1 big thing: 50 years since Pinochet took over 

a young woman with red hair screams against a barrier, surrounding by other demonstrators in Chile on the 50-year mark of the coup that led to the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet

2. In photos: Life in Chile, now and then

Demonstrators hold their fists in the air while holding a large banner that says, in Spanish," 1973-2023, We are still searching"

New Latino-centered books hit shelves

3. New Latino-centered books hit shelves

4. 🚀 NASA star sets new record

Frank Rubio, a NASA astronaut, smiles with his arms crossed as he floats at the International Space Station. Earth can be seen in the background.

5. Stories we're watching 

Illustration of a spotlight on a newspaper-patterned Latin America 

6.🧥Smile to go: Joining the catwalk 

🎉 Hiya! Catch us on Thursday at our second annual Visionarios event!

Hosted in partnership with Noticias Telemundo, this event — pachanga, dare we say — will feature interviews with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, Mexico Women's National Flag Football Team captain and quarterback Diana Flores, and showrunner, writer, producer and actor Gloria Calderón Kellett. 

🛜 Register to livestream the event here.

👀 Puede leer este boletín en español aquí.

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,240 words, a 4.5-minute read.

Thanks for joining! Thanks to Carlos Cunha and Axios Visuals for their contributions!

Latino

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Keep tabs on the stories that most affect the U.S. Latino community on both sides of the border, a collaboration with Noticias Telemundo.

Axios Latino

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1 big thing: 🇪🇨 Campaigning in bulletproof vests 

2. 🎂 A Hispanic happy birthday to you, United States

Photo illustration of Rosie Rios next to graphic shapes and an image of the Declaration of Independence.

3. Disaster preparedness, in Spanish

4. A day in the life of a rural educator

6. 👽 Smile to go: Aliens-turned-piñatas

😎 How was your weekend? If you didn't spend some of it preaching to your friends about Axios Latino, now's the time!

🚨 Situational awareness: More than six of Sen. Bob Menendez's fellow Senate Democrats are calling for him to resign after his indictment on federal bribery charges. Menendez (D-N.J.), the most senior Latino in the Senate, has refused to step down. 

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,412 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Carlos Cunha and Axios Visuals for their contributions!

First Latina in space hopes video games inspire STEM interest in kids

1 big thing: 🚀 Ellen Ochoa’s Minecraft moment  

Photo illustration of  Ellen Ochoa with abstract shapes and a photo of a rocketship. 

2. Tracking Latino monuments

3. How Latinos give 

Illustration of a bunch of origami dollar bills folded into  human form holding hands

4.🌟 A very wonderful Visionarios  

5. Stories we're watching

6.🪅Smile to go: Dale, dale, dale

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,429 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Huge thanks to Carlos Cunha and Axios Visuals for their help with this newsletter! Sign up here to get us twice-weekly in your inbox.

1 big thing: World discovers corridos

Three pictures are placed together. They include  Natanael Cano; Peso Pluma; Grupo Firme all singing with microphones to their mouth

2. Biden, Lula vow to fight for workers

Brazil president Lula stands to the left of President Joe Biden, shaking hands. the Brazil and American flags are behind them as they stand in front of a blue wall

UNESCO adds early-Mayan spot as World Heritage Site

3. Early-Mayan spot declared World Heritage Site

4. Latinos value speaking Spanish — a lot  

6. 🪅 Pachanga: Vivian Collins

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🪅 Have you done anything noteworthy or exciting lately? Let us know and we might feature you in our weekly pachanga series! Reply to this email. 

🪭 Don't forget to tell your cool friends about this cool newsletter! They can sign up here. 

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,438 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Thanks to Carlos Cunha and Axios Visuals for their contributions to this newsletter!

1 big thing: Abuelita hot chocolate battle heats up

Stacks of the round, yellow containers for Abuelita hot chocolate are shown at a grocery store. The containers have a picture of an elderly lady with white hair holding a cup of hot chocolate and smiling. 

2. 📝 Rediscovering Jovita Idar

Photo illustration collage of Jovita Idar and the quarter. 

