as First Assistant in the Miguel Cané branch of the Municipal Library, a position he would hold for nine years.

1938
His father dies
On Christmas Eve, he injures his head and falls ill.

1939
Struggles with septicemia for one month.
Writes "Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote," generally considered to be the first real "Borgesian" story.

1942
Publishes The Garden of Forking Paths, a collection of short stories.

1942
Publishes Six Problems for Don Isidro Parodi, co-written with Adolfo Bioy-Casares under the joint pen-name of "Bustos Domecq."

1944
Publishes Artifices, a second collection of stories which is added to The Garden of Forking Paths and retitled as Ficciones.

1946
Publishes Two Memorable Fantasies, co-written with Adolfo Bioy-Casares under the joint pen-name of "Bustos Domecq."
Resigns from Library position when Perón gains power.
Starts teaching English and American literature.

1949
Publishes The Aleph, his second major collection of stories.

1950
Elected President of the Sociedad Argentina de Ecritores

1952
Publishes Other Inquisitions, his principal collection of essays.

1955
Appointed Director of the National Library after Perón falls.

1956
Named to the professorship of English and American Literature at the University of Buenos Aires, a position he would hold for twelve years.

1960
Publishes El hacedor or "The Maker," which was retitled later in English as Dreamtigers.

1961
Shares the Formentor Prize with Samuel Beckett, bringing him international recognition.
Invited to the University of Texas as Visiting Professor.

1964
Publishes El Otro, el mismo, his forth book of poems.

1967
Marries Elsa Astete Millán
Publishes The Chronicles of Bustos Domecq, co-written with Adolfo Bioy-Casares under the joint pen-name of "Bustos Domecq."

1969
Publishes Elogio de la sombra, his fifth book of poems.
Publishes The Book of Imaginary Beings, co-written with Margarita Guerrero.

1970
Publishes Dr. Brodie's Report, his third collection of stories.

Divorces Elsa.
1971
Receives an honorary degree from Oxford.

1972
Publishes El oro de los tigres, his sixth book of poems.

1973
Resigns as Director of the National Library.

1975
Publishes The Book of Sand, his forth collection of stories.
Mother dies at age 99.
Publishes La rosa profunda, his seventh book of poems.

1977
Publishes Historia de la noche, his eighth book of poems.

1983
Awarded the Légion d'Honneur.

1985
Publishes Los conjurados, his ninth book of poetry and prose.

1986
Marries María Kodama.
Dies in Geneva at age 86.

La Guaira

In The Past





La Guaira is located in the Vargas municipality of the Federal District, 20 km from Caracas.Its history is full of people interested on owning the entrance to the territory known today as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. At first is was the Arauacos natives who some 500 years before Cristóbal Colón were removed from their lands by the Caribes. Next, The nation Tarma took over the stretch of coast between Puerto Maya and Tuy Valley until a guaqueri named Francisco Fajardo arrived in 1555 and established a villa called "Villa del Rosario."
According to some historians, La Guaira (in those days Huaria) was officialy founded in 1589 by Diego de Osorio who called it San Pedro de la Guaira. Then and now, La Guaira has been the most important port of Venezuela.

La Guaira has gone trough many occupations thoughout its history in addition to earthquakes (1810) and floods (1999). It was originally created as a protection for the capital and an important harbor. Because of these activities, a road was built between Caracas and it's port known as "El Camino de los Españoles". This road would become of a strategic and economic value throughout the years.

There is no real foundation of the city, but the settings of warehouses and cellars on the bankside of the river would finally lead to the construction of residential areas.

La Guaira has been the capital's main port since before 1580. It was where merchant ships arrived bringing goods to Caracas. Its urban structure was slowly defined throughout the XVII century. It obtains its fortified aspect in defence of pirates and privateers at the end of the XVIII century.

The topography where La Guaira is situated (a thin piece of land between the mountains and the sea) was the less indicated to apply the usual colonial urban layout. This doesn't mean that the city's structure was accidental. The city centre of La Guaira is historically and morphologically related with the port activities. The urban pattern is dense and homogeneous, where low-rise and traditional buildings are organised around “patios" or internal gardens.

Along with the city planning, urban guidelines defined two parallel roads east west, which repeat the urban criterion seen since the creation of mercantile cities in Europe in the Middle Ages.

The design is based on an urban centre situated around the main streets (longitudinally) and other secondary streets for transversal communication. The most important public and religious buildings conditioned the location of the urban squares.

La Guaira’s urban tissue has been conserved until today. The 1812 earthquake affected the city and some of the houses were rebuilt in an architectural typology similar to the colonial. It has also lost many of its representative monuments throughout it's historical evolution. Many of the fortresses disappeared during the harbour's communication expansion. What's left of the city's urban structure is separate from any possible future development.

The examples of the XIX century colonial civil architecture cannot be analysed separately in La Guaira. The city itself is its architecture. If the buildings are observed separately, it is difficult to find architectural values, but they are essential to complete the whole perception.

The house's distributive and formal typology is practically the same, although the dimensions determine a hierarchy between the bigger ones in the lower part of the city and the smaller ones in the upper part.

Some of these were conceived as residential on both floors and others as commercial on the lower floors and residential on the higher ones. Although it is in Puerto Cabello where the most interesting examples are found, there are still some of them here.

There are important buildings and spaces of heritage value in La Guaira such as :

La Guaira’s San Pedro Apostle cathedral (National Heritage)

El Carmen hermitage (National Heritage)

Guipuzcoana Company building (National Heritage)





House of the painter Emilio Boggio (National Heritage)






Fort of El Vigia (National Heritage)



















Castle of San Carlos (National Heritage)

Fort of San Agustin (National Heritage)

Fort Mapunte (National Heritage)

The fortresses on the Camino de los Españoles (National Heritage):




Fort El Salto (National Heritage)

Castle of San Joaquin de la Cumbre (National Heritage)

Castle Blanco (National Heritage)

Castle Negro (National Heritage)




View from el Castillo Negro


The Tower of the castle Negro (National Heritage)

Fort of La Cuchilla (National Heritage)

The Boulton home.

The La Guaira walls.

Fort El Colorado.

Fort Gavilan.

Fort Palomo.