Author: Michaela Harrington

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Exploring Mexico’s Diversity Through the Lens of the Maya Train

By Miguel Villanucci

Understanding the complexities of Mexico’s population trends, cultural richness,  community behaviors, and ultimately the answer to my research would undoubtedly take a lifetime. However, a week was enough for me to realize that the key to all these aspects lies in Mexico’s diversity. My research focuses on the effects of the Maya Train on the upcoming presidential elections in Mexico, a project that has sparked varied opinions due to its prominence in the current presidency’s agenda. The Maya Train aims to build a railway in southeastern Mexico to connect cities and boost tourism, creating job opportunities in underdeveloped regions. However, opponents argue it will lead to more underdevelopment through deforestation and exacerbate income inequalities. Engaging in this research has been challenging from the beginning until the end, but in my opinion, it was more than worth it, as having the opportunity to communicate with many professionals and academic people regarding my topic was a life-changing experience that I will cherish forever. 

The challenge of this study started at the moment of choosing the topic, especially because this was a very controversial one, and many people did not want to be mentioned in this paper. We are talking about NGOs that promote sustainability in the region, important professors who went against the train in the past, and politicians as well. Many of them warned me about the dangers of getting involved in this topic two weeks before the next presidential and congress elections, which made me hesitate about the feasibility of doing this research. Nonetheless, I believed the best way to understand a culture was through their opinions on impactful and controversial projects, so I took the challenge of finding people willing to share their opinions. Some explained that speaking against the project had previously jeopardized their NGOs’ opportunities, while others noted a significant decrease in available information about the project, making them more willing to participate. I am profoundly grateful to those who trusted me with their information anonymously, warned me of the risks, and those professionals who shared their opinions regardless of potential consequences for the sake of education. 

It is important to mention that my research does not critique the Maya train project. Instead, it aims to understand the perspectives of Mexico’s population. That is why my interviews focused on people who represented the opposition to the project, as I wanted to find which part of the population represented the opposition. Before coming to Mexico I thought that we could generalize the opinions of the different states, cities, and regions to some extent. However, Mexico’s diversity and critical thinking mean everyone has unique perspectives. For example, policymakers cannot generalize policies as benefiting “indigenous communities” or “the poor population” because these groups have numerous subdivisions. This realization shifted my research to ensure we capture opinions within each subdivision accurately, avoiding biased generalizations about who supports or opposes the project. This also motivated me to seek out supporters of the project to avoid generalization. 

Determining who supports what remains an ongoing investigation, aiming to discern whether people prioritize sustainability or development, the primary arguments for and against the project. In my opinion, everyone has valid points, but what does the majority think? This research has been a continuous learning experience. Above all, Mexico has instilled in me a profound sense of critical thinking and taught me the importance of not generalizing community opinions based on preconceived notions or news reports. 

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Transforming Public Health: Empowering Indigenous Communities Through Healing

By Nery Calmo

Wandering through the bustling streets of Mexico City, I had no idea this trip would redefine my career path and open doors I never thought possible. During my time in CDMX, I embarked on a project examining the Mexican healthcare system, focusing on Indigenous communities and the impact of COVID-19. This project opened my eyes and showed me the importance of viewing the healthcare system from a perspective beyond the US lens. For example, while the US struggles with a physician and nurse shortage due to factors like debt and work-life balance, Mexico’s issue is not a lack of doctors but rather the need for better distribution across the country. This problem was exacerbated during the pandemic, highlighting the need for more efficient resource allocation and strategic planning to ensure that all regions, particularly rural and Indigenous areas, receive adequate medical care.

This project allowed me to dive deeper into a field of research I wasn’t previously aware of, exposing me to community health and the public health sector—areas often overlooked in the BSBME curriculum. By talking to doctors at the Cruz Roja Mexicana and leaders in Mexico’s public health field, I explored complexities and nuances I hadn’t known existed. I learned how policies and institutions have guided the country through the global pandemic, broadening my understanding and appreciation of this crucial field. For instance, I discovered how community health workers play a vital role in bridging the gap between modern healthcare systems and traditional practices, ensuring that culturally relevant care is provided to all populations in the country.

One of my main reasons why I wanted to explore this topic in particular is because of my background being Maya Mam and Guatemalan. After the genocide in GUA, many of my family members moved to Mexico to escape, leading to a significant portion of my family settling in the Yucatán. Due to Mexico’s proximity to Guatemala, I was eager to understand the healthcare systems and health policies in the country and how they impacted Indigenous communities like mine. Exploring Mexico’s response to the pandemic and learning more about institutions in place to help these communities such as INPI (Institución Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas), gave me a new avenue to explore and learn about. These institutions are crucial in advocating for Indigenous rights and ensuring that policies put in place are inclusive and supportive. 

