Bart van Zwieten
@bvzw.bsky.social
Latin America expert and aficionado. Retired Dutch diplomat and UN expert, postings in Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Barbados, Suriname, Bangladesh, the Netherlands. Fan of Feyenoord, Rotterdam, music. Home is Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico
Reposted by Bart van Zwieten
One of the murals of Cacaxtla in Tlaxcala, depicting a priest dressed in jaguar attire, carrying a staff of authority with arrows from which water drops fall, sitting atop of a serpent-jaguar. On the left a Reptile Eye glyph with flaming eyebrows. Created during the Epiclassic period, 650-900 AD.
December 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
One of the murals of Cacaxtla in Tlaxcala, depicting a priest dressed in jaguar attire, carrying a staff of authority with arrows from which water drops fall, sitting atop of a serpent-jaguar. On the left a Reptile Eye glyph with flaming eyebrows. Created during the Epiclassic period, 650-900 AD.
Reposted by Bart van Zwieten
Photograph of a horse-drawn streetcar in the city of Oaxaca in 1902. This means of transportation, in addition to shortening distances between neighboring towns, allowed for the sale of agricultural products in the markets of the state capital.
December 15, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Photograph of a horse-drawn streetcar in the city of Oaxaca in 1902. This means of transportation, in addition to shortening distances between neighboring towns, allowed for the sale of agricultural products in the markets of the state capital.
Reposted by Bart van Zwieten
Not good! New ACLED index shows organized crime fueled record levels of violence across Latin America in 2025, even as governments expanded militarized crackdowns. Find out more in Insight Crime’s in-depth coverage of homicides in Latin America. insightcrime.org/tag/homicide...
December 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Not good! New ACLED index shows organized crime fueled record levels of violence across Latin America in 2025, even as governments expanded militarized crackdowns. Find out more in Insight Crime’s in-depth coverage of homicides in Latin America. insightcrime.org/tag/homicide...
One of the murals of Cacaxtla in Tlaxcala, depicting a priest dressed in jaguar attire, carrying a staff of authority with arrows from which water drops fall, sitting atop of a serpent-jaguar. On the left a Reptile Eye glyph with flaming eyebrows. Created during the Epiclassic period, 650-900 AD.
December 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
One of the murals of Cacaxtla in Tlaxcala, depicting a priest dressed in jaguar attire, carrying a staff of authority with arrows from which water drops fall, sitting atop of a serpent-jaguar. On the left a Reptile Eye glyph with flaming eyebrows. Created during the Epiclassic period, 650-900 AD.
Photograph of a horse-drawn streetcar in the city of Oaxaca in 1902. This means of transportation, in addition to shortening distances between neighboring towns, allowed for the sale of agricultural products in the markets of the state capital.
December 15, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Photograph of a horse-drawn streetcar in the city of Oaxaca in 1902. This means of transportation, in addition to shortening distances between neighboring towns, allowed for the sale of agricultural products in the markets of the state capital.
Not good! New ACLED index shows organized crime fueled record levels of violence across Latin America in 2025, even as governments expanded militarized crackdowns. Find out more in Insight Crime’s in-depth coverage of homicides in Latin America. insightcrime.org/tag/homicide...
December 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Not good! New ACLED index shows organized crime fueled record levels of violence across Latin America in 2025, even as governments expanded militarized crackdowns. Find out more in Insight Crime’s in-depth coverage of homicides in Latin America. insightcrime.org/tag/homicide...
The Volkswagen plant in Puebla, with the Popocatépetl in the background, in the ‘70s, showing the range of colors available of the Volkswagen Beetle. The last classic Beetle (Type 1 "Vocho") rolled off the production line on July 30, 2003, marking the end of an era for the iconic air-cooled car.
December 14, 2025 at 10:33 AM
The Volkswagen plant in Puebla, with the Popocatépetl in the background, in the ‘70s, showing the range of colors available of the Volkswagen Beetle. The last classic Beetle (Type 1 "Vocho") rolled off the production line on July 30, 2003, marking the end of an era for the iconic air-cooled car.
The name of the Aztec empire capital (now Mexico City), holds the prophecy that guided its founders: Tenochtitlán comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the cactus on the stone”. The image, an eagle eating a snake on a cactus on a rock, is the divine plan and now the coat of arms on the Mexican flag
December 14, 2025 at 10:24 AM
The name of the Aztec empire capital (now Mexico City), holds the prophecy that guided its founders: Tenochtitlán comes from Nahuatl and means “place of the cactus on the stone”. The image, an eagle eating a snake on a cactus on a rock, is the divine plan and now the coat of arms on the Mexican flag
Grid-scale lithium-ion batteries—once a risky experiment in Chile’s Atacama Desert—have become a rapidly expanding global backbone of renewable energy systems, storing cheap surplus power and stabilizing electric grids as costs have plummeted. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
Once a Gamble in the Desert, Electric Grid Batteries Are Everywhere
www.nytimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Grid-scale lithium-ion batteries—once a risky experiment in Chile’s Atacama Desert—have become a rapidly expanding global backbone of renewable energy systems, storing cheap surplus power and stabilizing electric grids as costs have plummeted. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/b...
