What Chicano Studies Means to Me

Before class   this class I did not know the meaning of what was Chicano Studies and the meaning of the word Chicano. Now i know what meaning of Chicano is  the first generation that Mexinanos that born in the U.S. I understend that Chicano Studies has a history in the United Sates. I also lerned about the importance of Hipanic History. I already Know somethings about many important people during the class like Cantinflas, Maria Felix, Diego Rivera, Fidel Castro, Emiliano Zapata, Pedro Infante, Quinceanera, The day of Death, and others, but I did know about La Malinche, Julia Alvarez, and Evita Peron. Even though I already know some things in class. This class helped me remember and apprecite my culture. I lerned a lot things in class even though it was very hard for me because English is my secon language, if for others this class were hard for me it was doble, but I pland to continue to writeing my blog because I likke it, and I learn a lot.

Michoacán Mexico

During the last summer my family and I traveled to Michoacan. Michoacan is the place where my mother and father were born. When we planned this trip many people told to us “You are crazy.” The reason is because the trafficking of drugs is really bad in that area. We visited my parents family, some of them of which I do not know.

Michoacan has a famous church were the La Virgen Del Carmen is. La Virgen Del Carmen is located in Tlalpujahua, Michoacan. The legend says that the village was surrounded by gold, silver, and carbon mines. They say that one day it was raining and the village was flooded by mud and the village was covered, but the only thing that was not covered in mud was La Virgen Del Carmen

 

Next Summer

Every year I wait for the next summer to come. Two years ago all my family and I spend time together after 12 years and 10 months of not having a family reunion. Since that time we reunite in Mexico City every summer. When we are there we spend around two months and we have time to visit some places. That time we visited one place in special it was Xochimilco. Xochimilco is very famous and nice. In there, people can find all types of trees, plants, and flowers. One night we decided to get there, but it was very late at night, it was around 12:00 PM. That night every one was excited and we all traveled in one car. We were around of 14 people including children. But when the car passed through street bumps some of us had to get out of the car and then get back inside the car again, it was so funny.

When we were in Xochimilco, we paid a person to take us and show the place, but during the journey, the man that was rowing the boat told us a story. The story was about a girl and her dolls. The dolls were everywhere ganging on the trees and the land. The place was very scary and mostly at that time. After a little incident, we almost left my brother in there because when he left the boat we had not noticed that we were leaving him behind in the island of the dolls. Then we returned to the same place were we started, but in the way we were singing, but without music. In Xochimilco almost all the time you can see a group of Mariachis, but at that time it was too late.

Extra-Credit of the day of Thanksgiving “Macario1960”

                During the day of thanks giving, I did nothing special. I watched a movie. The name of the movie was Macario, 1960. This movie is very old. The principle actor is Ignacio Lopez Tarzo, (Macario) Pina Pellice, (Macario wife) Enrique Lucero, (The Death) Jose Galvez, (The Devil) and Jose Luis Jimenez, (God). The gender is considered fantasy and the rating is PG-13.

Macario is an indigenous that works very hard cutting wood. Macario had five children and his wife. They lived in really bad conditions because most of the time they did not have anything to eat. Macario had a dream; the dream of Macario was to be able to eat a turkey by himself. He said that if he did not eat a turkey by himself, he was never going to eat again. Macario’s wife stole a turkey and cooked it for him. She gave it to him when he was going to work. Macario was going to the forest to eat the turkey. When, Macario was in the forest, God appeared to him, and asked him if he would share his turkey, but he refused to share the turkey with God. Then, the devil made him the same question as God, “If Macario could share the turkey with him,” but Macario refused too. The last person that was appeared to Macario was the Death. The Death asked him the same question that God and the Devil asked him. This time Macario accepted to share with the turkey with the Death. At the end of the movie Macario wife went to look for him in the forest. She found him, but she thought that he was asleep, but no he was dead. I think that this movie can be a message for those people that refuse to share something with others.

