The engaging binational study by Elaine A. Pena, in her book Performing Piety: Making Sacred Space with the Virgin of Guadalupe, explores the devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe in three settings: Des Plaines, Illinois; Tepeyac, Mexico City, Mexico; and Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois. She argues that acts of worshiping to the Virgin create sacred space through devotional labor[ Elaine A. Pena, Performing Piety: Making Sacred Space with the Virgin of Guadalupe (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2011), 10.] (such as prayer, dance, song, pilgrimage, festival and shrine maintenance) along public streets or deserted highways across the US-Mexico border. With the outcome of devotional capital, worshipers are able to share social, political …show more content…
Because of the importance of original Tepeyac for Spanish governors to render the religious conversion of indigenous residents under the name of the Lady Guadalupe during the colonial Mexico, Pena points out the physical significance of the first Tepeyac, which is also shown by the replica in Des Plaines. However as Pena emphasizes, “the act of reproducing a place... Is only the first step”[ Elaine A. Pena, Performing Piety: Making Sacred Space with the Virgin of Guadalupe (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2011), 43.]. She believes that the space becomes sacred only when devotees’ embodied performances “inscribe their histories, beliefs, and aspirations on the environment”[ Elaine A. Pena, Performing Piety: Making Sacred Space with the Virgin of Guadalupe (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2011), 43.]. Pena also clarifies that “the Second Tepeyac solidified its dual role as religious sanctuary and political safe haven”[ Elaine A. Pena, Performing Piety: Making Sacred Space with the Virgin of Guadalupe (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2011), 48.], which is not only a place in which the worshipers can fulfill their spiritual appeals, but also a center for immigration services. As a result, the Virgin of Guadalupe here embodies the struggle of immigrants from all over the world rather than just being a national symbol of Mexico, as that …show more content…
With performing devotional labor, Pena is able to strengthen the connection between the importance of physical layout and the significance of history as well and culture, demonstrating the possibility that sacred space is of a universal meaning around the world and unifying the global cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Her focusing on the two all-female pilgrimages provides readers with a new perspective of faith embodiment different from that of male practitioners, to whom most of traditional researches pay attention. More than that, Pena’s merit of unfolding an indispensable social-religious relationship in sacred space makes Performing Piety an outstanding and even provocative work: the immigrant services in the Second Tepeyac expands the significance of the Virgin to a worldwide level; peregrinas from Queretaro are categorized into different sectors of the pilgrimage by their economic status; women from Zitacuaro bring their familial appeals to the Virgin; and the threat from the relocated immigrants to the local European-Americans instigates the ethnic conflicts between the worshipers and
In Richard Rodriguez’s “Proofs,” Mexican immigrant’s destination is described, as well as their perceptions and expectations of America. Rodriguez describes the passage to the United States as difficult, yet worthy. He states: “The city will win. The city will give the children all the village could not- VCR’s, hairstyles, drum beat. The city sings mean songs, dirty songs. But the city will sing the children a great Protestant hymn.You can be anything you want to be.” He also states: “Mexico is poor. But mama says there
Additionally, this essay would be a good read for those interested in the topic of sexuality, gender and culture or anyone studying anthropology. This essay contributes to understanding aspects of California history that is not primarily discussed. The reader gets and insight on two different cultures, and the effects of them merging together -- in this case, the cultures of the Spaniards and Indians. I believe that this article supports Competing Visions as the text also discusses how “the object of the missions was to convert the natives to Christianity as well as to Hispanicize them…” and both touch upon the topic of the rapes of
The political climate in the United States has recently been very intense, all beginning with Trump and his negative remarks against the immigrant community. His most famous and derogatory words calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers (Reilly), sparked a huge uproar in the defense of the Mexican people who have chosen to immigrate to the United States. Along his path to the presidency he has time after time belittled Mexicans and their culture. That, however, has not stopped the Mexican band, Calibre 50 from shedding light on an all too real journey and attempting to fortify their fans for a common cause. Almost a year into Trump’s presidency Calibre 50 released the music video for their song, “El Corrido de Juanito.” The music video follows the journey of a man crossing the border to which it then shows him trying to make a life for himself in the United States as a gardener and a chef. The video attempts to show what it is like to illegally
Doña Guadalupe is a woman of great strength and power, power and strength which she draws from her devout faith and her deep and loving compassion for her family, and power and strength which is passed down to her children. “‘Well, then, come in,’ she said, deciding that she could be handle this innocent-girl-stealing coyote inside. On going into the long tent, Salvador felt like he’d entered the web of a spider, the old woman was eyeing him so deliberately” (360). Doña Guadalupe is a very protective woman, which is extremely speculative when it comes to her children, this is especially true when it comes to boys, because she has not gone this far only for all of her hard work to be ruined by a no good boy. This shows how protective she is, she loves her family, and especially her kids so much that they themselves must pass her test before being able to pass on to her children. “The newborns were moving, squirming, reaching out for life. It was truly a sign from God” (58). Doña Guadalupe is also a very devout and faithful person. She sees God in everything and in everyone and by that fact, what she sees and who she sees is true, and she tries to be a model of clairvoyance for the family. “Doña Guadalupe put the baby’s little feet in a bowel of warm water, and the child clinging to his mother. He never cried, listening to her heartbeat, the same music that he’d heard from inside the womb” (57). Finally, Doña Guadalupe is very passionate which allows for a great model upon which her children follow. This further shows how she is clearly th...
