There are people who see beauty in the world, and there are people who make beauty in the world. Cristina Martinez, founder of VeryThat and all-around badass Chicana, does both. I first met Martinez in early 2014 at an art market on South Flores Street. Among a crowd of crafty vendors selling everything from artisanal…
Mexico City Magic
There’s some magic in Mexico City. You can almost sense the ghosts of Aztec warriors mingled with the faint aroma of tripas tacos and mezcal in the air. It breathes life into anyone lucky enough to visit. It had been five years since my last trip, and my heart ached with a desire to return…
Summer road trip daze: Head west
It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon in late July and we’re sitting in a steaming hot apartment. We moved in a few months ago so we could save enough money to buy our first home, and in the meantime we’re dripping our body weight in sweat. The window unit in the living room fights hard to…
Jotos del Barrio: Shapeshifting toward consciousness
The idea of mestizaje has long permeated the pages of the queer Xicano literary canon. We exist in many places at once, all of our identities speaking to each other in symphony. We should not have to defend the multifaceted elements of our existence–instead, we should celebrate the parts of ourselves that make us different,…