The Diary of Frida Kahlo In the World
“The Diary of Frida Kahlo” has aroused a very unique interest in the world. La Vaca Independiente works with foreign publishers to make it available to readers in other languages.
Maya Glossary: Jump into The Reality of Another Language
Mexico's native tongues, among them Maya, aren’t just languages, but a different and vital way of looking at the world.
Frequencies in Yucatan: A social and artistic detonator
The artistic project Frequencies invites children and teenagers to re-signify their classrooms and explore their creativity and individuality through drawing, thus creating an archive of their thoughts and experiences.
The Diary of Frida Kahlo; On the Urgency of Beauty
An exhibition begins with one of Frida Kahlo's most intimate and powerful works: her personal diary.
Magic, Women, and Art
Magic, women, and art: together, the three words tell a mysterious, painful, and beautiful tale that accompanies us even to this day.
The Art of Co-creation
“The Art of Co-creation” is a 100% online course for leaders and facilitators who wish to learn to create and conduct more agile, efficient, and engaging meetings.
Ancestral practices light a path to sustainability
Lessons from the past show that the road to equilibrium has been mapped out for centuries.
The Gods of Ancient Mexico: A Guide for Kids
The past is the origin of who we are today, and children deserve to know that magnificent universe.
A Spiral’s-Eye View of the Stars: On the Chichen Itzá Observatory
Chichén Itzá is home to one of the world’s oldest observatories, a space embodying the spirit and essence of the ancient Maya culture.
Cenotes: Sacred Water Networks
Immeasurable networks of subterranean waterways... these are some notes on the cenotes of southeastern Mexico (a natural treasure) and the Mayan underworld.
The Melipona Bee and its Sacred Honey
On the importance of a bee sacred to the Maya and the benefits of its honey…
On the Maya Medicine Museum
An institution dedicated to celebrating and understanding Maya wisdom on medicine and healing.
Art and community: secrets to transforming reality
A thousand minds think better than one, especially when they focus on the same goal, and art is the guide.
The Women of Surrealism
A list of original, subversive, and essential artists.
Anima Mundi: The Soul of the World
An ancient concept endows the very universe with a soul. It’s a reminder of the life in everything around us.
Earth Goddesses (Archetypes for the Present Day)
A selection of female deities and a rethinking of our relationship with nature.
Five Initiatives Preserving the Wealth of Mexico
A brief list of projects protecting the country’s greatest treasures: its ecosystems and their inhabitants.
Speaking with the Mountain: The Dark Mountain Project
The end of the world as we know it, may be the start of something else.
Herbariums: Immortal Gardens
On the spirit, history, and beauty of herbaria.
Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
— Carl Jung
How Nature Makes a Better Artist
Correspondence with the natural environment is essential to creativity.
The Glass Key (mirror travelers) at Hacienda Ochil
Artist Charles Stankievech interweaves the sounds of nature to enable a dialogue between the environment and the audience.
Uayeb, Timeless Days of the Maya
All our lives are marked by one fascinating and indefinable variable: time. Although in the 21st century, many of us understand its physical dimension in a similar way, there have been cultures who’ve maintained that one of the great problems of our species is that we’re not synchronized with the Earth’s organic, original time. It’s […]
Maize; Mirror of Mexico
A country’s very identity could be concentrated in one plant.
Canamayté: Maya Architecture and Sacred Geometry
The movement and rhythm of a Yucatan rattlesnake’s skin was emulated in the architecture of the ancient Maya.
The Maya Jungle: A Natural and Cultural Sanctuary
Abundant with nature, the jungle of the Maya territory is also a millenary cultural epicenter.
Tips for Creating a Home Planetarium (Courtesy of Remedios Varo)
A magical ritual of cosmic creativity, and a chance to reimagine our intimate universes.
A Collection of Yucatan Maps (and Dreams of the Peninsula)
The Yucatan Peninsula has a fascinating history all its own. So does its cartography.
Life is a journey, not a destination.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Manish Jain: Reimagining Education
Activist, social innovator, and father, we briefly present the principal projects and aims of a man whose first commitments have been culture and education.
Sustainable Practices from the Maya World
From an ancestral heritage born of the wisdom of direct contact with nature, here’s a glimpse at the sustainable practices of Maya culture...
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.
— Aristotle
A Spectacular Gallery of Mayan Ruins (With Illustrations by Frederick Catherwood)
With many of Catherwood’s illustrations of ancient Maya ruins, we present a collection that draws one back through time.
Six Illuminating Artists’ Diaries
A personal diary is an art form and a mirror. It’s an exercise that brings us closer to our own spirits and to those of others. These are six intimate notebooks from six great artists.
An Interview with Richard J. Davidson, Creator of the Center for Healthy Minds
Richard Davidson talks about his work as a neuroscientist and its application to the field of education.
The Flower of May, a Mayan Legend
Synthesizing nature’s importance to our own conceptions of the world, a legend from one of the world’s most illuminating ancient cultures.
Practice kindness all day to everybody and you will realize you’re already in heaven now.
— Jack Kerouac
Seven Spectacular Endemic Species of Mexico
Mexico is overflowing with diversity and a huge number of species. To appreciate and protect them, we need to know them.
Exploration to Change Reality (or the Story of Frederick Catherwood)
A tireless traveler, a remarkable, passionate artist of Maya culture, Catherwood’s story has many lessons even for today.
One eye sees, the other feels.
— Paul Klee
The Frida Kahlo Diary

The Diary of Frida Kahlo is a record of the last ten years of the Mexican artist’s life. Not simply a diary, it’s a notebook of calligraphy, a sketchbook, a book of poetry, and an art object in and of itself.

