Standing in Solidarity (with a little luck)

I pass this two to four times a day.

Every day, I wonder how long my luck is going to hold out.  When is that pole going to slide under my car, flipping it over while spewing live electrical wires all over the street?

It´s been a month now.  So far, so good.

It´s March, which brings to mind St. Patrick´s Day and, consequently the luck of the Irish.  Now, to the best of my knowledge, none of my ancestors were Irish, but today I´m sure looking like I´m pretending I were.

Despite the red hair and ND outfit,
I´ve got NO Irish genes.  

But isn´t that more or less the point of a modern celebration of St. Patrick´s Day?  It´s a day where we all just pretend to be Irish.  I´m not sure how the Irish feel about that, but that´s how we do things in the US.  That, and it´s a good excuse to drink a Guinness.

Very similarly, Cinco de Mayo has turned into a popular celebration in the US.  In the US, people use the 5th of May to celebrate Mexican heritage--and that´s great.  Or, it´s just a good excuse to have some Coronas or a margarita.  But, like St. Patrick´s Day, it appears to be a day that we can all just pretend to be "Mexican" for a day.  Whatever that means.

I do get on my yearly soapbox, explaining that Cinco de Mayo isn´t widely celebrated in Mexico.  However the events of Cinco de Mayo had longer-lasting consequences for the US and, if we knew about them, it would then make perfect sense that we celebrate Cinco de Mayo more in the US than Mexico.  I´ve got more information on that topic here.

But I´m not exactly pushing that soapbox today.  This comparison between how St. Patrick´s Day and Cinco de Mayo are celebrated in the US is striking me pretty hard, particularly this year.  Around 150 years ago, when Irish people were immigrating to the US by the boatload, they were often discriminated against.  They had doors closed in their faces and were openly excluded from jobs, places to live, etc.

While anti-Mexican sentiment has been simmering under the surface of US culture for awhile now, it appears to be coming to a head with the current administration.  What am I proposing here?  I´m suggesting that yes, let´s celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year.  Let´s do it the same way we do St. Patrick´s Day, where everyone pretends to be Irish for a day.  This Cinco de Mayo, let´s all be Mexican for a day.

That doesn´t mean that we all go around wearing sombreros and drinking tequila.  What I´m proposing is that we stand in solidarity with those Mexicans (and other latinos) who live in the US.  We appreciate them for their contributions to our country.  (If you´re not sure what that would be, I´ve got a glaring example here, for those readers who skipped over that link earlier.)

Why do I claim that Mexicans (and other latinos) are being discriminated against?

Trump´s presidential campaign sounded pretty clear to me.  His remarks about Mexico have angered an entire nation.  It´s becoming routine, upon meeting new people here, one of the first questions we´re asked is, "do you like Trump?"  I shudder to think how they´d respond to someone who says they do.  And this new Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office that trump wants to start sounds benign on the surface.  However, it hints at something larger.  My fear is that it will legitimize discrimination against latinos in the US.


But if that´s not evidence enough, consider:

• We have a system of for-profit detention centers where people are held for months, sometimes years, waiting for their immigration case to be process, often to ultimately be deported. 
• These for-profit detention centers require a MINIMUM number of people to be incarcerated in these centers.  Am I crazy, or should detention centers be run by the government (or at the very least, be non-profit).  Because who is making profits for these detention centers?  Right, the taxpayers.  And probably the people held in these detention centers.  
• Those held in these detention centers, not being US citizens, have no legal rights.  They have no right to representation like citizens or legal residents do.  This in another reason why they can be held for years, because in many cases no one is pushing to get cases heard, and the government has no plans to give these people due process--they just plan on deportation.  After they´ve met the detention centers´ minimum quotas, of course.        
• Entire families are locked up in these detention centers.  We´re incarcerating children.  This is not the kind of thing that makes me proud to be an American.  (Precisely the opposite.)

This Cinco de Mayo, let´s stand in solidarity with the Mexican and latino families down the street.  

That doesn´t mean eating a taco bowl.  Mexicans don´t actually eat those.  

That means contacting your representatives and senators, and speaking up for those neighbors who legally don´t have a voice in this country.  Whatever our stance on immigration, I think we can all agree that people should be treated humanely.  

Locking up non-violent offenders indefinitely is not humane.  Our country can do better.  

This Cinco de Mayo, let´s all be Mexican for a Day.



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Need more reading about Detention Centers?

