Week One August 4-7: “An Intimate History of Mexico – Public Lives, Private Secrets: Gender and Sexuality in Mexican History.”

Daniel Grippo, Ph.D. will guide participants through an engaging series of presentations that examine an area often overlooked by historians: the intersection of domestic life with social life. 

This fascinating exploration reveals the hidden stories behind Mexico’s social fabric, examining themes of marriage and family, patriarchy and power, gender and sexuality, honor and transgression, from pre-conquest indigenous times to the modern era.
“Understanding Mexico means understanding its people—not just the public narratives, but the intimate realities that shaped lives and formed society,” Dan explains. 
Dan’s Power Point presentations will uncover the ways indigenous sexuality was “colonized” as part of the Spanish conquest; the complex dynamics of gender relations, domestic life, and honor and patriarchy in colonial society; the ways colonial society policed what it considered to be transgressive sexual activity: and finally, modern movements in gender and sexuality.

Monday, August 4: The Colonization of Indigenous Sexuality in Early Mexico: Yucatecan Maya Sexual Desire; Sexuality and Ritual in Early Nahua (Aztec) Culture; Indian Women in Early Mexico.

Tuesday, August 5: Public Lives, Private Secrets in Colonial Mexican Society: Marriage, Gender, Honor, Patriarchy, Seduction, Illegitimacy, and Elopement; Wayward Spouses and Runaway Daughters.  

Wednesday, August 6: Vice, Transgression, and Forbidden Acts: “Unnatural Sex” and “Deviant Sexualities” in Colonial Civil and Inquisition Records;  Witchcraft, Possession, Sexuality and the Unnatural

Thursday, August 7: Modern Movements in Gender and Sexuality: Mexican Masculinities and the Meaning of Macho; Feminism and Modern Mexican Women; LGBTQ+ Communities, Changes in Marriage and Family Life Structure.   

Week Two (August 11-14): “Conversations About Contemporary Mexico – “A Close-Up Look at Mexico’s Geography, Politics, Media, and Foreign Affairs.”

Supported by his long experience in political and media analysis, Carlos Navarro will regale attendees with an expansive view of the Mexico of today. He combines formal lectures with open conversations to prompt audiences to immerse themselves in Mexican current affairs, applying a technique he has refined after years of experience.
“I invite expats to put on ‘their Mexican hats’ and view the country from an innovative Mexican vantage point,” Carlos notes. “This allows them to better understand Mexico and, surprisingly, gain new perspectives on their own home countries,” he adds. Carlos relies on novel audiovisual tools to introduce expats to a Mexico many of them did not know existed. With humor and friendly dialogue, he unveils Mexican current affairs, from art to customs to government to foreign affairs.

Monday, August 11: Mexico’s 32 Free and Sovereign States— An in-depth look at the 32 singular pieces that comprise this very diverse nation.

Tuesday, August 12: The Intricacies of Claudia Sheinbaum’s Presidency— Let’s explore how President Sheinbaum is doing almost one year into her six-year term. 

Wednesday, August 13: Harnessing the Power of Mexican Media— Come and find out how to detect and savor, in English, the amazing Mexican media content that’s out there waiting for you.

Thursday, August 14: Mexico Amid a Second Trump Administration— How do Mexicans view President Trump’s handling of the bilateral relationship?

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