Altar for My Grandfather and Grandmother

img_20161019_140805269Altars are a very important part of Día De Los Muertos celebrations. Altars serve as the way that those who are alive pay respect to their loved ones who have passed away. These Día De Los Muertos altars are vary from family to family. However, most of them include items that those that the altar is dedicated to enjoyed. I created an altar for my Grandfather on my Mom’s side and my Grandmother on my Dad’s side. The altar I created was for Amado Geronimo and Emilia Torres. I set up the altar in the living room of my apartment. It is set up right in front of the front door so whenever someone walks in the first thing they see is the altar. I created the altar for my Grandfather and my Grandmother because I feel they are the people who shaped my parents.

My Grandfather passed away when Mom was a teenager. However, my Mom always talks about my Grandfather. She tells me stories of how much of great man he was. When she describes how much of a great man he was my Mom tells me stories of how he always took care of his family. My Grandfather always helped struggling family members no matter if it meant that they had to work harder. For example, at an early age my Grandfather let one of my Mom’s cousins stay with them because she was facing many family problems. Without hesitation my Grandfather let her stay with them and she basically became like a sister to my Mom. I believe this story demonstrates that my Grandfather was a great man who really cared for his family. My Grandfather believed that he needed to keep his family united and help everyone out when they are struggling. She also tells me stories of the different lessons that my Grandfather taught her. One of the stories my Mom has told me involves my Grandfather taking her out to work in the fields. My Mom tells me that my Grandfather taught her how to pick fruit and do many labor related jobs. This served as a way to show her that she is capable of doing any job. My Grandfather taught my Mom how to do jobs that are typically taught to only boys and men. I believe that this helped her understand that she can do anything a man can do no matter how hard the job is. By doing this my Grandfather was teaching my Mom how to fight against patriarchy that is found in society.  My Mom grew up with the idea that a woman can do the same work that a man can do. This is important because my Grandfather wasn’t pushing the patriarchal ideology found throughout Mexico on his daughter. By having her work the same jobs as the boys, my Mom was able to fight against the patriarchy and machismo of the time. It is very noticeable that he had a great impact on her life while he was alive. My Grandfather also had an impact on my Mom’s life after he passed away. My Grandfather passed away while my Mom was a teenager and this really affected her life. Due to this my Mom learned to become independent. The lessons my Mom was taught by my Grandfather served as a way to make her more independent. Without knowing it by taking my Mom out to do physical jobs, my Grandfather was helping my Mom grow to be much more independent woman. My Mom’s life was changed drastically with the death of my Grandfather but it helped her become more independent.

I also chose to dedicate this altar to my Grandmother because she played a huge role in shaping my Dad’s life. While my Dad was growing up, my Grandmother was the one who ran the household. She took care of all the children and worked hard to provide for them. My Grandfather spent most of his time in the United States working so he wasn’t around for long periods of time. Due to my Dad’s father being gone, my Grandmother had to take care of the family. My Dad tells me stories of the struggles that they had to overcome while my Grandfather was in the United States. My Grandfather worked in the United States but never sent any money back to Mexico. This meant that my Grandmother had to work extra hard in order to serve. My Dad tells me how she would do many things in order to bring money home. One of the things she did was make bread. She worked the ovens and made bread to sell in order to survive. The hard work that my Grandmother did shaped my father by teaching him to always work hard. My Grandmother is the reason why my Dad has such a strong work ethic. My Dad works very hard and never does anything without trying his hardest. My Dad tells me stories about the different task my Grandmother would make him do and it is noticeable that it shaped him. For example, my Dad always tells me the story of the chores he would have to do everyday before going to school. He says he would wake up early and walk about a mile to get water and bring it back to the house. He would then have to milk the cows. The final thing he would have to do before he was able to go to school he had to wake up his younger brother. This type of discipline that my Dad was taught really shaped him and his work ethic. My Grandmother taught my Dad that working hard and providing for your family is the most important aspect of life. This is an idea that my Dad has been teaching me for years. He always tells me that no matter what you’re doing you always need to give it a hundred percent. Throughout my life I have seen my Dad work extremely hard to provide for my family. No matter what my Dad always provides what is needed in my family. I know that he was taught to be this way by my Grandmother and I know he appreciate everything she did. My Grandmother passed away 4 years ago. My Dad was not able to see his mother before her death. Due to internalized pain, my Dad doesn’t really bring up stories of my Grandmother anymore. However, when I told my Dad that I wanted to create the altar for both my Mom’s father and his mother he was overjoyed. He went and found a picture for the altar and told me about things she enjoyed. I could tell that my Dad was happy that I was paying my respects to my Grandmother. I felt it was necessary to pay respect to the woman who shaped the man who has influenced me the most in my life. I saw this opportunity as a way to let her know that I appreciate her impact on my life.

