Folkloric Beliefs for Susto and Other Ailments
By Angela Fregoso
Let me curar you of “Susto.”
Hay mi’ja tiendes “Susto!”
Is Susto some kind of a disease? No, this is a comment you often heard from your grandmother or …

Magical in My Memory
My brother and I sat on the thin carpet, mouths open, eyes wide, giggling with our fingers in our mouths. It was Christmas Eve, and my entire family was sitting around our …

There are just three of us at home most of the time.
The dog barks a lot, and the cat is a pushy meower, but mostly it is like Silent Night around here all year long.
The …

This essay is about a couple of conversations I recently overheard on a message board that have left me thinking about how we, people of Latino/Hispanic origin, are similar, but not.
A group of women with …

Ed. note: The Tiki Tiki asked Clara, the genius behind the Dominican cooking site, Aunt Clara’s Kitchen,  to share some favorite recipes from the Dominican Republic.
To learn more about the typical creole cooking, the …

Ed. note: A new book, The Immigrant Advantage, is a look into the lives of immigrant enclaves in the United States and an exploration of how immigrant customs can enrich our own lives — with details …

This essay is part of the Hispanic Heritage Month series, Latinland USA, a Tiki Tiki guide of Latin-flavored city sites across the country.
By Nicole Presley
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month I decided to step right …

What is That?
Who doesn’t have grade school memories of trading lunches with their friends?
Sitting at the long lunchroom table, face to face across from your classmates, excitedly chattering while pulling out the contents of what …

I recently introduced a half-Puerto Rican friend to a totally cubana friend and watched as the Puerto Rican sheepishly admitted she didn’t speak mucho Spanish.
I joked with her that we’d get rid of her complejo …

I may start walking around with fruit on my head.
I may start wearing tacones — and only tacones — to the grocery.
I may start calling my husband Papito, but only if he promises to call …