Frida

Frida Kahlo was a famous woman painter. Frida was born in Mexico City on July 6 of 1907. During her childhood she obtained polio and at the age of 18 she suffered a terrible accident in a bus. During the accident Frida broke her pelvis and her right leg. Frida Kahlo met a famous muralist named Diego Rivera around her twenties. After that she married him in 1929. Frida's Husband Diego Rivera was contracted to make a mural in the United States and they were traveling from New York and Detroit. Frida and Diego had other affairs with other people and many times even shared the same women. Wen Frida's mother was agonising, Frida returned to Mexico. Frida Kahlo new about her husband's affairs wth other women, but could no longer take it when she found her sister with her husband. From there on,  she  began to paint her tormented life or how she felt towards it. She seperated from her husband but they did not divorce. She later was imprisoned because she was the wife of a communist. While she was in jail, her physical condition worsened. After that she had to use an iron corset. She then made a self-portrait of herself that she called "La Columna Rota" ( "The Broken Column"). Most of her paintings revelaed the suffering that she lived. She became famous and had exhibitions in New York City and Paris, but her main dream was to be able to see her exhibition in Mexico City. By that time she had already divorced her husbad Diego Rivera. They were legally divorced a long time when Diego Rivera looked for her again, and they married again. Frida's physical condition was becoming worse and her right leg was amputated. The last time she was seen in public was when she had an exhibiton in Mexico City, and since it was prohibited for her to get out of bed, she went to the exposition in bed.

The life of Frida Kahlo is very similar to the people that travel from the United Stated to Mexico to successful in life and be recongnized for her talent.

Rogelio Martinez

Rogelio has a dynamic actuation when he comes out to the stage it those not matter if he interprets rancheras or banda. He looks unique with his appearance, with his rancher suit, but he also looks very elegant with his jeans. His voice is seductive and romantic. Rogelio has a gift that is very charismatic.

His fans say that the talent that Rogelio has is indisputable and irresistible. Every time went he goes out on stage, Rogelio interprets his songs with emotion as if he was living his songs. Some of Rogelio’s songs are: “No Volvere Jamas, Amamae, Esta Vez Sin Mentiras, Mi Vida Eres Tu, and others.

Rogelio Martinez is a Mexican Singer. He grew up in California in the United States. Even though he grew up in the United States, but he never forget about his roots. He stared his career at an early age, but always with the company of his father. His style of music is romantic, traditional, and modern. Rogelio has his own style, which makes him different from others singers.

Rogelio is the representation of the new generation of the young Latinos in the United States. The reason of this is because he was born in Sinaloa, Mexico. Rogelio Martinez sings in Spanish, but he also speaks English. Rogelio Martinez lives in the Unite States, but some of his videos are filmed in Mexico.

Rogelio Martinez is not fames like Vicente Fernandez, but Martinez has his own talent. Martinez albums are considered Regional modern. He chooses his style in honor of his natal Sinaloa, Mexico.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhfD5nFMUrc

Aqui estoy yo,
Que no te has dado cuenta,
Yo soy el que tea ma,
I who loves you

Que siempre te recuerda.
You always remember
Me dicen que andas buscando un carino,
I say you are looking for affection
que te ame con el Corazon
Who loves you with the heart
Un aquel que es sinceri contigo
One who is hones with you
Si tu quieres te entrego mi amor.
If you want I give my love
Aqui estoy
I am here
Soy lo que siempre sonaste,
I am what you always dreamed
Yo te ofresco mi amor sin mentiras,
I offering my love out of lies
Ven a mi no te defraudare.
See my not let you down
Aqui estoy yo que no te has dado cuenta,
I am here, you have not noticed
Yo soy el que tea ma,
I am the one who loves you
Quien siempre te recuerda.
Who always remembers
Aqui estoy yo
I am here
Tu fiel enamorado
You true love
Yo soy el que te quiere,
I am the one who loves you
El que te anda buscando,
This is looking for you
Si busca un amor que sea sincero
If you are looking for a love that is sincere
Aqui estoy yo
I am here
Aqui estoy yo
I am here
Soy lo que andas buscando,
I am what you are looking for
Eres tu lo que siempre sone,
You are always my dream
Yo te ofresco mi amor sin medida
I will give to you my love without of measure
Ven a mi no te defraudare
Come to me I not defraud you

VOCES INOCENTES

Voces Inocentes is a movie that represents a real story about El Salvador. The director of this film is Luis Mandoki and the writers are Luis Mandoki and Oscar Orlando Torres. The Principal Characters are Carlos Padilla “Chavita,” Leonor Valera “Keila,” and others. The movie is rated R because of the contained violence and some language that is not appropriate.