Within the vast body of Kahlo’s work, her personal notebook —discovered and published just over two decades ago —is among her most outstanding works. This is for the simple fact of showing a Kahlo who won’t be found elsewhere: a strong, brave, revolutionary, hurt, sensitive, joyful, brilliant woman, and one with a great sense of humor. All of this is distilled into a single notebook that’s become a treasure of Mexican art.

Lessons in environmental conservation from indigenous peoples of the world
Indigenous peoples protect 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. Below are some things we can learn from them...
Freedom is in knowing oneself: lessons from Frida Kahlo
Perhaps to find true freedom, one need only look inward.
To travel far, there is no better ship than a book.
— Emily Dickinson
A brief, inspiring overview of pre-Hispanic education
Knowing our past and celebrating its heritage may enrich our future, as with the educational models of pre-conquest central Mexico.
A brief history of the haciendas of southeastern Mexico
Replete with history, the haciendas of the Yucatan Peninsula are living witnesses to the passage of time. They’re architectural wonders and offer fertile land for the future of the Maya world.
The cow in art, mythology, and culture
Symbolic and replete with timeless inspiration, an animal appears in all human cultures and takes countless forms.
On the healing power of gardens
 Plant sanctuaries, microcosms of life, gardens are also inexhaustible sources of mental health.
Do not be a magician, be magic!
— Leonard Cohen
Tips for the practice of reciprocity and the creation of an authentic community
The secret to articulating a better world may lie in the cultivation of reciprocity.
Reclaiming barter: collaborative economies in times of crisis
Recourse to the customs of our ancestors might improve lives in the present.
What’s empathy? (And what makes it so relevant?)
 A capacity both vital and transformational for human collectivity...
Frida Kahlo’s Diary; A Review
A diary, a poem, a calligraphy notebook and a drawing book, Frida Kahlo’s diary is one of the most important and intimate legacies of this great artist.
On the Milpa and its Vital Role in Mexico
The Milpa is an essential space. It’s where identity is cultivated.
Everything you can imagine is real.
— Pablo Picasso
Contemporary Maya Thought on Space, Time, and Humanity
The Maya philosophy of today is as captivating as it was in the ancient world.
Guided Meditations to Cultivate Calm and Relaxation
An introspective method for knowing ourselves and finding happiness.
A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us
— Franz Kafka
Baktún: honoring Maya wisdom
The Maya not only left a heritage, as a living culture, they’re a world treasure.
A sound healing session for those in isolation

Part of the Sonic Cure program, an initiative of musicians to accompany the people of China during their isolation in February, Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of the most prestigious contemporary musicians, composed the following work.

Its 29 minutes of musical improvisation range from strident transcendentalism to simple sound accompaniment recorded by Sakamoto in his garden.

Let’s wash hands. But we also need to save water. Let’s keep social distance. Stay inside. Stay home. And, I hope you enjoy the music.

The Ceiba; Sacred tree of the Maya
For Maya communities, the ya’ax’che is a sacred tree holding up the sky with its branches and reaching the underworld with its roots.
When art and science converge, magical things happen
A sensible collaboration between art and science allows us to better understand who we are and what surrounds us. Three exciting examples follow...
21 Days with Frida Kahlo
A chance to know oneself, intimately, with one of Mexico’s most important artists.
Cultivating wonder without leaving home
Regaining our capacity for fascination with even the smallest things is relatively simple, reduces anxiety, and nourishes the senses.
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper
— William Butler Yeats
Nature is medicine: On Maya herbalism
Plants’ healing properties are appreciated and taken advantage of, even to this day, in the world of the Maya.
The geodesic dome: geometry at humanity’s service
Buckminster Fuller, architect and thinker, claimed the world could be designed to satisfy all of humanity. That dream resonates to this day.
The magic in the simple (watch the germination of a bean)

Excessive visual and informative stimuli have, to some extent, distanced us from the magic of simplicity. Yet, it’s precisely these sorts of simple things and situations which may hold the most precious of secrets.

Can you imagine anything more mundane than the germination of a bean? Well, that’s precisely what this GPhase video illustrates. In three minutes, you’ll observe the unfolding of a seed. Though it’s hard to believe, it’s a bewitching experience: an invitation to be re-enchanted by the profound sophistication of the most organic and habitual processes of nature.

