Gregorio Cortez was born on a ranch on June 22, 1875 between Reynosa and Matamoros on the Mexican side of the river. He then relocated to Manor, Texas and a couple of years later he began working in a farm in Karnes and Gonzales counties. As we can see Gregorio Cortez is an ordinary man in an “ordinary world” just trying to survive and have a decent life. His “call to adventure” came when Sheriff Morris questioned Mexicans about a stolen horse, thus Gregorio was approached and questioned about the situation. Everything was going smoothly until the interpreter misunderstood Gregorio’s reply by failing to identify that in Mexican Culture there is a distinction between a horse (caballo) and mare (yegua). Gregorio said he never traded a horse…
While most of what has happened historically is clouded by speculation and wonder, some events have been well-documented. The Conquest of the Americas by the Spanish was an event in which many aspects were recorded, which has helped historians tremendously. The Broken Spears is a historical outlook on the Spanish Conquest of the Americas that includes several different texts written by many different indigenous people. Numerous texts are written in such a way that show the fear that the people experienced while having their towns overtaken, while other texts simply explain what was happening at the time. In Traditions and Encounters, a more factual approach is taken, conveying only facts. The Broken Spears includes facts, yet also includes the vivid emotions of the people.…
Josie Mendez-Negrete’s novel, Las Hijas de Juan: Daughters Betrayed, is a very disturbing tale about brutal domestic abuse and incest. Negrete’s novel is an autobiography regarding experiences of incest in a working-class Mexican American family. It is Josie Mendez-Negrete’s story of how she, her siblings, and her mother survived years of violence and sexual abuse at the hands of her father. “Las Hijas de Juan" is told chronologically, from the time Mendez-Negrete was a child until she was a young adult trying, along with the rest of her family, to come to terms with her father 's brutal legacy. It is a upsetting story of abuse and shame compounded by cultural and linguistic isolation and a system of patriarchy that devalues the experiences of women and girls. At the same time, "Las Hijas de Juan" is an inspirational tale, filled with strong women and hard-won solace found in traditional Mexican cooking, songs, and storytelling.…
The best realistic fiction always seems believable and logical with the situation of the story line. This is certainly true in the short read “Navajo Lessons.” In the story Celine and her brother Josh have to stay at their grandmother's house for the summer at a Navajo reservation. While there Josh and Celine are forced to learn the Navajo language, which is the only language her grandmother speaks. Celene dislikes this and doesn't want to learn the language, until one day when she and Josh have to run for help to save her grandmother before it is too late. In the story, the main theme is the importance of being open-minded and trying new things.…
The first article I have chosen is, "Juncture in the road: Chicano Studies Since: "El plan de Santa Barbara" by Ignacio M. Garcia. I have chosen this particular article for various reasons. One is because reading the first few paragraphs of the article stirred up many emotions within me. I found myself growing angry and once, again, repulsed by the United States discrimination system. The more knowledge I obtain on the United States, on its past and how it develops today, I can finally say that I resent everything it stands for and embarrassed being part of it. I would rather say that I am a country of one myself. The second reason for choosing this article, was because it was an easy read for me as well as the topic being discussed was intriguing.…
This chapter talks about the history of Guadalupe. Especially about some of the most important events in this little town. For example some conquistadores who ate a poisoned bear and died. But, this chapter does not only talk about Mexican or Latino cultures it also has some stories about Chinese and Japanese people.…
ocial consciousness is what brings change forward for many movements, the term Chicano first arose from the 1960’s when radical changes were happening in the United States. The term Chicano applied to individuals who identified from Mexican descent who took pride in its culture, history, and indigenous heritage had the awareness to the injustices done to Chicanos and are committed to a lifestyle of activism through various professions (Romero, Sept 30th). Though this is a great foundation to establish the Chicano identity, it needs to be worked on because it does not encompass diversity. A poem called I Am Joaquin which describes the ideal Chicano does not include a sisterhood, the inclusion of various sexuality and religion. It identifies…
(Tlaloc) with the new patterns of worship the Mexica introduced to Central Mexico (focused on…
During the early 1800s and late 1900s, the United States underwent huge economic and technological changes. The development of a society that relied on free enterprise and innovation led to new inventions and increasingly efficient businesses. These changes helped make the United States one of the world’s strongest economies and industrial centers. From Thomas Edison’s light bulb to Henry Ford’s affordable automobiles to Frederick Taylor’s time-study analysis, US innovations influenced business, industry, and technology in the United States throughout the 1900s and into the present.…
Everybody loves to learn about the Mexican revolution. People like to learn about how they fought for and won their independence. I always hear about some persons named that played a role in the revolution, but I never really hear of many. Nobody talks a lot about the guys who helped win on the sidelines. The people that gave everything they had to help Mexico win its independence. They are not really famous, but you never know, without their help Mexico might have lost. They’re Mexican Revolutionaries that made me want to learn about Mexican American History. People like Emiliano Zapata, Dolores Jimenez y Muro, Gildardo Magana, and Pancho Villa. Although most things they did were unlawful it was still in the name of their country. They did it to fight for their country and protect it. Their courageousness and determination are amazing, and it’s one of the reasons why Mexico won its independence.…
Mexican culture has been characterized as an accepted background of values: familism, respeto and simpatia (respect and congeniality), curanderismo (folk healing), religiosity/spirituality, and the importance of language are among the most important (Cultural Responses to Health Among Mexican… 2007). In a typical Mexican family, the father is the breadwinner. The man can also be known as a machismo. Machismo is refer to as manliness and has positive and negative views in reference to it. The man in the family holds great responsibility, and makes majority of decisions. The mother falls under the caregiver role, whom force holds the family together and shares cultural wisdom (Cultural Responses to Health Among Mexican… 2007). Family is an important value in the Mexican culture.…
Mexican Culture, like any other culture, is a very unique thing. They have their own foods, holiday, traditions, and much more. To learn more about Mexican Culture I interviewed a friend named Sofia that used to live in Monterrey, Mexico. I played sports with Sofia in high school so I knew her and her family pretty well and I felt comfortable going to her house for dinner. Her father made home-made tamales for dinner and she made pineapple stuffed empanadas for dessert. After dinner, we discussed Mexican culture and traditions, her life in Mexico, and also her life here in America.…
The Mexican culture has been around for years. Growing slowly and gaining new things to make the culture bigger. What does the Mexican culture consist of?…
In the 1960s, Courlander began a series of field trips to the American Southwest to study the oral literature and culture of the Hopi Indians. His collection of folk tales, People of the Short Blue Corn: Tales and Legends of the Hopi Indians, was issued in 1970 and was…
At the midst of great need for help came a man to save his dying country. Indeed, he was a brave man, willing to risk his own life just to fight the controlling authority ruling his beloved nation. That great man was none other than Gat Villaruel, the Superman of Islas Filipinas. For having great power, comes great responsibility, not literally power as of magic but power of intelligence and courage. And because Villaruel carried that 'Will of Fire' within him, he believed it was his duty to protect his motherland and its people. It's even quite funny to think that Villaruel was not the typical savior who had a big body figure. Because the truth was, it's the other way around, not even reaching five foot. But despite that, he was like a giant hidden in a small body. Like a giant who has a big appetite for learnings, knowledge and discoveries, also for such respect and freedom, if that really existed.…