When creating the alter I included a variety of items. The first thing I included were pictures of my Grandfather and my Grandmother. The picture were used to show who the altar was dedicated to. The second item I included were candles. I used white candles to pay respect to my Grandmother and Grandfather. My Mom told me that the candles are used as way to guide my Grandmother and Grandfather. The light of the candle is the way the spirit find their way through the darkness. Without the candles, the spirits can get lost and not find their way to their altars. I also included two shots of mezcal. My Mom told me that my Grandfather’s favorite drink was mezcal. Since the alter is supposed to include things enjoyed in life I decided to include itt. I also included some apples to the alta. I included apples because both my Grandfather and Grandmother enjoyed apples. My Mom also told me to include apples because it always good to include fruit in Día de Los Muertos altars The final item I included in my altar was Pan de Muertos. However, I did not use the bread that they sell at the store. In my altar I used regional bread. The bread that I used is bread that is used for altars in Guerrero, Mexico. Both my Grandfather and Grandmother were from Guerrero. I wanted to include the Pan de Muertos that was from their homeland. It serves as a way to pay respect to them and to their land. I also wanted to include the bread because my Grandmother was a bread maker while she was alive. My Dad always talks about how she would make some of the best pan in the pueblo. I wanted to include the bread to pay respect to this aspect of my Grandmother’s life. Those were the items that were included in the altar that I dedicated to my Grandfather and Grandmother.

My Grandmother was a very important part of my Dad’s life. She was the one who took care of the family. She worked very hard to provide for her children. My Grandfather was always in and out of the picture. He would leave for long periods of time and go work in the United States. This would lead to my Grandmother working to provide for my Dad and his siblings. My Grandmother was part of a culture with “institutionalized heterosexism, inbred machismo, and a lack of cohesive national political strategy” (Rodríguez,8). This culture that she was a part of basically told her that she needed My Grandfather in the picture in order to survive. However, my Grandmother was providing for her family without the help of a man. My Grandmother was fighting patriarchy without even knowing it.  By being the leader of the household my Grandmother served as the head of the family. She was in the role that a man is supposed to be in, according to traditional Mexican family structure. She was not a man but was providing for her family the way a man is supposed according to a culture of machismo and patriarchy.. My Grandmother went against the idea that a man is needed in order for a family to survive. She took the role of the head of household and showed that women are able to provide for a family. This idea was fighting the patriarchy that is found in traditional Mexican families. My Grandmother was definitely an inspiration for my Dad. Growing up with my Grandmother working hard to provide showed him that anything can be overcome. My Dad and his siblings faced a lot of problems while my Grandfather was working in the United States. However, my Grandmother did not allow this to stop her from providing and overcoming. I think that my Grandmother’s work ethic showed my Dad that hard work and less to the overcoming of any problem. My Grandmother also served as an inspiration for my aunts. All of my aunts are very hard working and help provide for their household. My aunt Carina is the one I believe she played a big role in molding. My aunt Carina is very independent and does not let her husband provide everything for her. Not only does she work with her husband, who is a gardener, she also does all the housework and even takes care of her grandchildren. Through her actions it is definitely evident that my Grandmother and her way of taking care of her family influenced her. My Grandmother really impacted the life of my Dad and his siblings by showing them that a woman can provide for her family even in a patriarchal society.