Buddhist economy: Shared well-being as end
Any economy should serve the essential well-being of entire communities.
Earth Perspectives: Art to Connect with Our Planet
A work from artist Olafur Eliasson asks, how does Earth perceive what’s happening to it?
Resilience, a tool for difficult times
Adapting to adversity is one of life’s most valuable lessons.
The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance
— Alan Watts
What is a biocultural heritage and what makes it our greatest treasure?
People have never been detached from nature. It’s possible to sustain this relationship with balance.
On a comprehensive intelligence
21st-century education faces urgent challenges. One is the development of a comprehensive intelligence.
A sensitive, humanistic economy is possible: the solidarity economy
During times that test every structure, life forms based in solidarity flourish.
Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity
— Simone Weil
An underwater ritual: dance and healing

When bodily expression, art, and autobiographical reflection come together, something powerful can happen. This is demonstrated in a cathartic ritual, starring free diver, dancer, and underwater filmmaker, Julie Gautier.

In a work called Ama, the French artist immerses herself, literally, in a healing adventure:

It tells a story everyone can interpret in their own way, based on their own experience. There is no imposition, only suggestions. I wanted to share my biggest pain in this life with this film. For this is not too crude, I covered it with grace. To make it not too heavy, I plunged it into the water. I dedicate this film to all the women of the world.

Let’s talk about Beuys, let’s plant the present
For Joseph Beuys, art was a revolutionary engine, one capable of generating awareness to turn the world into a great forest.
On collective intent and the possibility of increasing global frequency
An invitation to daily meditation practices, Global Intention is creating a global network of collective intent.
A list of little things you can do to help
Micro is macro: simple actions still make a big difference.
Laboratories of play (and thus of learning)
The playful aspect of child development is among the main drivers of learning.
Why learning to listen to others is so important
Listening is a primary skill for living together, for self-development and healing, also for collective and individual evolution.  
Books for Rethinking Time (Recommendations)
Extra time during a global contingency might be put to good use reading about… time.
We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody.
— Richard Buckminster Fuller
Collaborative science: take part in these fascinating scientific programs from home
Some inspiring projects invite us to look into the scientific universe, even from a distance, and contribute to the invaluable work.
Rural art: recovering a bucolic past and future
The city-country polarity and a nostalgia for a past that speaks to all of us, have generated a trend in contemporary art that calls for a rethinking of our relationship with the countryside.
Children’s games around the world: Musical Chairs (Oaxaca, Mexico)

Sillas (Musical Chairs) is a work by the Belgian artist, based in Mexico, Francis Alÿs. The work is part of a series of videos documenting children’s games around the world and highlighting the vital vibration that only children at play will radiate.

Here we see a scene from “musical chairs” recorded in Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s an invitation to reconnect with the playful essence of the human condition. There’s little doubt that as long as children continue to play, hope will continue pulsing around the world. 

Cooperate to evolve (lessons drawn from the origin of life)
The history of life on Earth, and cellular evolution, show paths by which cooperation is a vital mechanism for survival.
“Letters against separation,” a creative exchange to accompany us in our distance
A group of creators from around the world established a dynamic for strengthening ties, a way of being closer to each other through writing.
Björk’s invaluable contribution to the education systems of eight countries: Biophilia
An innovative educational project by the Icelandic artist–combining music, technology, science, and art–is today part of a multi-country education program.  
What is mindfulness and why is its practice suggested?
Cultivating an ability to maintain attention in the present, without judging it, could irreversibly change every aspect of existence.
Dive into the paradise world of coral

The world of coral is a paradise for the senses. The rhythm, color, and textures there induce an experience of exultant beauty. It’s no surprise that corals are the original pulse of this exciting project that combines art, science, and outreach.

Coral Morphologic calls itself  “a multifaceted platform for developing a symbiosis between people and coral.” They’ve made some of the most exquisite visual records of corals and they’re accompanied by immersive music by themselves (and some friends), to animate tales that are positively mind-blowing.  

A tour of surreal Xilitla (at the hand of Tilda Swinton)
A collection of images from an encounter between an extraordinary personality and an all but impossible space...
Technology as a witness to everyday miracles
This visual material transforms human technology into an instrument for marveling at the world we inhabit.
Flowers, leaves, and stones: instruments of art
Artist Nils Udo dedicated his career to works of Land Art. Culled from nature, they’re fleeting reminders that we’re part of nature, too.
The personal notebook as instrument of self-knowledge
Maintaining a personal notebook makes it easier to explore your own reality and your life’s narrative.
Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of the imagination is incalculable. Normality is a fine ideal for those who have no imagination.
— Carl G. Jung
VTC, art as educational vehicle
An educational method uses art as a teaching tool. It’s an invitation to critical thinking, collaboration, inclusion, and community creation.
We’re all waves of the same sea
Sometimes moments of crisis can reveal humanity’s best (and the power of words).
Lessons in coordination and aesthetics (courtesy of a flock of birds)

The synchronized flight of thousands of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) is a hypnotic spectacle. The phenomenon, known as a “murmuration,” has enthralled spectators since time immemorial, and hundreds of photographic and audiovisual works have recorded it.  

The Dutch filmmaker, Jan van Ijken, documented the choreographic flights of starlings above the fields of his native country. The Art of Flying is a short film that resulted from this work. The video obviously murmurs an invitation to us: re-connect with nature, with its rhythms, cycles, and perfection. But flocks of starlings make another suggestion, too: a coordinated collectivity is the only path toward perfection. 

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