Check out:

• the ACLU
• Bring Pedro Home (through a facebook group, I became aware of this family.  At the time, the husband was detained (indefinitely, of course).  In the end, he was held for 19 months.  When his case finally went to trial, his US citizen wife was preparing to move to Guatemala, because it was very likely he was going to be deported anyway.  Fortunately, he was ultimately granted permanent residency, and (as he was before his detention) he has been contributing positively to his community ever since. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Why Cinco de Mayo Should Be Celebrated More in the US than in Mexico

I think I finally stumbled on the reason why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the US than in Mexico! This battle, while being significant in Mexico's history, also had significant consequences for US history, too. (And likely longer-lasting consequences for US history, as the French eventually did overthrow the Mexican government, despite the defeat at Puebla on May 5th.)

The Battle of Puebla (as it's known in Mexico) was fought in 1862, between an invading French army and the Mexicans that were defending their country. At the time, Mexico was heavily in debt to France, and France decided to recoup their investment by taking over the country--in part, thanks to the US being otherwise occupied with its Civil War to bother enforcing the Monroe Doctrine.

Despite being severely outnumbered against the most powerful army in the world at the time, the Mexican army triumphed at this particular battle. Had the French been able to roll right through Mexico and take it over in mid-1862 (a full year before the Battle of Gettsyburg would turn the tide of the US Civil War to the Union Army's favor), the French would have been beautifully poised to support the Confederacy at a crucial point in their war for independence.

Had the French government been established in Mexico in 1862, the blockade that the Union army used to strangle the south would have been made completely ineffective, if Mexico's ports would then have been open to aid the Confederacy.

Furthermore, that formidable French army, the most powerful army in the world at the time, would also have been able to aid the Confederate States of America with the manpower and technological power that the South lacked. Just as the US could not have won their independence from England without the aid of the French, it is quite possible that the Confederacy's quest for independence could have been successful with the French on their side.

Had Mexico lost the Battle of Puebla, it's quite likely that the United States would be a far different (and smaller) country than the one we know today.

Whatever our individual stances on history are, there's no denying that Cinco de Mayo is a significant date, not just in Mexican history, but US history, too.



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OK, I'll be honest. I got this information from Wikipedia, which I realize is not the most accurate source of information. For this particular paragraph of information, "Consequences to the United States", they site Justo Sierra's (a notable historian) work Political Evolution of the Mexican People. If I can get my hands on it, I'll check it out.

However, if anyone else has other, more accurate sites for information on this topic, please send them my way!

Saltillo's Museum to the Revolution

Walking down Calle Hidalgo the other day, I was flabbergasted to see a beautiful, new, spit-and-polished muesum dedicated to the Mexican Revolution. Surely I had been there a few weeks ago and not seen anything. Or else I don't pay attention well.

I was intrigued, but there was a steep flight of stairs and as I was pushing a stroller, knew that this museum was off limits to me. I must have been gazing longingly at the glass doors, as a young man offered to carry Clara (stroller and all) up those stairs. I took him up on the offer and there we were! I guess they were just trying to get as many people through the doors as possible.

Side note: Saltillo has a number of these free museums, and they all request a sign-in (or out) as you leave . . . like most government/grant funded institutions, their funding must be based on the number of people that enter. It seems they're trying to make a success out of this one!

Being a history museum, they had a number of detailed posters explaining the seeds of the revolution and its early stages. I would have loved to read every word, but my cute, little date had other plans. They also had various TV displays and a rather loud recording of Porfirio Diaz sending an audio message to Thomas Edison. They also sported displays of dress of the day, household items of the area, and other documents from revolutionaries of lesser importance (land deeds and such).

Yes, land deeds, as this Revolution Museum is funded by the Coahuila state government. Clearly, their aim was to present Coahuila's most famous revolutionaries (Madero and Carranza) as thoroughly as possible. Therefore the star revolutionaries in this museum were the monied and landed ones--those who aren't so revolutionary in the strict definition of a revolution. Granted, I am grateful that Madero made that bid to rid Mexico of the Porfirato.

Very little mention was made of Pancho Villa and absolutely no mention was made of Zapata. No, wait--there was a poster of him in the lobby, next to Madero's portrait. I thought it was perhaps a northern Mexico thing. After all, much of my Mexican education took place in Morelos, Zapata's home state. In Morelos, Villa is hardly ever mentioned.

I mentioned this observation to Mario when I got home. His reply?

"Well of course they didn't mention anything about Zapata. Carranza killed him."

Oh, right. I often get confused about how the various revolutionary movements came together and conflicted. To make a long story short, Carranza more or less institutionalized the Revolution and made a stable government out of what was left of Mexico after 10 years of civil war. Apparently, he felt that Zapata would further destablize the country and had him axed.

