Dear Mexican: How did the patron saint of Mexico get a name derived from Arabic?El Moro Judio Dear Jewish Moor: You’re referring to the Virgin of Guadalupe, the brown-skinned apparition of the Virgin Mary who tradition says appeared before the Aztec peasant Juan Diego in December 1531 just outside modern-day…
What food trends will you be happy to kiss goodbye in 2015? Jenn Wohletz offered her list of the top five fads that should die in 2015, including pretzel buns and fancy mac and cheese. Not surprisingly, some readers took issues with her hit list — while others offered their…
At this time of year, everyone gets in the prediction game — but it can be a risky business. New plans for the VC Hotel reminded us of an infamous chapter in the history of the building that started out as a Holiday Inn: It was once the hangout of…
UPDATE: After spending most of December 2014 down while the city completed an update to it, Denver’s liquor license public hearings page is up and running again. For years, nosy neighborhood groups, restaurant-industry insiders and food-and-beverage reporters have relied on the Denver Department of Excise & Licenses website, which features…
While the Nichols Partnership is looking to the future, turning the former Hotel VQ, right next to Sports Authority Field at Mile High, into 179 micro-apartments, we’ve been looking to the past of that building, whose circular design was once considered so cutting-edge. Out-of- this world, in fact, particularly when…
Baby, it’s cold outside — but a good plate of green chile could warm you up fast. Mark Antonation has been spooning up green chile all over town in this month’s Ethniche series, which most recently saw him at La Fuente, which makes a good green. By Colorado standards, at…
Dear Mexican: The other day, my Italian boyfriend asked me, “If you had the choice to be any nationality in the world, which one would you choose?” Being the proud Latina that I am, I said, “Mexican.” He said, “Why? What have Mexicans done that is so great?” The only…
Almost every Friday for two decades, I’ve driven up Welton Street on my way to the Colorado Public Television studios. Welton Street cuts right through Five Points — in fact, it’s one of the streets that creates the actual points. The story of this historic neighborhood stretches back more than…
Just a few weeks ago, the most controversial thing about The Interview was actor/creator Seth Rogen’s invitation to come smoke pot with him at a special December 8 showing of the movie in Denver: “We are going to do a screening of #TheInterviewMovie in Colorado where I get baked with…
Sit, Guinness. Roll over, Merlot. As our news blog reported yesterday, a website called rover.com, which bills itself as “the nation’s Airbnb for dogs,” has released a survey of the most popular dog names in 2014, and Denver ranks in the top spot as the city with the most alcohol-related…
Gentle cabrones: Behold my annual Mexican Christmas guide, in which I recommend the best Mexi-themed libros for you to give to your loved ones this Navidad instead of yet another tamale to unwrap. Buy them at your local bookstore or order online, but do buy! Lowriting: Shots, Rides & Stories…
At dawn on November 29, on the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, more than 500 descendants of massacre survivors and other tribal members gathered on Monument Hill for private ceremonies commemorating their fallen ancestors. Meanwhile, down below at the headquarters of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site,…
Dear Mexican: I’m a third-year university student, a liberal-studies and Spanish major. My family, extended and immediate, always like the chisme. During a family carne asada, we were all talking when one of my tías asked me what I was doing with my life; she and the rest of my…
Dear Mexican: I teach writing at a local community college. My students are writing their final essays on a local problem; I have one student who has decided to write about illegal immigration (specifically Mexican). We were discussing, as a class, each student’s project, and this student made a comment…
The runners gathered just after dawn Sunday on Monument Hill. The day before, on the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, more than 500 descendents of the massacre and other tribal members had gathered here for private ceremonies on an unusually warm November morning; the good weather continued through…
I spent the weekend driving across the plains of Colorado, and it’s impossible to travel over that terrain without thinking of Kent Haruf, the author who captured both the land and the people who live there so well in his books, including Plainsong and Eventide. Now comes word from his…
Travel back in time tonight on Colorado Public Television, which will be reprising four of the Emmy Award-winning Time Machine shows that the crew behind Colorado Inside Out, the Friday night public affairs program, creates every year. The weekly, Friday night CIO usually focuses on current events; these Time Machine…
Dear Mexican: I was reading the comments (big mistake) on an article I recently read regarding St. Charles, Missouri, adopting Arizona-style immigration law. I was shocked at the amount of people who support this law, and my question to you is, why can’t people see the bad implications of that…
Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans and gabachos resemble each other so much? Both are very conservative about sex, marriage and family. Both are very Christian, either Catholic or Protestant. Both keep similar attitudes toward immigrants. Both are very patriotic or nationalistic. Both deal with the same social issues, like high…
Dear Mexican: I’m interested in a job that says it is a plus to have an understanding of Latin, Spanish and Mexican music. I found out some names of musical styles such as Tejano, norteño, nariachi, banda, cumbia, merengue, flamenco, and so on. I’m wondering if there is a way…
When you’re trying to right a 150-year-old wrong, you do not want to make another mistake. You do not want to add insult to grievous injury. That’s why the members of the University of Denver’s John Evans Study Committee took such care with their investigation of the connection between John…
Dear Mexican: I’m a half-Mexican who’s more American than Mexican (although to Cockasians, I’m sure I’m just another brown spot on their white carpet). I don’t speak Espanole, nor do I care to — not because I’m ashamed, but because I just don’t feel the need. If I lived in…