Mexico's Olympic hopefuls forced to raise own funds for Pan American Games

3. 🇲🇽 Olympic hopefuls forced to raise own funds

4. 💫 See ya tonight!

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6.🪅 Pachanga: Mercy Abascal Quiroga

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🪅 Look, every month at Axios Latino is Hispanic Heritage Month. But we never turn down a pachanga, so ... happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Ready for Visionarios? Check out item 4 for the inside scoop!

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván, is 1,444 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Editor's note: A story about the Pinochet years in Tuesday's newsletter has been corrected to reflect that the 40,000 victims of the regime included those detained or tortured, not just those killed or forcibly disappeared.

Thanks to Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, Carlos Cunha and Axios Visuals for their help with this newsletter! Sign up here to get us twice-weekly in your inbox!

National

U.S. astronaut Ellen Ochoa and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor are among the people featured in several new young adult and children's books celebrating notable Latinos.

Why it matters: Most of Latino history is not mentioned in U.S. textbooks, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University and UnidosUS this year.

The new books come at a time when some conservatives have tried banning books such as an illustrated children's biography of baseball star Roberto Clemente, arguing they promote biases in their discussions of racism.

Details: "Sí, Se Puede: The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States," a graphic novel from Ten Speed Graphic, is scheduled to be published Oct. 10. 

It recaps Mesoamerican history, Hispanic soldiers' role fighting for the Union in the U.S. Civil War, and the biographies of key U.S. Latino figures of the past and present.

In the book's foreword, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) says the book is "a reminder of who Latinos are — and what we can achieve."

Last week, MacMillan released new books in its Hispanic Star series. They feature Ochoa, a former Johnson Space Center director, and Sotomayor.

Both women are also mentioned in "Sí, Se Puede," in chapters about scientific contributions and modern trailblazers.

What they're saying: "I would have loved to have a book like this growing up, to not only learn about these heroes in the Latino community but also to be inspired by them," says Yasmín Flores Montañez, a Puerto Rican illustrator who worked on "Sí, Se Puede."

Flores Montañez, who has created some cover art for DC and Marvel comics, said she took some of the experience with drawing superheroes to illustrate the people in "Sí, Se Puede."

"The historical figures in this book have their unique superpowers that are real to us. My goal was to portray each of these individuals as the powerhouses they are," she says.

Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A study by Johns Hopkins University and UnidosUS this year found most Latino history is not mentioned in U.S. textbooks.

The "Sí, Se Puede" cover. Photo: Courtesy of Ten Speed Press.

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Latin America and Latinos

U.S. astronaut Ellen Ochoa and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor are among the people featured in several new young adult and children&#x27;s books celebrating notable Latinos.Why it matters: Most of Latino history is not mentioned in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. textbooks" data-vars-click-url="https://unidosus.org/press-releases/us-textbooks-miss-opportunities-to-teach-latino-history/" data-vars-content-id="15a57572-3e8f-455b-bc08-3bbfb5b227b8" data-vars-headline="New Latino-centered books hit shelves" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://unidosus.org/press-releases/us-textbooks-miss-opportunities-to-teach-latino-history/" target="_blank">U.S. textbooks</a>, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University and UnidosUS this year.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel to space, tells Axios Latino she hopes having her life story featured in a video game can motivate more Latinos to explore a STEM career.

Driving the news: Ochoa was added last week as a character in the Minecraft Education suite, a learning version of the block-building game. Other characters include Gloria Estefan and civil rights activist Monica Ramirez.

Ochoa has also been featured in two recently published books about important U.S. Latino figures.

Why it matters: Around 35 million people worldwide are signed up to use Minecraft Education.

Studies have found that these types of games get students interested in science, tech, engineering, math and arts careers because players build worlds, apply math formulas and can develop a curiosity for coding. 

Research also shows that seeing more Hispanic people working in STEM fields could improve representation.

What she's saying: Ochoa, the former director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, says many Latino children don't know about the opportunities in STEM fields, but that having role models, mentors and accessible hands-on activities can make a difference.

