Mexico, Monarchs and Misinformation I NOVA I PBS
NOVA Digital Producer Arlo Pérez Esquivel was filming a video about monarch butterflies and their importance to an Indigenous community in Mexico when he discovered something unsettling.
Pérez Esquivel had read about the relationship between the Purépecha* people and the butterflies in articles from trusted news outlets and prominent research institutions—and had even learned about it in school not far from the Purépecha community. What he had been taught, he says, is that the monarchs’ yearly return to Michoacán, Mexico, signifies the reincarnation of the Purépechas’ ancestors’ souls. Visiting with a respected Purépecha community member, however, revealed a different story: “I’ve never seen them,” Maria Teresa Madrigal Martínez says of the butterflies. “I don’t even know them.”
Discover why tourism may be partly to blame for the circulation of this false information about monarchs’ cultural importance to the Purépecha community.
*This video reports on misinformation regarding Mexico’s Indigenous Purépecha community, explaining that monarch butterflies do not have cultural importance for the Purépecha, although they do have significance for other Indigenous communities in the region.
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Digital Producer:
Arlo Pérez Esquivel
Production Assistance:
Hannah Gotwals, Robin Kazmier, Christina Monnen, Amanda Willis
Special thanks to:
Timothy James Buckley
Matthew Buckley
Academic Film Archive of North America
© WGBH Educational Foundation 2021
@thadcockrill5608
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Thanks for the buzzkill.
@paulmezhir8354
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Hola! From the Niagara Frontier and nearby Point Pelee…..thank you for sharing this information. Misinformation CAN be deadly. Knowledge must be preserved and maintained in order to survive….like our Monarchs.
@AlexaMorales
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Very interesting video
@1emmanuelnavarro
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Mexico 🇲🇽 has been doing this for years, oppressing the indigenous population for centuries since the Spanish Conquerors arrived :,( it’s very sad 😢
@braveminefly2006
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
si hay mariposas monarcas yo soy de michoacán . I've been there in the monarch butterfly place.
@kathyburke133
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
The "Day of the Dead" is completely demonic. The Bible warns that God abhors this. If you go to Mexico or live there, please do not participate in any of this type of thing. Guard your hearts and souls against the riles of the evil one.
@SweetLilWren
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
This is some pretty interesting information
@wolvesevolve
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Great video! and post this as I just am entering michoacan. There is a lot of misinformation or as I see it, popular myths around Mexican indigenous peoples, Mexican history/prehistory. It goes back to the porfiliato, and I'd also say even from the days of New Spain, Spaniards and mestizos making up things as they go along to establish their social order at the expense of the indigenous peoples. And even in the US, the Native Americans are many times understood from the general population that are full of half truths or complete fabrications.
@monsterwitch4158
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
The same sort of thing that happened with Day of the Dead happened with St. Patrick's Day. The loss of nuance and religion for the sake of secular assimilation and profit. But is this always a bad thing? It does create new possibilities of traditions. Interesting…
@deborahdapple9643
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
@novapbs, so which indigenous culture is actually connected to the monarchs who gather in Michoacan?
@Viyoable
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
It would be great if the videos had Spanish subtitles, after all it is about Mexican culture
@TheJohnieB
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
The Monarch used to pass through Oklahoma City on their flight. We have two lakes where they take a rest and get their water. One time the sky was almost black as they flew and landed in a grove of trees making a beautiful staind glass cathedral to the sky. Since there are fewer and fewer, until last summer only one or two appeared. I am hoping to find the kind of plant they are attracted to and plant it all over my place. I miss the mighty Monarch.
@oldanime734
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
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@adamhlj
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Amo a mexico. Gracias por reportar esta informacion!
@ronkirk5099
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
For anyone who has seen the Monarch butterflies when they gather at sites along the CA coast, it is an unforgettable experience. As the numbers of butterflies have plummeted in recent years, they may become yet another extinct species in the 6th Great Extinction caused by human activities.
@vthilton
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Sharing, Truth and Peace for All.
@SolaceEasy
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Misinformation is common. Even on PBS video. Our education system hasn't taught the skill set to properly assess information.
@filonin2
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Breaking News: A stereotype no one is familiar with isn't true.
@mascadadelpantion8018
October 31, 2025 at 4:02 am
Holy sweet mother of Moses I don't know if anyone can understand how close this video hits the home!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments are closed.