Map of the second most spoken language in Mexico by state: mainly indigenous languages, but also Low German (mainly Plautdietsch dialect) by conservative Mennonites in Chihuahua, who migrated from Russia and Prussia, preserving it as their distinct cultural and religious language alongside Spanish.
December 13, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Map of the second most spoken language in Mexico by state: mainly indigenous languages, but also Low German (mainly Plautdietsch dialect) by conservative Mennonites in Chihuahua, who migrated from Russia and Prussia, preserving it as their distinct cultural and religious language alongside Spanish.
President Sheinbaum was recognized by Forbes as the fifth most powerful woman in the world in 2025, as the magazine published its list of 100 most powerful women. She made history by being elected Mexico’s first female president in a landslide victory in June 2024. oaxaca.digital/claudia-shei...
Claudia Sheinbaum es la quinta mujer más poderosa del mundo: Forbes
La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo fue reconocida por Forbes como la quinta mujer más poderosa del mundo en 2025.
oaxaca.digital
December 13, 2025 at 9:08 AM
President Sheinbaum was recognized by Forbes as the fifth most powerful woman in the world in 2025, as the magazine published its list of 100 most powerful women. She made history by being elected Mexico’s first female president in a landslide victory in June 2024. oaxaca.digital/claudia-shei...
Daily killings in Mexico drop 37% under Claudia Sheinbaum, but experts say data is problematic. Government claims national security strategy is working, but analysts say figures don’t show rise in forced disappearances. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Daily killings in Mexico drop 37% under Claudia Sheinbaum, but experts say data is problematic
Government claims national security strategy is working, but analysts say figures don’t show rise in forced disappearances
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Daily killings in Mexico drop 37% under Claudia Sheinbaum, but experts say data is problematic. Government claims national security strategy is working, but analysts say figures don’t show rise in forced disappearances. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Chile heads to the polls: Chileans will vote in a second-round presidential election on Sunday: far-right candidate José Antonio Kast - a veteran politician, Pinochet apologist, devout Catholic and father of nine - is widely expected to win against ruling leftist coalition candidate Jeanette Jara.
December 12, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Chile heads to the polls: Chileans will vote in a second-round presidential election on Sunday: far-right candidate José Antonio Kast - a veteran politician, Pinochet apologist, devout Catholic and father of nine - is widely expected to win against ruling leftist coalition candidate Jeanette Jara.
Mexico approved tariffs on imports from Asian countries, in line with US efforts to strengthen trade barriers against China while also protecting its domestic industry. The approved tariffs range from 5% to 50% on 1,400 products from Asian countries not having a free trade agreement with Mexico.
December 12, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Mexico approved tariffs on imports from Asian countries, in line with US efforts to strengthen trade barriers against China while also protecting its domestic industry. The approved tariffs range from 5% to 50% on 1,400 products from Asian countries not having a free trade agreement with Mexico.
From Mexfiles: “What we’ve seen in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina in recent elections and the election in Honduras, has been the “Con”-roe Doctrine: Trump cons the electorate promising aid (Argentina) o to pull aid (Honduras) if the voters dare to elect the “wrong” candidate. Then changing his mind.”
December 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
From Mexfiles: “What we’ve seen in Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina in recent elections and the election in Honduras, has been the “Con”-roe Doctrine: Trump cons the electorate promising aid (Argentina) o to pull aid (Honduras) if the voters dare to elect the “wrong” candidate. Then changing his mind.”
Organized crime in the Caribbean is being fueled by arms trafficking that can be traced largely to a handful of areas in the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia, a study by Geneva-based Small Arms Survey has found. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Caribbean gun trafficking tied to hubs in Florida and Georgia, study finds
Organized crime in the Caribbean is being fueled by arms trafficking that can be traced largely to a handful of areas in the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia, a study by Geneva-based Small Arms Surv...
www.reuters.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Organized crime in the Caribbean is being fueled by arms trafficking that can be traced largely to a handful of areas in the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia, a study by Geneva-based Small Arms Survey has found. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Stop femicide! Tens of thousands of women in cities across Brazil rallied against gender-based violence yesterday as a record number of female victims and a series of recent high-profile cases have shocked the country. apnews.com/article/braz...
Women protest gender-based violence across Brazil following shocking cases
Tens of thousands of women in cities across Brazil have rallied against gender-based violence amid record numbers of female victims.
apnews.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Stop femicide! Tens of thousands of women in cities across Brazil rallied against gender-based violence yesterday as a record number of female victims and a series of recent high-profile cases have shocked the country. apnews.com/article/braz...