In a story of identity and empowerment, Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Borderbus” revolves around two Honduran women grappling with their fate regarding a detention center in the United States after crawling up the spine of Mexico from Honduras. While one grapples with their survival, fixated on the notion that their identities are the ultimate determinant for their future, the other remains fixated on maintaining their humanity by insisting instead of coming from nothingness they are everything. Herrera’s poem consists entirely of the dialogue between the two women, utilizing diction and imagery to emphasize one’s sense of isolation and empowerment in the face of adversity and what it takes to survive in America.
The study of religion is often a rigorous process because the central tenets of the subject: image, ritual, and myth are often copious in their complexity. For example, consider the multiple meanings that are inherent in the image of a crucifix. Some Christians might view it as an image of suffering, whilst others would reject that notion and instead perceive it to be one of love. These differences may seem inconsequential at first, but they can overtime shape the beliefs of an individual and by extension a community. To understand this dynamic better one only has to analyze the Christo Aparecido (Christ Appeared), an authentic Mexican crucifix with a fascinating history from the colonial era to the present. This history is made known by the text, Biography of a Mexican Crucifix: Lived Religion and Local Faith from the Conquest to the Present by Jennifer Hughes, from which I contend that over the life of the Christo Aparecido there continues to be an understanding among devotees that this crucifix is sacred because it displays animus while being a vestige for the sacred to occupy. To support my position I will attempt to relate the moments where the Christo Aparecido is said to show signs of life, in particular his stay in Mexico City during the colonial era and his role in more modern times with rival groups clashing over its efficacy in the village of Totolapan.
This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).
Castillo first shows the reader her distrust of patriarchy and its vertical structures through La Loca Santa’s death. The first structure under scrutiny here is the Catholic Church. After La Loca awakens she throws herself into the air and lands on the top of the Church, saying that those below her carry the same scent that she had smelled while in hell. With Loca high above the others she can be seen as a “substation” for a new Chicana Christ figure (Delgadillo 895). She tells those gathered below that she has been sent back to pray for them so that they would be able to see their Creator in heaven. Father Jerome pleads with her to come down so that the congregation could pray for her. She then reminds him that it is she that was sent to pray for them. With La Loca in the position of a Christ figure of the system, the structure of the system, in this case religion,...
Vigil, Ariana. 2009. “Transnational Community in Demetria Martinez's Mother Tongue”. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, 10 (1): 54-76
Family is one of the most important institutions in society. Family influences different aspects of a person’s life, such as their religion, values, morals and behavior. Unfortunately, problems may arise when an individual’s belief system or behavior does not coincide with that of family standards. Consequently, individuals may be forced to repress their emotions or avoid acting in ways that that are not acceptable to the family. In the novel The Rain God, written by Arturo Islas, we are presented with a story about a matriarchal family that deals with various conflicts. One major internal conflict is repression. Throughout the novel the characters act in strange ways and many of the family members have internal “monsters” that represent the past that they are repressing. In his article, “The Historical Imagination in Arturo Islas’s The Rain God and Migrant Souls”, Antonio C. Marquez’s implicitly asserts a true idea that The Rain God is a story about repression. Marquez’s idea can be supported from an analysis of secondary sources and a reading of the primary text.
The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).
They’ve set a shining example of how the will to make a difference can have drastic and incredible results effective or not to the immediate situation at hand, it encourages the surrounding people to question the value of their freedom. After the dictatorship fell, the trial of the murderers was on T.V. for a month, and they admitted to killing the Mirabal sisters and Rufino by strangulation. Although they died however, their sacrifice had not gone unnoticed. The memory of their sacrifice is honored today, by a national holiday and monuments, and through these closure is found, but their story is not lost. “Las Mariposas” leave an important legacy that enforces the ever existing
Catholicism glorifies and represents mothers as the main foundation of the family through the example of the passive and unconditional loving Mary, the mother of Jesus Crist. This idea of the mother as unconditional lover beings has been passed on and reproduced in the Chicana/o community. Gil Cuadros and Reyna Grande through their autobiographical work testify against this predominate idea of the mothers being caring and loving persons. Even though most mothers fall into the norm of a normal mother, normality is subjective, therefore Cuadros and Grande’s work represent the complexities of reality. Grande’s The Distance Between Us and Cuadro’s City of God are autobiographical narratives that incorporate reality as a form of testimonial of existence, an act of healing and resilience. Given that these author’s life experiences can be
I am Aowe, and daughter of Okonkwo. Okonkwo died because of your hand. All of the changes that you did to our home. You took his pride, power, and importance. I ask you to leave and don't return for my father’s sake.
Gabriel Garcia Márquez comments on colombian society in the 1950s through the theme of cultural rituals which is illustrated through courting, mourning, and marriage rituals.