When I begin to think about colonial Mexico, nothing comes to mind. It is not a subject I learned in school, nor is it a subject I have put extensive research into. When I think about Mexico before the present day, my mind goes straight to the Aztecs and Mayans who lived thousands of years ago. However, after watching I, the Worst of All, I have more of an understanding of that time than I did before. Colonial Imperialism changed the course of history for so many people, not only in Africa or Asia, but in Latin America as well. Nuns exist in many cultures, and not all of them are Christian nuns. But I, the Worst of All gave me a view of what it was like for a woman living in the 15th and 16th centuries. I cannot relate to Sor Juana's plight, because I did not live at that time, nor am I a woman. The movie showed me a life that is hard for me to imagine living, and allowed me to glimpse a time when life was harsh and cold (from my standpoint at least). From what I have learned from Latino/a friends and the books I have read is that in Latino/a culture, men are dominant and this is evident in I, the Worst of All. Sor Juana does not have the ability to express herself or possess books or literature because she is a woman.
The movie also made me think of a barrier that exists in America, but it was not something I saw in the movie. It was the fact that the movie was in Spanish. In America, Spanish is looked down upon, and it is considered by many people a bad language based on the fact that there is a large population of Spanish-speaking migrant workers in America. Many Americans do not take into account that part of America, where many Hispanic people live, used to be part of Mexico, and also there are many third, fourth, or fifth generation people living in our country. In La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua states this viewpoint very clearly, as she discusses her experience in school, and around other Latinos/as. Spanish was not accepted because it was not popular with the mainstream. Today, Spanish and Latino/a culture is becoming more prominent, but there is still opposition to the culture. Living in Goshen, and attending Goshen High School has allowed me to look at the shift of Latino/a culture to more mainstream from an active standpoint, and I personally think it is a shift in the right direction.
Wonderfully honest first sentence. You make a really good point about the movie being in Spanish. I agree that many people in America look down on Spanish... especially evident in the accounts we've read in class so far. You make another good point when you note that Americans all too often forget that part of America used to be part of Mexico.
ReplyDeleteWhile you say that you have a hard time imagining the difficulties that Sor Juana experiences, I can guess that there are times when you are in really similar situations--only the 21st century version of her plights. Am I right?
How did attending GHS make you see things differently?
Rikki, I also feel as though I have not learned much in the classroom setting about colonial Mexico. This movie helped me to visual some of the power and male domination dynamics of the time. Why have we not been taught about colonial Mexico in high school history classes?
ReplyDeleteThe city of Goshen has a much larger Latino/a population than where I am from. In that sense, there is a larger acceptance of the Latino/a population here in Goshen. However, last year through my Violence and Nonviolence class I took part in conducting three interviews regarding immigration. During these interviews, I was inspired by the work of La Casa and also better able to understand the difficulties of Latinos/as who do not have documents. I was also quite disturbed to interview a member of a few of Goshen's political committees who talked about his hatred toward all Latinos/as in Goshen. His ignorance and anger frustrated me and allowed me to recognize that there are still individuals and groups who strongly oppose Latino/a culture. How did you see these dynamics of acceptance and opposition among high schoolers at GHS?
You're right - it's rather surprising how much we are NOT taught. Up until college, most of what I knew about Mexico concerned the Spanish-American and Mexica-American Wars, neither of which sheds much light on Mexican culture or history (unless it pertains to the US, of course). Imagine if we had been taught in grade school about the culture of our neighbors to the South and the North, and how that would affect our interactions with Latino/as, or Canadians (who we frequently assume basically Americans).
ReplyDeleteYour post also made me think about what else it is that we aren't learning. It took until late high school for me to truly discover that there were active female writers prior to Jane Austen's books. Despite our "history months," there are many perspectives that are not in the mainstream.
I can agree with the statement that Spanish is looked down upon because of the many migrant workers and undocumented people in this country. During my life, I have always been around Spanish but future generations of Mexican Americans will not be speaking Spanish. Even within our own culture we neglect our language. There were times that many of my friends back home hated when people would speak Spanish because they didn't want to learn or the people were too "Mexican" for them. It is sad to say that many of the people will not speak spanish. Who is to blame for this?
ReplyDeleteI really like the honesty of your first statement. It's amazing how little we are taught about Mexico and Mexican culture and history in US schools. Instead we get Disney's "Three Caballeros" and advertisements for vacations in Cancun. We hear about the wall at the border, immigration issues, and NAFTA. Lately, we've had news of the drug tunnel between US and Mexico. Clearly the relationship between these countries is fraught and tense, and there's little true respect through cultural and educational exchange. (Although there's plenty of other kinds of exchange.) We need to overcome stereotypes and fear. It's been a pleasant surprise to me as an adult to discover the work of Octavio Paz, a nobel laureate, and the writings of Sor Juana de la Cruz, just to name two examples. I'm hoping that the work of people like Anzaldua, and efforts at bilingual education, and more acquaintance with Latinos in America will create more appreciation for the Spanish language and Latino culture. It's a slow process--and will take longer than it took for salsa to become a more popular condiment in the USA than ketchup.
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