Like my Grandmother, my Grandfather was a very important part of my Mom’s life. My Grandfather is the person who impacted all of my family members on my Mom’s side. While many of my younger family members, myself included, never met my Grandfather he still had an impact on our lives. My Grandfather was the one who shaped all my uncles and aunts. He taught them the meaning of hard work. While alive, my Grandfather worked hard to provide for his family. My Grandfather also instilled the idea that family is important. Like Richard T. Rodríguez explains in his book Next of Kin, Mexican families are known for “embracing a family principle as a modality of unity” (98). This is what my Grandfather was trying to teach his children. He taught everyone that family is the most important thing and that it was a way to keep them united.  I have heard stories from my extended family members about how great of a man my Grandfather was. My Grandfather not only took care of his children and wife, he also tried to take care of any of his family members who were struggling. This shows that my Grandfather believed that a family had to stay united and help each other out even if it means working harder. My Grandfather really believed in unity within the family.  My Grandfather’s early death also had a huge impact on my family. His death lead to my family coming together. While it is very unfortunate that he passed away at a young age, his death lead to my family always staying together. All my family members are united and always come together. My Grandfather and Grandmother had an impact on both my parents and my whole family.

Week 12: Resistance

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http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-downtown-la-trump-protests-20161109-htmlstory.html

This week’s assignments were very interesting but there was one that really stuck out to me. This assignment was the NPR interview with Rubén Martínez. During the interview, Martínez talks about the resistance of people during the L.A. Riots. This relates to an article I read in The Los Angeles Times called “Anti-Trump Protest continue for second day in California following a night of vandalism and arrest” by Joseph Serna. The article focuses on the protest that have happened due to the election of Donald Trump. This article relates to the interview because Martínez talks about how the L.A. Riots served as a method of resistance. This is similar to the protest that are brought up in the articles. The people of Los Angeles are protesting to resist the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. The article paints these protest as a bit negative. This is similar to the way the L.A. Riots are seen by a lot of people. However, both the protest and the L.A. Riots show that the people have the ability to resist. The people have the right to fight against what they feel is oppressing them. Sometimes it comes off as negative but sometimes protest and riots are the only way a message of resistance can be expressed. Martínez described the L.A. Riots as a method of resistance which is similar to use of protest by those in Los Angeles to resist the oppressive government.

Week 11: Masculinity Reconfigured

In the article “Masculinity Reconfigured: Shaking up Gender in Chicano/Latino Literature” by Pablo E. Martínez there is an analysis of the the novels “Pocho” by José Antonio Villarreal and “How the García Girls Lost their Accents” by Julia Álvarez. Martínez brings up the fact that these two novels have common leitmotifs, masculinity and machismo. Throughout his article, Martínez shows how these leitmotifs are deconstructed through nationalism, transnationalism, feminism and modernity. Martínez starts off by explaining that the father’s in both novels, Juan in “Pocho” and Carlos in “How the García Girls Lost their Accents”, grew up with a nationalistic ideology. They both came from countries where as men they held all the power in the family structure. This leads to them thinking that as men they can do whatever they want and can control everyone in their family. This is where the ideas of machismo and masculinity are found. Martínez then goes on to explain how transnationalism changes this. When the two families have to leave their countries and settle in the United States, the ideas of machismo and masculinity found in the Fathers are challenged. When they come to the United States, Juan and Carlos are not able to live like they did in their former countries. For example, Carlos who held a good job in his country ends up not being able to provide for his family in the United States. This leads to the breaking down of the nationalistic ideology of the Father’s. Martínez also explains that machismo and masculinity are challenged by feminism when the families are in the United States. The women in the novels are able to achieve more in the United States than in their past country. The women are more free to accomplish more and this challenges masculinity. In their past countries, women could not accomplish anything major only the men could. Through feminism in the United States, the women of these families are able to challenge masculinity and machismo. According to Martínez, the final way that ideas of machismo and masculinity are deconstructed is through modernity. When the Fathers come to the United States they have trouble keeping up with the times. They try to impose their ideas from their home countries in the United States but it does not work. Through modernity their ideas of machismo and masculinity are destroyed. Martínez explains in his article that masculinity and machismo can be erased through transnationalism, feminism and modernity.

My question is:

Do you think when men from countries that promote ideas like machismo and masculinity come to the United States they are stripped of these ideas through the society in the United States? Or are they still able to live their lives with these ideas?