Voces Inocentes has a drama moral and political issue. This film reflects some of the problems during the civil war in El Salvador. During the film we can see the dramatic events for the children and their parents, how the children were exposed to be part of the army at early ages. Most of the children were part of the army at the age 12, but when the army had less soldiers they would take children at the ages of eleven, and teen–years- old. In Voces Inocentes Chava is the representation of lot children in the Salvador and how life was difficult there. We can see in the movie the hard times that Chavita’s family and other families had. These families lived in poor areas and they had houses made of sheet and wood.                                                  

“Chavita” tried to help his mother and stared to work in a bus. His job was say, “To the town, al centro, al centro”. The money he made was not enough to help his mother. Chavita also had an uncle who was part of the enemies of the army. Chavita’s uncle was Tio Beto; Tio Beto gave Chavita a radio and in the radio he could listen to a song called “Casas de Carton” means Houses of cardboard. This film has all kinds of emotions. I recommend this story for everybody, even though some critics of this film say that it is not a good representation of a conflict between the army and the guerrilla civil during the 1980s. This civil war had a long process, it lasted 12 years approximately, but every story has a truth in it even if it is a myth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkVPsBEWFWU

Fighting

FIGHTINH 2009

Fighting is a movie of action and adventure. The protagonist is Channing Tatum (Shawn), then there is Terrence Howard (Havey Boarden), Zulay Henao, and Brian White. The movie is rated PG-13.

The film shows a young man trying to make a living in the streets of New York City. Shawn is selling books in the street when he had an altercation with another guy, but all of this was a trick to take his money. After the little fight Terrence proposes to Shawn a fight that would earn him a thousand dollars. Shawn accepts and Terrence introduces Shawn into the underground street fighting circle. Shawn decided to continue fighting because every fight brought him closer to the life that he always wanted, but all of this circle had traps and Shawn had to fight with all of this not only with his knockouts, but also with the heart. The movie had a good opponent. Shawn knew his opponent because he used yo train with his father. During high school Shawn and his opponent had a fight, but Shaw’s dad tried to separate them Shawn lost his mind and hit his dad. During the film Shawn confronted an emotional conflict, by remembering his father and how his father preferred the other guy. This film has a lot of action, but it also has adventure. In the way Shawn met a girl named Zulay. Zulay is a Latina and she had a little girl and her grandmother lived with her. Shawn falls in love with Zulay, but he knew that Zulay worked for Terrence too. At the end, when Terrence though that all money that was made on the final fight was lost, he discovered that was not true and Shawn and Zulay move to another state with all of her family and Terrence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fuUMJHh7UU

The Cinco de Mayo

Reading a story fro, my text book “Cross Purposes” I remember something that
I don’t understand. Why people have such great celebrations here in the U.S. like the Independence of Mexico, when they celebrating the 5th of May “La Batalla de Puebla.”
The 5th of May or La Batalla de Puebla is the commemoration of the Mexican militia over the French army. The Battle was in Puebla Mexico in 1862. France invaded all the state of Veracruz. France entered from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and France had advance toward Mexico City, but the army of France encountered a strong resistance near Puebla. The Mexican army stopped the invasion of the country. This was a glorious moment for the Mexicans and especially for the poblanos. Some people are confusing this event with the 16th of September. The Cinco the Mayo is mostly a part of a regional celebration in Puebla; El Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Puebla and also in all Mexico, but not like the 16th of September.