Students "may not have seen anybody like themselves do something that to them seems sort of incredible if not impossible," Ochoa says.

If they come across stories of people who have done such work in a video game, books, TV series or movie, "It can really change the whole way they think about their future and how they might want to achieve that," she says.

Background: Ochoa was always interested in science, but she says as a child she did not consider being an astronaut because she didn't see a lot of women or Hispanic scientists.

After getting her doctorate from Stanford University, she applied to NASA  and was rejected twice. She was chosen on her third try in 1990.

She became the first Latina to go to space in 1993 when she was part of a nine-day mission aboard the Discovery space shuttle. She went on three other space flights before retiring from space operations in 2007.

Ochoa then became deputy director of the Johnson Space Center, and in 2013, she rose to become the first Hispanic person to be named director.

"We tried to do a lot of things that would help ensure that people of all different kinds of backgrounds were both being hired and getting the opportunity to develop," she says about her time as director.

Go deeper: What the hidden STEM economy reveals about diversity in the workforce

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Ellen Ochoa says many Latino children don't know about the opportunities in STEM fields.

Photo Illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Ellen Ochoa

Space

Astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel to space, tells Axios Latino she hopes having her life story featured in a video game can motivate more Latinos to explore a STEM career.Driving the news: Ochoa was added last week as a character in the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Minecraft Education" data-vars-click-url="https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/blog/latinexplorers2" data-vars-content-id="343699a7-19fb-4d2f-bfe2-9617a1d3bb9d" data-vars-headline="First Latina in space hopes video games inspire STEM interest in kids" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://education.minecraft.net/en-us/blog/latinexplorers2" target="_blank">Minecraft Education</a> suite, a learning version of the block-building game. Other characters include Gloria Estefan and civil rights activist <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Monica Ramirez" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/15/heat-wave-outside-workers-mental-health" data-vars-content-id="343699a7-19fb-4d2f-bfe2-9617a1d3bb9d" data-vars-headline="First Latina in space hopes video games inspire STEM interest in kids" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/08/15/heat-wave-outside-workers-mental-health" target="_self">Monica Ramirez</a>.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

Science

Olympic hopefuls from Mexico say they've been forced to personally raise funds to cover the costs of competing in the Pan American Games, which help determine who competes in Paris next year.

State of play: The Mexican artistic swimming team, the current world champions in the technical competition, has had to depend on strangers to help pay for uniforms, airfare and other needed expenses in their quest to extend their winning streak at the games, which start next month in Chile

Before winning gold this May, they promoted bathing suits and towels on their social media platforms in an unofficial sponsorship deal in order to be able to afford their own uniforms.

The athletes accused the Commission for the Promotion of Sports (Conade), the government agency that governs and funds professional sports in Mexico, of leaving them by the wayside.

Context: After the Mexican government imposed its so-called "republican austerity" policy, the Conade in 2018 slashed by about half the funding that high-level athletes use to pay for training needs such as uniforms and equipment and access to Olympic training center facilities.

Conade director Ana Guevara, a 2003 Olympic silver medalist in track and field and a former lawmaker for Mexico's ruling party, Morena, announced that only athletes who had already medalled or placed in the top 10 spots in major international competitions would get funded, although some say they still have not received any funds.

When athletes spoke up on social media, Conade made having "proper online behavior" a requirement for the grants.

Guevara this year said that the agency supports athletes, but she also responded to the artistic swimming team's pleas by saying, "As far as I'm concerned, they can sell underwear, Tupperware or whatever they want."

Diver Diego Balleza says he's also received little support from Conade, despite winning fourth place in Tokyo 2020 in the 10-meter platform synchronized diving.

Last month, when he won the bronze medal in the world diving championships, he thanked a group of Mexican actresses for helping cover the costs of the competition.

Balleza recently opened up an OnlyFans account to help pay for equipment and training expenses.

"From 2021 to now, the problems have been massive with the lack of financial support," he said at a news conference last month. "It is already so hard to train for the Olympics, where you represent your country, and then feel helpless that you can't get there because that support is yanked."

Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

The Mexican artistic swimming team has had to depend on strangers to help pay for uniforms and other needed expenses.

Artistic swimmer Itzamary González Cuéllar of Team Mexico competes at the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan on July 21. Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Mexico

Olympic hopefuls from Mexico say they&#x27;ve been forced to personally raise funds to cover the costs of competing in the Pan American Games, which help determine who competes in Paris next year.State of play: The Mexican artistic swimming team, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="current world champions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.worldaquatics.com/news/3343830/historical-gold-for-mexico-at-the-artistic-swimming-world-cup-somabay-2023" data-vars-content-id="a3c6ebe3-188d-4825-ae6e-6483062f8ec5" data-vars-headline="Mexico&#x27;s Olympic hopefuls forced to raise own funds for Pan American Games" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.worldaquatics.com/news/3343830/historical-gold-for-mexico-at-the-artistic-swimming-world-cup-somabay-2023" target="_blank">current world champions</a> in the technical competition, has had to depend on strangers to help pay for uniforms, airfare and other needed expenses in their quest to extend their winning streak <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="at the games" data-vars-click-url="https://www.santiago2023.org/en" data-vars-content-id="a3c6ebe3-188d-4825-ae6e-6483062f8ec5" data-vars-headline="Mexico&#x27;s Olympic hopefuls forced to raise own funds for Pan American Games" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.santiago2023.org/en" target="_blank">at the games</a>, which start next month in Chile

A Guatemalan archeological area that dates back to the early rise of the Mayans has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Driving the news: UNESCO this week added a slew of new sites to its list of places of "outstanding universal value" that should be preserved.

These are described as either records of past history and cultures, as current places of significant biodiversity, or areas that serve as living memory.

What to know: The Tak'alik Ab'aj park is one of few preserved Mesoamerican transitional sites, showing how one civilization emerged from what was left of another.

Tak'alik Ab'aj, which flourished between the ninth century B.C. and the 10th century A.C., has mixed Olmec and Mayan elements.

The site's name means "standing stones" in the Mayan K'iche' language in honor of its hundreds of carved stelae.

"This site is the start of our amazing history" as Guatemalans, outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei said on X on Monday.

Zoom out: Other sites from the Americas added to UNESCO's World Heritage list this week are the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio and the largest former clandestine torture and detention site in Argentina, the ESMA.

The latter is one of few sites related to significant violence — including the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, Rwandan genocide memorial sites and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial — that the UN body has highlighted to serve as warning reminders of atrocities.

The site is one of few preserved Mesoamerican transitional places, showing how one civilization emerged from another.

The Tak'alik Ab'aj archaeological site just north of El Asintal, Retalhuleu Department, west of Guatemala City, in 2018. Photo: Johan Ordóñez/AFP via Getty Images 

United Nations (UN)

A Guatemalan archeological area that dates back to the early rise of the Mayans has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Driving the news: UNESCO this week added a slew of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new sites" data-vars-click-url="https://whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties/" data-vars-content-id="ed4a617d-a896-4d97-8e16-668a88bf4604" data-vars-headline="UNESCO adds early-Mayan spot as World Heritage Site" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/newproperties/" target="_blank">new sites</a> to its list of places of &quot;outstanding universal value&quot; that should be preserved.

Regional Mexican music — a broad term to describe genres like corridos, norteñas, mariachi and ranchera— has gone global, breaking records as it reaches new audiences.

Driving the news: This week, for the first time ever, two regional Mexican hits were nominated for the Latin Grammys song of the year award, solidifying the genre's mainstream rise over the last year.

Spotify's most-streamed song of the summer worldwide was "Ella Baila Sola" by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma, according to the company.

Spotify also said last month that Mexican regional genre streams have grown globally by 430% over the past five years.

The big picture: Regional music's mainstream moment isn't entirely new — Los Ángeles Azules played a main stage set at the Coachella Music Festival in 2018, and Los Tigres del Norte have long been popular in parts of the U.S. — but the music is now appealing to a wider audience.

