The El Camino Real de los Tejas served as a lifeline for Spanish Missions. It moved men and equipment rapidly, and brought them much needed supplies. It also served as a communication line, and supported trade, supplies, and military protection. In a similar way, this pathway contributed to Texas independence. It gave troops and armies supplies that were needed, and enabled communication.
In order to write this book, the author clearly uses different manuscripts and papers that helped him to explain and show the situation of this social movement. He also uses and gets information from people that were living those situations, for instance in Chapter one, he mentions a note from Journalist Ruiz Ibañez: “Contrary to the common belief that those groups are composed of “punks” and hoodlums….”1. Related to him, he is an American historian and sociology that obtained his sociology and political science degrees in the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, as well. Currently, he is a professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and he is president of the Center for Latino Policy Research. He wrote not only Quixote’s Soldiers but also, Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986.
Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula also known as Francisco Villa or as we know him Pancho Villa was born June 5, 1878 and was one of the most important Mexican Revolutionary general in Mexico. Pancho Villa was born Doroteo Arango, the son of a sharecropper at the hacienda in San Juan Del Rio, Durango. While growing up, Pancho Villa witnessed and experienced the harshness of peasant life. In Mexico during the late 19th century, the rich were becoming richer by taking advantage of the lower classes, often treating them like slaves. When Villa was 15, his father died, so Villa began to work as a sharecropper to help support his mother and four siblings.
Throughout history, various ancient civilizations all over the globe have created traditions and customs that have been passed down through generation to generation. The idea of having these customs withstand the test of time is truly remarkable. A perfect example of the passing of tradition is the Mexican celebration of El Dia De Los Muertos. El Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that honors and celebrates loved ones of family who have passed away. Although it has its origins from the Aztec Empire, the holiday is widely celebrated in Latin America and even some parts of the United States.
As a Latina been raised in the USA, I considered Latinos been a multi culture ethnic group. We do share some customs but no all, one of the distinctive are the fact that even though we speak the same language , our accent, pronunciation and some words can be same, but have different meanings, for example Dominican, Cuban and Puerto Rican. We all come from the Caribbean but our music, food, customs and some religious beliefs are totally different. Every country has their unique flavor; they own flags, celebrations, etc. therefore that allow some discrimination because everybody thinks their own kind is better than the others Latinos.
If you were to be asked “what do you picture when I say the word Mariachi?” Most likely the first thing that pops into your mind is entertaining music, intense dancing, emotional screaming, delightful food and tequila we cannot forget the tequila. As a Hispanic I have also been affected by some of the stereotype set by the media, I have been asked if I play soccer, eat tacos, and even if I am a drug dealer, of course, I don’t take this insults seriously but when they ask me if I listen to mariachi music I proudly answer “Yes, yes I do!” I am from Jalisco, Mexico, the home of the mariachi genre and I take pride in some of the stereotypes set by today’s society and
Corrido is a traditional Mexican type of music that consist of a narrative on historical events. The purpose behind corridos initially began to spread news to people. Throughout time, it started to discuss the struggle against oppression and injustice. In fact, the topics of corridos have included on the corrupted government, disloyal wives/husbands, life stories, and many other social problems. Today many corridos have focus on discussing the current issues between the US and Mexico.
The Spanish American war was a product of Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis and the urbanization of America. In 1895, a rebellion broke out in Cuba, as Cuban patriots wanted independences from Spain. Through the yellow journalism, reports of Spain’s cruel military tactics lead to a public uproar in the U.S. However, most of these stories were exaggerated as a form to promote war. After an American battleship, the USS Maine, was destroyed, America was “forced” to start war and stop Spanish occupation.
During the 19th century, there were many artists who were under the impression that they could not create art pieces such as, modernist abstraction, naturalistic realism, panoramic landscape, or reclining nudes (Pohl 359). This led to the artists traveling south of Mexico in the 1920s (Pohl 359). Mexico’s artistic scene, cheaper cost of living, beautiful climate, and intriguing culture caught the interest of a lot of different artists and pursued them moving (Pohl 359). The image so many artists were interested in capturing through their works of art was the faultless Mexican peasant rather than the radical one (Pohl 360). This concept they had was formed off the tourist writings (Pohl 360).
Mexico’s drug cartels are the worst they have been in years, and all the problems stem from a lack of proper decision making from the government at every level . Since Colombia was taken away from the drug scene, Mexico’s cartels have made up for the slack and then some. Subsequently, cartels in Mexico also began to flourish at a time when Mexico was in the process of instituting a new form of government. Not only is Mexico trying to work out the kinks of their new democracy, but the cartels are pushing more drugs than ever before; Mexico needs to address this problem. To make matters worse, a number of Mexican officials are corrupt, unaccountable, or distrusted by the people.
This corrido is just an example of how corridos praise important people like revolutionist. Although corridos are important and tell many unwritten opinions and ideas, they are currently banned from Mexico. It is interesting to learn that Mexico has done this because corridos is what made them famous and allowed for them to communicate during the Mexican Revolution. Corridos expresses many opinions that come from the people of Mexico, and expresses how Mexico feels as a whole.
The folklores of this particular culture hold creencias or beliefs that have shaped Mexican history. These stories serve to stimulate the minds of Mexican Americans that keep the history alive. For children it brings a view of a mystic world of the past to life in their eyes. It is the heart and soul of the culture and it gives people the insight to their value system. One story in particular from what I remember as a child was the story of La Llorona.
The Role of Caudillos in Latin America The term Caudillo is somewhat elusive due to the overwhelming variances in human nature. What exactly do I mean by this? The term is used to define human beings and in general definitions are a generalization of what things are. However when we begin to attempt to define different individual people the task becomes much more challenging.
I’m the first generation of my family to be Mexican -American, but I have been introduced to the Mexican culture since I was born. I appreciate the difficulties my parents have faced to make me the person that I am today even though I wasn’t born in Mexico my parents have taught me the language and the culture which I’m so proud of being part of. For others being Hispanic is actually being born in any Latin American countries which is not true at all. Being Hispanic is much more than my cultural background it actually describes how much I appreciate my culture and how I get to experience things other people don’t. I fit into the Hispanic community through the experiencing the culture first hand ,participating in traditions and planning to include my culture in my future.
Mexican Culture: Customs and Traditions The Mexican culture is very diverse which has undergone many transformations over several decades and the culture varies widely throughout Mexico and the United States. I will be more focused on the other side of the border and express my findings about the Mexican culture in Mexico. According to woldatlas an online database, the majority of Mexicans live in cities like Mexico City with a population of 12 million Mexicans.
