El Niño, Catastrophism and Culture Change in America
y now, you’ve read essays in this ReVista that mostly span from colonial times to the recent death of Pinochet. There’s also an occasional mention of indigenous belief systems…
Category: Civil Society and Collective Memory
Hurricane Isolated Villagers, but Solidarity Joined Them, and Us
“Where was the school?” I asked the teacher. He threw a small stone to the middle of the Savegre River,around 150 feet out. “Over there, over there was my school,” Marco Alvarez…
Hurricane Stan and Social Suffering in Guatemala
In early October 2005, Hurricane Stan caused severe destruction in parts of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. This was just one month after Hurricane Katrina slammed…
Hurricanes, Society, and the Culture of Citizenship
Today’s discussion is on “Hurricanes, Society and the Culture of Citizenship.” In addition to physical destruction and the loss of human lives, hurricanes leave their imprint on nature, society, its way…
Remembering Armero
Dreadful images bind Colombians together. It doesn´t matter if you are rich or poor; from the coast or from the Andean highlands; if you side with the left or with the right, the one thing…
Pinochet: General Earthquake
English + Español
Chile experienced two earthquakes on September 11, 1973. In this highly seismic country, earthquakes form a part of the daily lives of its inhabitants in certain regions. Only a few of the…
Urban Poverty, Disasters, and Local Government
English + Español
Sara Gutiérrez, a single mother and the only source of support for her four children, approached me and my two companions when I was running for mayor of San Salvador. “All of you…
