Latin American heritage

A string of colourful Papel Picado (paper banners) cut into skeletons with ornate flower crowns. The photo is taken outside on a bright day, with shadows of the papel picado and tree branches casted on a backdrop of an amber yellow wall, the same autumnal colour as the marigolds lining the grass below.
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Lessons on grief from Día de los Muertos

Peak Web October 26, 2026

Grief is a difficult emotion to process. It’s not something you can fully move on from; it often lingers within and shows up in waves. There is no expiration date to grief.  I lost my father to cancer 12 years ago. I had celebrated my 15th birthday less than a month before his passing. I still remember the awareness that had cemented itself within every corner of my body as I walked to the bakery to purchase my own birthday cake; my mom was busy taking care of my dad. But it would be more accurate to say that she…

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The interior of a living room with Santa bears on display next to a radio and bulky speakers on an antique coffee table. There is also a Pointesettia plant, and tropical art on display on peach-pink painted walls.
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A summer Christmas in Costa Rica

Peak Web January 5, 2026

“Pura vida” is the unofficial national motto of laid-back, cloudless Costa Rica. It is the one-size-fits-all response to life’s greatest satisfactions: good food, weather, and company. Because Costa Rica is 10 degrees from the equator, it gets 12 hours of…

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A collage of four photos: Maria Marraza’s professional headshot, a cut-out photo of Barazza in her grad uniform holding flowers after graduating SFU, a photo of Barraza holding her degree in front of the university of Salamanca, and a photo of author Gabriel García Márquez
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SFYou: Dr. María Ignacia Barraza

Peak Web November 11, 2025

María Ignacia Barraza is an assistant professor in the department of world languages and literatures in the faculty of arts and social sciences at SFU. This semester, she’s teaching “Modern World Literatures 104W” and “World Literature 410,” with the special…

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A photo of the VLACC (address: 1885 Venables St, Vancouver,)
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Exploring Vancouver’s Latin American culture

Peak Web May 25, 2024

Though Latin Americans make up roughly 3% of Canada’s population, we are here. Latin Americans have come to Canada since at least the 1950s, with an influx of Chileans migrating to Vancouver following the Chilean coup in the ‘70s. This…

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The term “Hispanic” ignores the complexities of Latin American heritage

Peak Web October 11, 2021

Ah yes, the so-called “Hispanic Heritage Month.” A month made to celebrate the “histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.” Grouping these people and cultures together gives…

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society