My interview with Dra. Bertha Dimas Huacuz at INPI was particularly inspiring as she aims to incorporate traditional medicines into medical education in Mexico to provide equitable healthcare for Indigenous communities, ensuring that their cultural practices are respected and integrated into modern healthcare. I was struck by the collaborative efforts of various organizations and government bodies in Mexico working towards a more inclusive healthcare system such as her initiative to train healthcare professionals in culturally competent care and the integration of traditional healing practices into public health strategies to address the needs of Indigenous populations and reinforce the importance of culturally sensitive healthcare. This conversation really resonated with me and revitalized my desire to hopefully one day attend medical school because it’s people like Dra. Dimas Huacuz who are not afraid to spark change that are worth looking up to; and gave me hope to one day do the same and give back to my community and finally heal from the traumas of the past.

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Researching the agri-food industry in Mexico

by Laura Gallardo Suazo


The LAC Research Trip to Mexico City represented a perfect opportunity to explore a new country and culture while expanding my knowledge of my academic interests.
My research study focuses on the factors that drive agrifood industry exports in Mexico. The agri-food industry consists of a diverse range of agricultural production, food processing, and related activities. Mexico is the third largest agrifood producer and exporter in Latin America, and the 7th largest agrifood exporter globally. Mexico’s leading agrifood export products are Beer, Tequila & Mezcal, Avocado, Tomatoes, and Berries. Mexico is the top global exporter of avocado, blackberry, tomato, beer, tequila, sweet cookies, mango, and asparagus. Its main destinations are the United States, Japan, Canada, and China.


Given Mexico’s success and trade competitiveness, I wanted to learn more about the factors that helped them become the leading exporters they are, and how these factors may be implemented in other Latin American countries. Throughout my visit to Mexico City, I interviewed Lourdes Cruz (Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico), Lina Pohl (FAO Representative in Mexico), Diego Montenegro (IICA Representative in Mexico), and Norberto Valencia (Director of International Trade of the National Agricultural Council-CNA of Mexico). I also had the opportunity to visit a Picard Chocolate factory, observe the production process, and learn about their marketing and export plans. Each interview resulted in new insights and exposure to diverse perspectives


(government, international organizations, and private sector).
My preliminary findings suggest that factors that may contribute to Mexico’s agrifood trade success include its strategic geographic position, openness to trade (it has 14 free trade agreements with more than 50 countries), its strong phito-zoosanitary status, varied climates that allow for a wide range of products, substantial Foreign Direct Investment in the agrifood industry, among others. Some challenges include adapting to climate change, implementing new technologies (particularly for irrigation), improving infrastructure, and addressing rural labor shortages. Mexico’s international agrifood trade competitiveness represents a case study for other Latin American nations.


My visit to Mexico City allowed me to immerse myself in a topic I’m passionate about, meet different professionals, and learn from firsthand experiences. This trip has broadened my perspective and deepened my knowledge of the topic at hand.

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The History and Culture behind Tea and Coffee Culture in Turkey

By Yousef Abdo

Tea and Coffee: The Soul of Turkish Hospitality

During my recent visit to Turkey, I delved into the captivating world of Turkish tea and coffee, guided by insightful interviews with Professor Alexis Wick and Anna Beylunioğlu from Koç University. Their expertise illuminated the deep cultural roots and modern expressions of these beloved beverages, enriching my journey through tea shops, bustling bazaars, and everyday Turkish life.

Turkey’s tea and coffee culture is a testament to the nation’s rich history and vibrant social fabric. Tea, despite its relatively late introduction in the 1920s, has become an indispensable part of daily life, especially in the Black Sea region where plantations flourish. It’s fascinating how tea has woven itself into the very essence of Turkish hospitality, present at every occasion, from casual meetups to professional gatherings.

Professor Wick’s reference to the Pera Museum’s exhibitions, including “The Red Sea in Search of a Lost Space” and the narrative of coffee as the “Ottoman drug,” traced coffee’s journey from the Mamluks’ era through its colonial expansion to Java. This historical backdrop highlights how coffee, once a symbol of Ottoman sophistication, continues to be a cherished tradition.

The Rituals and Traditions

Professor Anna Beylunioğlu’s insights offered a more intimate look at how these beverages are integrated into Turkish households. The tradition of serving coffee with salt to the groom by the bride or without sugar at funerals showcases the nuanced role coffee plays in marking life’s milestones. Meanwhile, tea is the cornerstone of the Turkish breakfast and a constant companion through the day, embodying warmth and community.

What struck me was the mention of specific practices, like drinking coffee from tea glasses in certain regions and the unique terminology for coffee in different cities. This diversity within the culture speaks to the local adaptations and personal preferences that enrich the overall tapestry of Turkish tea and coffee traditions.