The Life of Lenin

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For the first picture of my collage I chose a picture of my family on our trip to San Francisco a year ago. I chose this picture because it was the first major trip my family has ever taken together. I feel that I needed to add this picture to my collage because this trip was a major event in my life. Not only was it the first trip that my extended family ever took together, it was also the graduation of my cousin from art school. I think this relates to cultural factors. One of the cultural factors that I think that the picture conveys is unity. Richard T. Rodríguez explains that Chicano/a families are known for “embracing a family principle as a modality of unity” (98).  The picture conveys unity because it is a representation of my family together. The trip served as a way to bring my family together and make us more united. Chicano/a culture puts an emphasis on the family being united. I think that the picture also conveys the support that a family is supposed to give to its members. This is conveyed because the reasoning behind the picture was that my family was there to support my cousin on his graduation. The first picture of my collage conveys the cultural factors of unity and family support.

For the second picture of my collage, which is found in the right hand corner, I chose a picture of my Mom. I chose this picture because my Mom is the most important woman in my life. She has taught me a lot and continues to teach me even more as I get older. I chose a picture of my Mom because she was the first person to ever present the idea of machismo and its negative effects to me. Machismo is a problem faced by many Chicano/a families. Machismo is defined by Richard T. Rodríguez in Next of Kin as “a term most frequently used within Chicano and Latino context to imply manhood, or masculinity” (43). She introduced the concept of machismo and its negative effects on women to me through personal stories. She has told me many stories of her own struggles with machismo. She was faced with machismo because of her two older brothers. In Mexico, they would mistreat her and show their dominance over her. She basically served as their maid. She washed their clothes, made them food, and cleaned up after them. In a lot of families machismo is faced by the all the women and the mother does not do anything to bring it to an end. This is the situation my Mom was in. My Grandma witnessed a lot of the machismo but did not step in to intervene. She was not affected by the machismo because the machistas were her sons, not her husband. My Mom’s struggles served to convey a message to me. Growing up with a younger sister I never expressed any type of machismo attitudes towards her. After hearing my Mom’s stories I could never let machismo be a part of the relationship between my sister and I. My Mom’s stories served as a way to realize that machismo is not correct and it can ruin a person’s life. I am extremely thankful that at an early age my Mom taught me that machismo is not acceptable. I grew up with the idea that I should not expect a woman to do everything for. My Mother made it clear to me that being a male doesn’t automatically means that everything should be handed to me. I chose this picture for my collage because my Mom is the reason why I reject machismo and do not agree with a machista ideology.

For my third picture, which is found on the bottom left corner, I chose a picture of my cousins and I. I chose this picture because growing up my two older cousins served as guides in my life. I have always looked up to them and seen them as guides to how I should live my life. I learned from my cousins how not to fall into machismo. My cousins have always been very independent. They have never thought that things should be handed to them because they are males. By not relying on women to do things for them, they negated one of the effects of machismo. This relates to a statement that is brought up by Cherríe Moraga in Queer Aztlán. The statement is “On some level, our brothers-gay and straight-have got to give up being “men.” I don’t mean give up their genitals, their unique expression of desire, or the rich and intimate manner in which men can bond together. Men have to give up their subscription to male superiority” (233). I believe that my cousins do not subscribe to the idea of male superiority. By doing this my cousins had a great influence on me. The idea brought up in the quote is an exact representation of the way they are. An example of not relying on male superiority can be seen whenever we have family dinners. They never sit at a table and expect food to be served to them. They always make their own plates and wash their dishes after. This isn’t a major thing but it was the smallest details that have had the biggest impact on me. I also learned from my cousins that women deserve the same respect as everyone else and no one should be disrespected. In machismo, men tend to disrespect women and make them feel as if they are less. I can say that in my life I have never seen my cousins disrespect women. They have always treated everyone with respect and I have never seen them be disrespectful on purpose. Machismo presents the idea that women should be disrespected but my cousins taught me that everyone should be respected. I chose a picture of my cousins because by growing up with them I learned to go against machismo since they never displayed characteristics of machismo.

