Puebla conference y Zimatlan

The IV Summer Institute on Migration and Health gave an overview of migration and health. Between presentations, cultural tours and networking cocktails we had a full day every day. There was an overview of the issues involved with migration from health care access in the U.S. to the implications for family members left behind. Two important programs I learned about are the ‘Ventanillas de Salud’ and ‘Vete Sano, Regresa Sano’. ‘Ventanillas de Salud’ is a program to provide information and basic health care services to migrants at Mexican consulates. ‘Vete Sano, Regresa Sano’ is provided by the ‘Secretaria de Salud’ and focuses on migrants as a vulnerable population.

Participants came from many different Mexican and American states and even from Canada. The presenters were equally diverse. Two highlights for me were the presentations by Dr. Achotegui from the University of Barcelona on the ‘Ulises Syndrome’ and the mental health of migrants, and a talk about traditional medicine by Carlos Zolla, from the UNAM. I will never forget Maestro Zolla’s example of el ni~no volador, the ‘flying kid’ who flies off a swing and needs the assessment of the mom and the grandma who decide on multiple treatments, from domestic to traditional, to allopathic medicine.

Puebla is a beautiful city. The architecture, mainly Baroque, is similar to Oaxaca’s, but the streets are wider and seem busier. We also visited a beautiful nearby city: Cholula, one of the oldest in Mexico, and an important religious center well before the Spannish conquest. There are about 148 churches in the places where there used to be indigenous religious buildings.

Besides the cultural treats, Puebla{s food was also great. Puebla is famous for the variety of candies and for the ‘mole poblano’ although when it comes to food, I have to side with Oaxaca (of course) as the original home of mole and for the title of most representative and diverse cuisine in Mexico. Interestingly, an herb that is not consumed in Oaxaca but I saw everywhere in Puebla, including in cemitas, is papalo, with a taste very similar to tepiche. This is a plant of prehispanic origin.

Back in Oaxaca, as part of an ethnographic research class from UC San Diego, I will be living with a host family in Zimatlan for three days each week. This is a great opportunity to observe cooking practices and talk at length about health issues with the people of Zimatlan. There are three children in my host family, Cindy, Carla, and Eric, and they are very fun to hang out with. Both parents, Ana and Carlos work during the day but in the evenings like to talk about the comparison of life in the U.S. and in Mexico over chocolate and pan dulce. Zimatlan has a high migration rate to the US and fairly every person I have interviewed has a relative who has migrated to the US at some point in their life.

Next week we will be teaching a basic nutrition class to women’s groups called colmenas, beehives.

Nicandro, one of the program coordinators has started a blog about CENTEOTL’s activities:

http://www.grupos-con-centeotl.blogspot.com/