Latin America is used to interference by its behemoth neighbor. In fact, the U.S. military’s modern history in the region is filled with about-faces, contradictions and missteps, reports the New York Times in a review of U.S. efforts at regime change in the region. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
‘Voodoo Rituals’ and Banana Wars: U.S. Military Action in Latin America
www.nytimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Latin America is used to interference by its behemoth neighbor. In fact, the U.S. military’s modern history in the region is filled with about-faces, contradictions and missteps, reports the New York Times in a review of U.S. efforts at regime change in the region. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Street vendors in Mexico: the seller of inflated tripe. This had many uses: to make chorizo, used as we use a plastic bag today, filled with seeds—rice, wheat, beans—to store them in the kitchen or they were filled with food to take to the field during workdays and be able to eat throughout the day.
December 11, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Street vendors in Mexico: the seller of inflated tripe. This had many uses: to make chorizo, used as we use a plastic bag today, filled with seeds—rice, wheat, beans—to store them in the kitchen or they were filled with food to take to the field during workdays and be able to eat throughout the day.
The feud between Mexican President Sheinbaum and business tycoon Ricardo Salinas Pliego “has exploded into a high-stakes legal and political fight: a Supreme Court ruling, relentless press coverage, and a litmus test of Sheinbaum’s ability to confront Mexico’s elite. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Showdown with Mexican billionaire Salinas tests Sheinbaum's power
Ricardo Salinas Pliego, one of Mexico's wealthiest tycoons, commands an empire that stretches from banking to media, and casts himself as an anti-corruption crusader.
www.reuters.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:47 AM
The feud between Mexican President Sheinbaum and business tycoon Ricardo Salinas Pliego “has exploded into a high-stakes legal and political fight: a Supreme Court ruling, relentless press coverage, and a litmus test of Sheinbaum’s ability to confront Mexico’s elite. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Here we go again! President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 5% tariff on Mexico if the country does not deliver to the US the water it owes under the 1944 Treaty. Trump says he country owes 800,000 acre-feet and must send 200,000 by December 31st. www.eluniversal.com.mx/mundo/trump-...
Trump amaga con arancel del 5% a México si incumple con Tratado de Aguas; “está perjudicando a nuestros cultivos", acusa
A través de sus redes sociales, el mandatario señaló que EU necesita que México libere 200 mil acres-pie antes del 31 de diciembre “y el resto debe llegar poco después”
www.eluniversal.com.mx
December 11, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Here we go again! President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 5% tariff on Mexico if the country does not deliver to the US the water it owes under the 1944 Treaty. Trump says he country owes 800,000 acre-feet and must send 200,000 by December 31st. www.eluniversal.com.mx/mundo/trump-...
US forces have intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The move marks a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela
US forces have intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that marks a serious escalation of tensions between the t...
www.bloomberg.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
US forces have intercepted and seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The move marks a serious escalation of tensions between the two countries. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A US invasion or attack on Venezuela could plunge South America into a Vietnam-style conflict, says the chief foreign policy adviser to Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Celso Amorim. Maduro says the real reason for Trump’s Venezuela fixation is oil. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
US attack on Venezuela risks ‘Vietnam-style’ regional conflict, warns Lula adviser
Brazil aide says Trump’s closure of Venezuelan airspace amounts to an ‘act of war’ that could escalate
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:49 AM
A US invasion or attack on Venezuela could plunge South America into a Vietnam-style conflict, says the chief foreign policy adviser to Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Celso Amorim. Maduro says the real reason for Trump’s Venezuela fixation is oil. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Lawmakers from Mexico's ruling party have overcome objections and are set this week to approve President Sheinbaum’s tariffs on China, part of a plan to shield local producers and ease trade tensions with the US, mainly aimed at lower steel tariffs. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Mexico to Hike China Tariffs, Raising Hopes of US Steel Relief
Mexico’s Congress is set to vote this week on President Claudia Sheinbaum’s proposed tariffs on China, part of a broader plan to shield local producers and ease trade tensions with the US. The move is...
www.bloomberg.com
December 10, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Lawmakers from Mexico's ruling party have overcome objections and are set this week to approve President Sheinbaum’s tariffs on China, part of a plan to shield local producers and ease trade tensions with the US, mainly aimed at lower steel tariffs. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
For the first time in two decades of surveys of US Latinos by Pew Centre, most say they think the situation of Hispanics in the US has worsened in the last year. And about a third of Latinos say they have considered leaving the country in the last six months. www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
December 10, 2025 at 8:41 AM
For the first time in two decades of surveys of US Latinos by Pew Centre, most say they think the situation of Hispanics in the US has worsened in the last year. And about a third of Latinos say they have considered leaving the country in the last six months. www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...