In Mexico City every year people celebrate The Independence Day. Its celebration is one of the most important in all Mexico not only in Mexico City. The festival is in the heart of the city, the zocalo. We celebrate El grito de la Independencia. On September 16th of 1810, the father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, with other conspirators as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez and Ignacio Allende, they rung the bell of a little church and called everyone to fight for the liberty. This is believed to have happened in the beginning of the war. After the war Mexico become Independent of Spanish rulers. It is the moment that every 15th of September at 12:00 P.M. all Mexicans around de world commemorate The Independence Day or El Grito de la Independencia.
The National colors are everywhere in the cars, house, streets, buildings, and clothes.

Flags and lights are the decoration especially in the city “el zocalo.” In the Zocalo is the most spectacular moment, people of the all ages gather here to celebrate. For this event there are also great artist and traditional food. The month of September is called, “El Mes de la Patria” National Month.gel

The Four Female Archetypes

La Llorona/The Wiping Women
La llorona is a Mexican legend, story or myth. The legend of the la llorona relates to a woman that had lost her children. The story says that she killed them because she wanted to get married with someone. La llorona killed the children in the river. The consequences of her killing her children were that she suffered of depression and she killed herself because of this.
Some people say that she appears looking for her children in the middle of the night. Other say, that only a person can see here if they have a bad behavior. The legend says that persons that see la llorona see that she is dressed all of white and she has a cloak on her face.
Mexican people use this story to scare there children, especially mothers that cannot control there children’s bad behavior. Others use this legend to put their children to sleep. For example: “If you do not sleep early the llorona comes for you and she takes you with her.”
In Mexico, la Llorona is a person that is crying all the time, most of the time this is a person suffering and that is lamenting itself. Lower classes can see la. For Example: People lamenting for things they don’t have in that moment that are either materialistic or physical can see her.



La Curandera/ Spiritual
La Curandera a person that can take the paper of a doctor and fake being one. The curandera dose not needs a title or a diploma because she has the power to cure. She has only the gift of cure for her god. The curandera comes from a cultural tradition. This tradition started in the Indigenes until today. In the past everybody went to her for cure for anything and today some people go to cure a bad eye or because of indigestion and they are cured spiritually. La Curandera is a person that helps lower class people because they do not have enough money to go to the doctor.



La Malinche/ Malinzzin
The story of La Malinche is part of the history of Mexico. She became the possession of Cortes after of the victory of Spanish and the village. The legend says that the real name of the la malinche is Malinzzin or Malinalli. People called her la malinche because she was the translator between the Indian and Colon conquistadores. La malinche told
Cortes many secrets of the Indians. After la malinche was Christianized she changed her name to Marina. La malinche was the woman of Colon. Colon and Malinche had a child. The name of the child was Martin; some people called him the bastard of Colon.
La Malinche is a person that is a traitor. La malinche can represent in all of the levees of social economic wealth.



This is the Guadalupe Basilica Church and Teotihuacán Pyramids, now Mexico City. Teotihuacán is an Arco logical zone with more the 2,000 of History.



La Virgen Maria de Guadalupe

La Virgen Maria de Guadalupe is the mother of God and was first seen 1531 in Tepeyac; she represents the unity, spirit, and strength of all the Mexicans in Mexico and this is why she is called “Mother of all Mexicans”. On her special day December 12 all Mexicans go to La Basilica and have a celebration for her, where they bring flowers, sing songs, and pray.

La Virgen represents the pure in each woman especially in Mexico. Some people say if a woman is pure and virgin, she can get married with the respect of her husband. This definition of pure is followed by all of the social levees, but especially in the high society.

Freegan

Feegan

I had never heard this word before until one day in may class. The teacher gave it to us in one paper sheet. The sheet said, “Feegan” I star to read and it and said this; ‘ A growing number of Americans are discovering that there is such a thing as a free lunch, says Erika Hayasaki in the Los Angles Time. It’s what the rest of us call garbage.”
“For lunch in her modest Brooklin, N.Y. apartament Madeline Nelson Tossed a salad made whit shaved carrots and lettuce she had dug our of a Whole Foods Dumpster. She flavored the dressing with miso power she’d found in the trash bag on a crub in Chinatown. She baked bread made whit yeast plucked from the garbage of a Middle Eastern grocery store. Nelson is a former corporate executive who can afford to dine at four start restaurant. But she prefers turning garbage into gourmet mealts we those spending a cent.” (Erika Hayasaki in Los Angeles Time).