Carranza certainly had a point, but I can't help but admit that Zapata's aims towards agrarian reform and wealth redistribution (which would have been disasterous for Carranza, both personally and politically) gave hope to a significant portion of the population, both then and now. History is what it is, but I can't help but feel that a good deal of that hope died along with Zapata.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Just for the record, if you're reading this in the US, you're probably celebrating today more than anybody here in Mexico is. Why? Cinco de Mayo really isn't a big-deal holiday here. Most Mexicans are more likely to get Mother's Day off of work.

Also, for the record, today is NOT Mexico's independence day. Independence Day is September 16th.

So why do all those gringos in the US celebrate Cinco de Mayo? No idea.

However, I can tell you why most schools and businesses are closed in the state of Puebla (and possibly elsewhere, but they can consider themselves lucky . . . or maybe we're just screwed over, as Freightliner didn't even get off for LABOR DAY. Such a nice place to work). Anyway . . .

Way back in the year 1862, France was busy invading Mexico. Normally, European powers didn't do much invading of any country in the Americas, as the US would have likely sailed over to whoop some Eastern Atlantic ass. However, as the US was temporarily sidetracked with a little diversion called the Civil War, so enforcing the Monroe Doctrine was not top priority. And as Mexico owed France quite a lot of money, France figured that the only way to recoup on their investment was to invade the country. So they did.

France was pretty successful. The French army marched triumphantly through fields, jungles and mountains from the Gulf coast, pushing toward their final destination, Mexico City. Unfortunately for the French, the city of Puebla stood in their way. France put the city under seige and as rations gave way to hunger and desperation, the city was about to surrender.

All seemed lost until General Ignacio Zaragoza rode into town on his white charger, leading his army of 4000 troops. Puebla was saved!

Oh, wait--the French army had 8000 soldiers.

On top of being outnumbered 2:1, the French were also better armed (remember that the Mexican government was being invaded for not paying its debts? Yeah--not good for the Mexican army). Nonetheless, thanks to some daring maneuvering by Zaragoza and his men, the Mexicans won the battle.

Unfortunately, not the war.

Despite eventually succumbing to 5 years of French occupation, the Battle of Puebla (for which Cinco de Mayo is celebrated) is significant because the Mexican army did win the day, despite great odds against them. Furthermore, it was the first defeat that the French army had faced in nearly 50 years.

Where military might is not typically a strong point, we celebrate what we can.

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Side note: Ignacio Zaragoza, the mastermind behind the victory, hailed from Coahuila (where I currently live). At some point, the government of Coahuila officially changed the name of their state to Coahuila de Zaragoza, to show how proud they are of their hometown hero. Zaragoza's face also graces the 500 peso bill.

Now, the name Ignacio is often shortened to Nacho. Nachos, everyone's favorite cheesy, heart atack-on-a-plate, also originate from this great state of Coahuila de Zaragoza. Is this another plot to draw attention to one of the state's favorite figures?

No, just lucky coincidence. For a more complete history of nachos (the snack food), read Linda Ellerbee's Take Big Bites (one of my favorite books).

Happy Guadalupe Day!

It's bigger than Cinco de Mayo, bigger than New Year's Day, and rivals Independence Day. Happy Guadalupe Day!

On December 12, 1531, after a week of sidetracking Juan Diego on his way to visit his sick uncle, Guadalupe asked Juan Diego to gather roses from Tepeyac hill, north of Mexico City, in order to present more validity for his (her) request that a church be built on that hill. Much to Juan Diego's surprise, when he opened his cloak to present the roses to the Archbishop, an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe had imprinted itself on Juan Diego's cloak. [Note: roses are a European flower and did not grow in Mexico at the time, particularly in December.]

My professor, a Mexican Methodist minister's wife, commented that it's hard to believe this story 100%, and yet it's also hard to deny the story. Given that Protestants in Mexico are generally loathe to give any credibility to Guadalupe, that she conceded that Guadalupe's appearance at Tepeyac may have possibly happened was a pretty strong testimony. After all, we weren't there. So who are we to say it didn't happen?

Generally, I don't really know what to think about visions like this. However, Guadalupe came at a crucial point of Mexican history. The Spanish had just conquered Mexico 10 years earlier. The Spanish were divided as to whether the Indians had souls worth saving. Thanks to Guadalupe's appearance, as she has dark hair and communicated with Juan Diego in Nauhatl, discussion on this issue reached a close. Indians do have souls worth saving. For this alone, she deserves more than a little recognition.

Beyond her obvious Catholic ties, she also has a number of ties to Aztec dieties. The hill she appeared on was sacred to the "Mother God" of the Aztecs. While, at the time, these Aztec ties may have helped bring more Indians to the Catholic faith, they also help to preserve versions of Mexican Catholicism as a strange mix of Roman Catholicism and native traditions.

There are a number of other quirks about Guadalupe's appearance at Tepeyac and her image imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma that are worth mentioning.

