New York Latin Culture Magazine™

World-class Indigenous, European, African, Asian & Oceanian Culture since 2012

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Vámanos Pa’l Monte

Travel is the only way to really understand the Latin world.

New York City creates its own culture such as Latin jazz, salsa and hip-hop, but much of what we see in New York is only a shadow of the original. It’s like seeing shadows on the wall in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. So like Eddie Palmieri says, “let’s go to the mountains.”

COVID-19 Pandemic

Traveling during a pandemic is a bad idea, but we will travel again soon enough.Get your vaccination! Check health warnings for international destinations at cdc.gov

The Santiago Apóstol Festival in Loíza, Puerto Rico Celebrates African Diaspora Traditions

Las Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol en Loíza (Keith Widyolar/New York Latin Culture Magazine)
Las Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol en Loíza (Keith Widyolar/New York Latin Culture Magazine)

Read the feature article.

Get the Latin World!

To fully appreciate Latin culture, you have to travel. Every Latin country is different and the only way to understand this is to spend quality time in each country with the people.

We have long been losing traditional culture to mass media and more recently to social media. Now we are losing an entire generation of cultural knowledge to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, many traditions are preserved through tourism, but COVID-19 shutdowns have broken their continuity. Traditions that lack the resources to restart after the pandemic, may be lost forever. Ironically, travel can help preserve our traditions.

We don’t recommend travel in 2021, but when it becomes safe again, these are things to do across the Latin world.

January Travel

January 10 ~ La Fête du Vaudou (Voodoo Festival) is in Ouidah, Benin around the Gate of No Return.

We never made this connection before, but in Puerto Rico “SanSe” is slang for Voodoo. It derives from the Spanish word for seance, “Sesion.” The Sanse or San Sebastían Street Festival is held at the same time of year as La Fête du Vaudou. We are so connected.

🇵🇷 January 15-17, 2021 ~ Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián (San Sebastían Street Festival or SanSe) is the street fair in Old San Juan that ends the Christmas season in Puerto Rico. It is Puerto Rico’s biggest festival.

February Travel

This is traditional Carnival time with many options. Rio Carnival is the world’s biggest carnival. Trinidad Carnival is the mother of Caribbean carnival. Barranquilla Carnival is one of the great expressions. In Puerto Rico, Carnaval Ponceño (Ponce Carnival) is beautiful.

June Travel

The 73rd Cannes Film Festival is in Cannes, France, July 6-17, 2021. 🇫🇷

July Travel

Las Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol (St James Festival) in Loíza, Puerto Rico is one of the most profound expressions of African Diaspora culture in the United States. July 25 is the feast day, but the festival is celebrated all month long.

Travel (Sasa Kadrijevic/Dreamstime)
Travel (Sasa Kadrijevic/Dreamstime)

This image is a tribute to our late friend, the great Puerto Rican 🇵🇷 photographer, one of the important Nuyoricans, Adál Maldonado (1948-2020).

Since meeting Adál, we haven’t been able to stop laughing. He insisted that he was really kidnapped by aliens. It was his perfect metaphor for being colonized.

If you see a UFO, please send them our way. We are willing to travel far to see our friend again.

¡Adál Lives!

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Sponsored by NYC's Leading Brands

Leading brands sponsor New York Latin Culture Magazine including: Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, New York City Center and The City's own NYC & Company.

The project is led by travel writer Keith Widyolar, a marketing and communications consultant who builds brands and businesses through public, media and government relations. He was named a “key Hispanic journalist” and “Hispanic market influencer” by NYC & Company, New York City’s official branding and tourism agency.

The New York Stock Exchange had the team ring its closing bell for Hispanic Heritage Month. We can work for you too!

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