Political negotiations between Venezuela’s acting government and the political opposition start tomorrow. The talks, aimed at remaking the country’s political system ahead of eventual elections, highlight Washington’s unprecedented influence over Venezuelan politics since the US removed Maduro.
Профиль
Bart van Zwieten
Профиль VivelyLatin 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
This remarkable Mexica (Aztec) turquoise mosaic skull (c. 1400–1521 CE) was crafted over a real human skull using turquoise, pyrite, and shell. Traditionally linked to Tezcatlipoca. A ritual object symbolizing death, transformation, divine power, and renewal. Masterpiece of Mesoamerican lapidary art
Brazil and South Korea agreed to accelerate talks on a potential trade deal between the Asian nation and the South American bloc Mercosur, their presidents said on Monday during a ceremony in Brasilia. www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...
For the first time in nearly two decades, a new Pew Research survey shows China is viewed more favorably than the United States in most countries surveyed—but the findings say more about a decline in U.S. soft power than a Chinese surge. www.cfr.org/articles/chi...
The Jade Mask of Te K'ab Chaak, funerary mask for the first king of Caracol, Belize, 1,700 years ago. Green jadeite from the Motagua Mountains, Guatemala. Jade (yax tun) was more valuable than gold to the Maya. It symbolized life, eternity, and divinity. The red shell represented blood and fertility
Archaeologists find hundreds of ancient glyphs in the Amazon, The geometric earthwork structures, carved into the ground with embankments and ditches, are in some cases more than 2,500 years old, researchers said. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
Democracy in Latin America: Nicaragua’s Ortega says there will be no more elections; El Salvador’s Bukele seeks to become president for life; Trump stirs up the specter of fraud, just like Colombia’s Petro. Why do the rules of democracy cease to be sacred in the Americas? elpais.com/america/2026...
Over 2,800 years old: the Cuicuilco Pyramid, built from 800–600 BCE beneath modern Mexico City, was one of Mesoamerica’s earliest ceremonial centers. Its unique circular design may reflect cosmological beliefs. Buried by the Xitle Volcano eruption in the 1st century BCE, it was remarkably preserved.
Guyana is undergoing the world’s most extraordinary nation-building experiment. Since oil production started in 2019, GDP has multiplied by 6 and billions of dollars started to flow into what was once one of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest and most isolated nations www.bloomberg.com/opinion/feat...
Prosperity Index 2026: Uruguay, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina on the first page (<55). The rest of Latin America on the second page. What is Mexico doing at 85? Top 12 countries: Switzerland🇨🇭🥇 Norway🇳🇴🥈 Ireland🇮🇪🥉 Denmark🇩🇰 Finland🇫🇮 Iceland🇮🇸 Sweden🇸🇪 Germany🇩🇪 Australia🇦🇺 Netherlands🇳🇱 Luxembourg🇱🇺 Belgium🇧🇪
Lula and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on Sunday night to accelerate negotiations for a trade agreement between China and Mercosur, a striking reversal for Brasilia, which for years led resistance to such a deal in the South American bloc. www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
How powerful is your passport? Explore the global rankings: a symbol of global inequalities and shifting geopolitical fortunes, some passports offer their holders far more freedom to travel than others. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
As Latin America braces for a likely severe El Niño, the greatest concern may be Central America’s ‘Dry Corridor,’ which includes parts of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua that are especially vulnerable to climate shocks. warontherocks.com/key-areas-wh...
Space is increasingly an important theater in the rivalry between China and the United States, with both superpowers vying in Latin America for allies and key geography such as the Southern Cone region, whose clear skies are ideal for tracking satellites. www.americasquarterly.org/article/spac...
Looking north, building east: as Chinese investment reshapes Colombia’s infrastructure, the country’s longstanding alliance with the United States enters a new era of strategic balancing. nacla.org/looking-nort...
Prickly pears, avocados and lemons: how rainwater harvesting is feeding Mexico City’s gardens and homes: thousands of low-income households in Mexico City are benefiting from a simple system that captures and filters rainfall from the city’s roofs. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...