[The following facts are taken from www.corazones.org. Translation mine.]

• "'Guadalupe' means "crushing the head of the serpent" in Nauhatl, the language of the Aztecs. This is reminiscent of a prophesy from Genesis 3:15."
  

• "The image is detailed exactly as described in Revelations 12:1. 'A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.'"

• "In Mary's eyes, they have discovered miniscule human images, so tiny that no artist could paint them. They are of two scenes, and both scenes are repeated in both eyes. The image of the Bishop Zumarraga in the eyes of Mary was enlarged through digital technology, revealing in his eyes an image of the indian Juan Diego, opening his tilma in front of the bishop. The size of this image? One fourth of a millionth of a millimeter."
  

• "They have not been able to discover any trace of paint on the fabric. In fact, at a distance of 10 centimeters from the image, one can only see the raw maguey fibers--the colors disappear. There is no trace of brushstrokes or other known painting technique."
  

• "The maguey fibers that constitute the fabric of the image normally does not last more than 20 or 30 years. A few centuries ago, a replica was made on similar tilma made of maguey fibers. This replica disintegrated after a few decades. Meanwhile, nearly 500 years after the miracle, the image of Mary remains as clear as on the first day."
  

• "The stars visible on Mary's cloak reflect the exact configuration and position of the stars in the sky that would have been visible in Mexico the night that the miracle happened."

Hmm . . . interesting. So go on and entertain your friends and family members around the dinner table with these new factoids.

Happy Revolution!

Today, the 20th of November 2009, marks the 99th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. Being that this date commemorates 10 years of constant bloodshed and civil war, it seems in my mind a strange day to celebrate. Nevertheless, throughout the country, the day is held sacred on the civil calendar. City dwellers spent the morning watching military reviews, and yesterday schoolchildren paraded patriotically around their neighborhoods or school patios, bugles blaring. The 20th of November is much more important than Cinco de Mayo.

The Mexican Revolution gets complicated to explain, but I'll take a stab at it anyway (no pun intended). Like most Latin American countries, Mexico has been ruled by a slew of dictators, broken up now and again by a democratic government (or, simply under the guise of a democratic government). Sometime in the 1870s up until 1910, Mexico was ruled by a dictator named Porfirio Diaz. Not having to deal with the democratic process, dictators do have the advantage of being able to get things done. And, during Diaz's reign, Mexico did modernize considerably. However, quite a few citizens preferred modernization along with a democratic government. The first phase of the Mexican Revolution involved those who rallied behind Francisco I. Madero, a presidential hopeful for the 1910 elections.

The second phase involved poor farmers in the southren part of the country. Since colonial times, Mexican agriculture had been centred around haciendas, or plantations. The majority of Mexico's productive land was controlled by only a handful of fabulously wealthy landowners. Those fieldhands who actually worked the land had no rights, no land, and very few means for supporting themselves and their families. After centuries of oppresion, these campesinos rose up, famously rallying around Emiliano Zapata, to take control of the land. Politically, these peasants, representing the majority of Mexicans at the time, were in favor of drastic land reform.

The third phase I'm not very knowledgable about, but revolves around the legendary Pancho Villa. Unlike Zapata, he was from the north (Chihuahua), but I believe he and his followers were also in favor of agrarian reform. Both Zapata and Villa fought their armies towards Mexico City and joined up there, but I believe that there were some serious differences of opinion between these two factions.

To make a long war short, Madero was elected president and Diaz was forced to give up power and flee to Europe in exile. Villa's and Zapata's armies "liberated" countless haciendas over the 10 years of the revolution, and eventually a government that was a bit more centrist came to power, and did indeed inact land reforms (although not necessarily the kind of reforms that Zapata's followers were hoping for). This government (or political party) that emerged after the revolution eventually began to call itself the Instutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and ruled Mexico for 70 years until 2000.

Did the revolution achieve its aims? Yes and no. I'm sure lots of people wanted more drastic changes--the majority of the country's wealth is still concentrated in the hands of a small minority. However, I believe that a stronger middle class exists than existed 100 years ago. Furthermore, political power is shared by 3 main political parties. While they all love buracracy, it can't be denied that the system is democratic.

So while the dream of equality got a bit thwarted along the way, it still remains a dream--one that didn't get squashed. Therefore, there must have been enough successes to keep that dream of equality going. Perhaps this is the difference of pre-Revolution Mexico and post-Revolution Mexico--like in feudal Europe, people years ago were born in a certain caste and died in that same caste. Perhaps the aftermath of the Revolution made it sightly more possible for people to rise above poverty and join the middle class. If this really is the case, it's clear to see why Revolution Day is so celebrated.