For example, this week Peso Pluma has six songs simultaneously charting on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and he performed to uproarious applause at last week's MTV Video Music Awards.

Chino Pacas, Natanael Cano, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera and Grupo Firme have also topped the charts recently.

The genre, aspects of which have been around since the early 20th century, has evolved to incorporate hip-hop elements such as spoken rap-like parts to the traditional banda-music with a lot of brass and guitar.

Zoom in: Regional music nowadays transcends Mexico's borders — many of the most popular songs are collaborations between Mexican and other Latin American artists.

Grupo Frontera has a major hit with Bad Bunny; Karol G, who is Colombian, has made music with Peso Pluma and with Natanael Cano; Christian Nodal has sung with the Argentine pop star Tini.

Reggaetón artists like Myke Towers have also been experimenting with corridos.

What they're saying: Juan Carlos Ramírez-Pimienta, a professor at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley who's currently teaching a seminar on corridos, says there's no one clear reason for the surging global popularity of Mexican regional music.

He says it could be because the popular corridos tumbados style is more melodic and tends to touch on universal struggles such as mental health, whereas more traditional corridos often focus on drug trafficking or revenge.

The evolution of fashion within the genre — from traditional norteño hats to baggy shirts inspired by trap, reggaeton and hip-hop — may also make artists more appealing to a global audience, Ramírez-Pimienta tells Axios Latino.

Ramírez-Pimienta adds that TikTok, where videos of users lip-syncing to regional music are popular, has played a role in helping make the music global.

He says the rise of the genre has been empowering for young people who now see being Mexican as "cool," similar to how the popularity of hip-hop made some Black people feel empowered.. 

"The new music is more introspective, more about resignifying Mexican-ness and rethinking masculinity," he says.

Delia Orjuela, the general manager of the música mexicana division of Warner Music Latina, tells Axios Latino that regional music will likely continue to grow, thanks to technology that makes listening to it accessible worldwide. Orjuela recently spoke about the genre's importance at the LéaLA festival in Los Angeles. 

Orjuela adds that more collaborations between genres and bilingual songs will also foster the genre's growth.  

Behind Mexican regional music's global explosion

Spotify said last month that Mexican regional genre streams have grown globally by 430% over the past five years.

From left: Natanael Cano; Peso Pluma; Grupo Firme members Eduin and Jhonny Caz. Photos: Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media via Getty Images; Doug Peters/PA Images via Getty Images; and Natasha Moustache/Getty Images

Music streaming

Regional Mexican music — a broad term to describe genres like corridos, norteñas, mariachi and ranchera— has gone global, breaking records as it reaches new audiences.Driving the news: This week, for the first time ever, two regional Mexican hits were nominated for the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Latin Grammys" data-vars-click-url="https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-latin-grammys-song-of-the-year-nominations" data-vars-content-id="ed9610d7-7402-47f0-b58a-2bde845cef1d" data-vars-headline="Behind Mexican regional music&#x27;s global explosion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-latin-grammys-song-of-the-year-nominations" target="_blank">Latin Grammys</a> song of the year award, solidifying the genre&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mainstream rise" data-vars-click-url="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-08-23/songs-of-summer-2023-reveal-peso-pluma-eslabon-armado-morgan-wallen/" data-vars-content-id="ed9610d7-7402-47f0-b58a-2bde845cef1d" data-vars-headline="Behind Mexican regional music&#x27;s global explosion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2023-08-23/songs-of-summer-2023-reveal-peso-pluma-eslabon-armado-morgan-wallen/" target="_blank">mainstream rise</a> over the last year.

Marina E. Franco (Noticias Telemundo for Axios)

Stories

UNESCO adds early-Mayan spot as World Heritage Site

Behind Mexican regional music's global explosion

First Latina in space hopes video games inspire STEM interest in kids

Mexico's Olympic hopefuls forced to raise own funds for Pan American Games

New Latino-centered books hit shelves

Newsletter editions

🇺🇸 America's birthday stars

🪗 Corridos go global

💸 How Latinos give

🍫 Heated Abuelita battle

🇨🇱 Polarized over Pinochet