In Mexico many people live like this they are feegan, but not like this article says it because the people that are feegan are the less fortunate. Some of the m is groups of families that do not have enough resources and they live in inappropriate housing. Feegan for example: In Mexico they are seeking for metal, plastic, paper, and then sale it. Then all of the food they pick is to eat. This food does not have expiration date, but it is good for them and they family. Most of these people live in hoses of cardboard or in the open air. The open air can be under a bridge, parks, and land fills. Those people pick the food in the land fills and the open air mark. The open air market can be in different parts of the city It market moves every day and every where.
The scene that I most remember is the one family. That family was really poor. The grandmother was looking for food in the air market at the end of the day. She brought some food like fruit and vegetables for her grand sons. In this for the grandmother was trying to help her daughter to raise her family. The globalization and the low wages prudes this happening. This story is not the same from the one I read in the article, but they do not the same thing, they dig for food to eat.

Under the Same Moon

La Misma Luna
(Under the Same Moon)


Link



This story is based in the separation of a young mother Rosario, (Kate Del Castillo) Carlitos, (Adrian Alonso) and Enrique (Eugenio Derbez). Director Patricia Rigger, and writer by Ligian Villalovos, rated PG- 13.
This story is an emotional drama than a political one. In this story, the economical issues have a big impact that includes in the separation of Rosario and her son Carlitos.
The movie starts with a phone call of Rosario to her son Carlitos. She calls him through a pay phone. This is the same pay phone in which the movie milks sentiments from their separation, but at the same time, it is their reunion. One Sunday morning, Rosario calls at her normal time that every Sunday and said,” Happy Birthday Carlitos how are you?” Carlitos says,” Mommy I am ready to go to Los Angeles.”
Carlitos lived with his grandmother in Mexico because his mom lived and worked as an illegal in Los Angeles. His grandmother was very sick, she took care of him until one day when he awoke and his grandmother was still sleeping and she never woke up because she passed way. That same day Carlitos decided to cross the border to Los Angeles and look for his mom Rosario.

On Carlitos’s way to Los Angeles on his own, he was exposed with child traffickers, drug addicts, and the border patrol. On his way to Los Angeles, he would always remember his mom because his purpose was to find her and live with her. The strongest and major characters in the movie La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon) are Carlitos and Rosario.
The actors in this story give life to the persona and are easily believed because when I saw the movie my emotions came easily and I felt very sad. The movie starts with the soft music of violins and piano. In the sentimental scenes this gives a melancholic moment to the drama. The funniest part of the movie is when Carlitos and Enrique were washing the dishes in the restaurant and both start singing a song of Laura Leon, “Yo No Soy Abusadora.” The lights play an important role in this movie, especially the brightness of the moon at night when both Carlitos and his mom look at the moon. The camera is focusing on the left angle of the projection of the moon of that form the moon results.
The movie took place in two different locations. One took place in the border of Mexico, and the other place is in Los Angeles. The first scenes of the movie took place mainly in Mexico and in the course of the movie changed and took place in Los Angeles.

In this story Enrique played an important role. For example, when Carlitos started his journey towards Los Angeles, he was only nine years-old. By casualties of life Carlitos and Enrique, cross each other in his way. Carlitos was traveling to find his mom and Enrique was trying to find a better life in the U. S. Carlitos tries to be friends with Enrique, but he refuses until Carlitos is exposed to addicted people on his way. After that they both went along with the journey. While Carlitos was in his journey toward Los Angeles, his mom Rosario was thinking of going back to Mexico. One morning when Carlitos was sleeping on the bench of a park in Los Angeles, Enrique sees that police men are taking Carlitos into a cop car and so Enrique makes a big scandalous scene to distract the police men so Carlitos could go run from the police and find his mom. He found his mom at the same pay phone where she calls him every Sunday.
This story is good for the whole family to see and gives a lesson of love between mother and son. With this movie we can also learn the difficulty of the separation of families and how dangerous it can be to cross the border between Mexico and the United States.

www.linkbrightcove.com