For my fourth picture, which is found in the bottom right hand corner, I chose a picture of my Grandma. I chose a picture of my Grandma because she is the one who raised everyone in my family. Not only did she raise all her children, she played a role in raising all her grandchildren. My Grandma is an example of a woman going against a patriarchal system. In a system of patriarchy, the father runs the family and is the one in control. In my family, the patriarchy was disrupted because my Grandma was the head of the household. My Grandfather passed away a long time ago in Mexico and my Grandma was forced to provide for the family. She raised 7 children, 3 daughters and 4 sons, on her own. My Grandma raised her children in a system opposite of patriarchy. She went against patriarchy in a country where patriarchy is found in almost every family. My Grandma went against one of the ideas that is brought up in Next of Kin which is that “womanhood is conceivable only as part of the symbolic principle informing machismo as guideline for the conduct of family life, male-female relationships, and personal self-esteem” (44).  She chose to provide for her children herself and never turn to a man for help. I see my Grandma as an inspiration because of this. Her decisions show that a patriarchal system can be overcome and a woman can separate herself from the idea of needing a male to provide for them. Not only is my Grandma an example of a woman going against a patriarchal system, she is also the one that brings unity to my entire family. My Grandma serves as the force that brings my family together. As long as I can remember, my Grandma has been the reason for my family coming together. Whether it’s a holiday or just a normal Sunday afternoon, my family always comes to together at my Grandma’s home. Like stated before unity is a major part of Chicano/a family structure. I chose this picture of my Grandma because she is the uniting factor of my family and she is the one who showed me that a patriarchal system can be overcome.

Chicana Perspective

Ana Castillo’s So Far From God presented a unique perspective. This perspective is the first hand experience of Chicanas living in the United States. So Far From God presents the story of four Chicanas living in New Mexico and the way that they live their lives. The four daughters, Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and La Loca, all experience different things in life. The four daughters all present different ways of life but they all serve to show different Chicana perspectives. I thought that the way the book presented the story of the daughter’s was very unique and made it very easy to understand the Chicana perspective. What stood out the most to me about these readings was the ideas related to the curandera Doña Felicia. I found this part to be the most interesting. Doña Felicia is an older woman who becomes the mentor of Caridad. Felicia plans on teaching Caridad her ways of healing. In chapter three, they talk about the remedies that Doña Felicia plans to teach to Caridad. Some of the remedies that are included are those to cure mal de ojo and empacho. These ways of healing used by Doña Felicia are a good representation of the folklore concepts found in Chicano/a culture. The idea of using unique methods of healing to cure certain illnesses is a very folkloric concept. I felt that this part was a good representation of ideas that aren’t really brought up when describing Chicano/a culture. Folklore’s influence on the culture of Chicanas and Chicanos tends to be overlooked.  Doña Felicia and her healing methods serve as a representation of the folklore that plays a major role in Chicano/a culture and society. The way Doña Felicia and her teachings were presented in the book were what really stood out to me during this reading.

My questions are:

What is your perspective on the different methods of healing, similar to those of Doña Felicia, that are used in Chicano/a culture? Do you believe that they are actually effective or just old ideas that don’t really do anything?

All Women DJ Collective Standing For A Cause

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In “The Verse of the Godfather”, the third chapter in “Next of Kin” by Richard T. Rodríguez, there is an analysis of the Chicano hip hop scene and how it portrays La Raza. Hip hop is made up of many different elements which include “graffiti, urban aesthetics, break dancing, DJ technologies, and, particularly in a Chicano context, tattooing.” A lot of these elements focus on men. Women tend to be underrepresented in these elements. While they are underrepresented, women have and are still very involved in hip hop and it’s many elements.

One of the elements of hip hop that women are still very involved in is DJing. In the article “Meet the Latina DJ Crews Fighting Cultural Erasure, One 45 at a Time” by Michelle Threadgould, two all women DJ collectives are the focus. Chulitas Vinyl Club and The B-Side Brujitas are women’s DJ collectives that “are creating a positive space for their community to do the hard work of healing.” The healing the community is doing is against police brutality and gentrification. While the two collectives do not play hip hop music, they are spreading a message similar to that which many early hip hop DJs were putting across. Chulitas Vinyl Club and The B-Side Brujitas are two groups trying to bring notice to the issues their communities in the Bay Area face. These two groups relate to the reading because they show that women can actually represent and be a part of the hip hop movement. These groups show that women are able to get a message across similar to the way men do through rapping. Chulitas Vinyl Club and The B-Side Brujitas are two examples of how women can be part of hip hop and end the misrepresentation.

