Have you ever wondered where the 92.5 million Mexican immigrants in the U.S. are actually from? Some of these Mexicans are from Comaltepec, a village served by Puente that is hidden in the mountainous Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca. According to locals from Comaltepec, about 70 percent of the men in town have migrated to Los Angeles, California. “As soon as the boys turn 15, they all go to Los Angeles,” says Dr. David Garcia, the local dentist from Comaltepec’s community health clinic. “The population here used to be several thousand, but, after all the men migrated, we now only have about 800 people living in the village.”

Male migration has left behind the most vulnerable population in Comaltepec: women, children, and seniors. Fifty percent of the population is under 20 years-old. A majority of the population from Comaltepec subsists on agriculture and small remittances from their husbands abroad, although, due to Comaltepec’s mountainous topography and drastic climate changes, the land is not particularly suitable for agriculture. As a result...read more

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Before arriving at Puente as a consultant, I had never visited a rural Mexican community. I knew nothing about amaranth or the challenges facing Mexican subsistence farmers. During my first visit to one of the villages where Puente worked, I was told to arrive to the office by 6:30 AM. We drove about three hours (one of those on a bumpy dirt road!) to the village of San Antonino el Alto and arrived in time to begin the 10:00AM workshop. This was the daily work schedule for many of my coworkers in the field.

As the women villagers arrived to the room, I heard chatter in their indigenous tongue and felt a few curious sets of eyes glance over at me. My coworker started the workshop by explaining the three main food groups necessary for a balanced diet and how amaranth fits into each group. At the end, my coworker asked the participants if they regularly cooked amaranth. One of the mothers responded that she had been adding amaranth to her family’s atole...read more

On May 8th, Puente held a photography exhibit in San Francisco. The exhibit featured a collection of 18 photos documenting Puente’s work in Oaxaca. The event was a huge success, raising about $2,500 in donations. Some 100 attendees enjoyed a fun evening of live music and refreshments while learning more about Puente’s work through photography. We would like to thank everyone who attended and give a special thanks to our dedicated board members Kate Seely, April Watson, and Tim Watson for organizing this event. Additionally, thank you to the volunteers who helped make this a reality along with Frog’s Leap and Esser Vineyards for donating the wine! We look forward to inviting you to future Puente events in the coming year. Please visit our website to learn how you can donate to Puente online.

This month, Puente welcomes our new Grants and Communications Director, Jessica Shao. Jessica is from San Francisco, California, and has an extensive background in international and rural development in China, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Jessica holds a M.A. degree in Sustainable International Development from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Prior to joining Puente, Jessica worked at Opportunity Fund, a U.S. microfinance institution in San Jose, California, providing financial services to low income immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are thrilled to have Jessica join our team! Click here to learn more about Jessica.

Puente bids farewell to Lisa Thompson, who has devoted the past three years working as the Development Director. Lisa has been instrumental in developing Puente's organizational capacity and preparing us for the next stage of growth. While we bid farewell to Lisa as a staff member, we are excited to welcome Lisa to Puente's Board of Directors where she will continue to contribute to Puente's growth and success. We wish Lisa for the best in her next endeavor!