Format: Webinar

The spring of 1922, one hundred years ago, marked the beginning of a mass migration of nearly 8,000 Mennonites from Canada to Mexico and Paraguay. By leaving Canada and starting over in Latin America they sought to avoid assimilation and preserve their autonomy as an ethnoreligious community.

From June to November, with support from the Plett Foundation, Centre for Transnational Mennonite Studies and Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) are showing “Leaving Canada: The Mennonite Migration to Mexico,” a special exhibit that explores this momentous event, in its various dimensions, featuring artefacts, historical photographs from public archives and private collections, and original interpretative content.

The second event in our “Leaving Canada” speaker series features Kevin Dyck, director of the Museo y Centro Cultural Menonita in Cuauhtémoc, Mexico. In his presentation, Kevin will describe the challenges experienced by Mennonites one hundred years ago as they attempted to transplant their agricultural communities onto the semi-arid landscape of northern Mexico, where they had to adjust not only to an unfamiliar physical environment, but also to new neighbours and a new political situation. Focusing especially on Manitoba Colony, Kevin will describe the continuities and changes of Mennonite life in Mexico over the past century.

This speaker series is being held in conjunction with Mennonite Heritage Village’s special exhibit “Leaving Canada: The Mennonite Migration to Mexico,” which runs from June to November. The series is supported by the Plett Foundation, and co-hosted by CTMS and Mennonite Heritage Village.

Register for July 26