Article link:

https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2016/07/20/meet-the-latina-dj-crews-fighting-cultural-erasure-one-45-at-a-time/

Film Review: La Bamba

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“La Bamba” is a film that tells the story of the singer Ritchie Valens. Ritchie Valens, real name Richard Valenzuela, was a Mexican American rock ‘n’ roll snger during the 50s. The movie follows the life of Valens, from working on a farm to being one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll musicians in the United States. The movie ends with the unfortunate death of Ritchie. I saw “La Bamba” as a kid with my parents and it immediately became one of my favorite movies. I honestly can not remember how many times I’ve seen this movie. The way I viewed this movie as a kid is much different to the way I look at it now. I still enjoy the movie but now I notice the themes of the Chicano/a family that are found within it. The film and Chicano/a families are connected through the theme of machismo.

The theme of machismo is clearly seen in “La Bamba.” There is one specific character that serves as the embodiment of machismo. This character is Bob, Ritchie’s brother. As a kid, I viewed Bob as the cool and tough older brother. This idea came from the image presented at the beginning of the film. However, now that I know more about issues affecting Chicano families, I realize that he is a representation of machismo. Machismo is something that affects many Chicano families. It implements the idea that males hold all the power. Machismo promotes the idea that males have all the power in the family and that the women should always do what the male wants. Basically it is male dominance over women. In “La Bamba”, Bob serves as a physical representation of machismo. In many scenes of the film, Bob’s machismo can be seen in many of the scenes with Rosie, the mother of his daughter. Bob does not hesitate to degrade Rosie. My devaluing her, Bob is trying to show that he is the dominant one. Bob is showing this idea of male dominance that is connected to Machismo. Bob also shows machismo by creating an image for himself. This image is one of a tough guy who doesn’t show any emotions. This is also another effect of machismo. Males with the machismo ideology tend to create an image so that they are not seen as weak. I believe this is what Bob is doing. In the film there are instances where Bob shows his true emotions. These situations make the viewer think that maybe the “macho” image is just a facade. Machismo is portrayed in this film through Bob and his actions. “La Bamba” is a great film that presents themes relevant to Chicanos/as, such as machismo, through characters like Bob.

Patriarchy found in Mi Familia/My Family

869d002170d45b1f10779492b185ecacThe readings of this week focus on the representation of Chicano/a families in the media. The readings talk about how Chicano/a families are portrayed on television and in movies. Of the two readings I found Chapter 2 “Shooting the Patriarch” of Next of Kin by Richard T. Rodríguez to be the one to catch my interest the most. I found this reading to be interesting because I felt there was an emphasis on recent representations of the Chicano/a family.

“Shooting the Patriarch” talks about the origins of Chicano/a film and how it has progressed and is still progressing. In the second part of the chapter Rodríguez focuses on the film Mi Familia/My Family and this is the part I found to be the most interesting. This part was the most interesting to me because it focuses on a film that I have seen many times. The analysis that is presented about the film made me realize that I had not really fully understood the message. I had never seen the film as a representation of patriarchy. I actually had never even thought about it in that way. Rodríguez’s analysis helped me understand what the film represent. Rodríguez uses the role of the sons to show patriarchy. Chucho is the son that always goes against his father and Jimmy is the son who listens and respects his father. These two are the representation of the “good son/bad son” (78) in a Chicano family. Chucho represents the “bad son” and he is the one that ends up being killed. On the other hand, Jimmy is the “good son” who ends up having a son and adding to the family genealogy. Chucho serves as a risk to the patriarchy and he “must literally be shot.” (78) The message that Rodríguez is trying to convey is that Mi Familia presents the idea of a patriarchal system found in Chicano families. If it wasn’t for this reading I don’t think I would have ever noticed this idea. Every single time I watched it before I never about what kind of a representation it presented. However, next time i watch this film I will definitely be on the lookout for things I would have never noticed if it wasn’t for the analysis by Rodríguez.

Do you think that Chicano/a families will continue to be represented as patriarchal in movies and television? What kind of change can Chicanos/as involved in the film and television industry make in order help bring change to the representations of our families?