Beylunioğlu’s candid admission of being a coffee drinker, despite the pervasive tea culture, and her exploration of international teas, reflects the personal journeys within this collective culture.

Both interviews touched on the contemporary scene, noting a resurgence in specialty coffee shops like Velvet Coffee and a growing interest in herbal teas. Yet, there remains a strong allegiance to traditional flavors and methods, with a universal preference for black tea in households and a noted divide between tea and coffee drinkers.

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Kurdish people in Turkey and the Sociolinguistic Effect of an Exclusionary Definition of Citizenship

By Leo Deener

Kurdish people have lived in what they call “Kurdistan” for thousands of years. Due to colonial divisions of the map, the Kurdish homeland now falls in the borderlands between Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. There are millions of Kurds within Turkey, and they make up 20% of the total population of the country, yet they have been oppressed since the formation of the republic immediately after World War I. The Turkish Republic is an example of a state created as a result of post-war nationalist liberation, where a group is liberated in the form of creating its own nation-state. In Turkey’s case, this is the ethnically Turk, Turkish speaking, Muslim people of Anatolia. Despite being Muslim, Kurds are ethnically “other,” and have been seen as a threat to the unity of the “nation-state” from the beginning. Often referred to as Mountain Turks by the government, they have faced efforts at ethnic cleansing, population transfer, and general second-class citizenship.

On our trip to Istanbul, I explored the Kurdish status in Turkey from a sociolinguistic standpoint. Kurds have their own language that has no official status within Turkey and has endured varying states of legality depending on the political moment.

The main bastion for Kurdish culture, history, and language in Istanbul is the Kurdish Research Association. I had the incredible opportunity to interview some associates from this organization who detailed their work and the pushback they face at times.

My conversation was with the co-chair of the association who is a Kurdish woman from the Kurdistan region of Turkey who, like many Kurds, learned her language orally from her parents but did not learn how to read and write in the language until she came to the association as an adult. She spent years formally mastering the language before it was shut down by the government following the attempted coup of Erdogan’s regime in 2016.

She explained that the Association reopened a few years later, and she came back to work there and eventually became co-chair. We discussed the associations’ work publishing material in Kurdish, teaching beginner and upper-level courses in Kurdish, and generally being a safe center for Kurdish life in Istanbul – a city that a Turkish Professor described to me in a different interview as “the biggest Kurdish city in the world.”

She is proud of the work but knows the association could be shut down at any moment if the political situation shifts. I got a sense of this socio-political pushback form a different conversation I had with an ultra-right wing Turkish nationalist who is in the fringe “Victory” Party.

But the co-chair of the association feels she has no choice but to continue her work in the name of her people, history, and culture, by means of her language. Sitting in her office filled with Kurdish literature in a small slightly dilapidated building on the European side of Istanbul, I could feel the unrelenting passion she had for her people and the work she’s doing. It was inspiring to see the Kurdish people fight state erasure by means of linguistic persistence and resilience. I could not have gained this first-hand sense of the Kurdish movement without being in Turkey and visiting the Kurdish Association there, and for that, I am grateful.

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The Integration of Syrian Refugees into Turkish Society

By: Sofia Paredes

Visit to RASAS and our lovely guide Fatma Betül

During our time in Istanbul, I was able to get better insight into the integration of Syrians into Turkish society. The highlight of the trip was my visit to the Refugees and Asylum Seekers Assistance and Solidarity Association in Sultanbeyli. The center is located 1.5 hours away from the center of Istanbul. Sultanbeyli felt like a completely different world. This is where most of the Syrian population in Istanbul resides. The signs here were all in Arabic and almost no Turkish was spoken.  

Upon our arrival, I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the eight-story building by Fatma Betül Basyigit, Human Resources Manager of the Refugee Association. During our day at the center, we also met with the legal professionals and labor representatives of the organization. As Fatma highlighted, many of the issues experienced by the refugees today are similar to what they experienced 13 years ago, implying that despite the tremendous EU funds flowing into Turkey as part of the 2016 EU-Turkey deal, the money has been ineffective at serving the refugee population.  

The services provided by the center were largely to make up for the shortcomings of the government, as the center focused on providing basic health support. The biggest obstacle to refugees’ financial stability seems to be their lack of access to formal employment according to Fatma.  

This was also confirmed by members of DISK, The Confederation of Trade Unions of Turkey. I visited their offices to find out more about the role of Syrians in the Turkish labor market, and I learned that despite their effort to support Syrians through DISK’s Arab-speaking Legal Call Center, Syrians without a social security number are not allowed to join unions, and therefore have limited legal support.   

Besides the legal barriers, social prejudice was also highlighted as a major barrier to integration. This is why Fatima Betül emphasized RASAS’s focus on social cohesion, and she was proud to show us the communal kitchen, where Syrian and Turkish women were baking together to support themselves financially but also to break down social barriers.