La Frontera Gloria Anzaldita Borderlands Co THIRD EDITION 45 La conciencia de la mestiza ‘Towards a New Consciousness er ta mujer de mi raza Daler et esprit! Jose Vasconcelos, Mexican philosophy, envisaged una raze mest, una mescla de razas aftnes, une rsa de color ta Drimera raza sintesis del globo. He called it 4 cosmle race, ta raza edsmicn fifth rice embracig the fout major races of the ‘world? Opposite to the theory of the pute Atyan, aad tothe pel Icy of racial purity cht white America practices, his theory sone ofinclusivity. At the coatluence of two of more genetic stems, ‘with ciomosomes constantly “crosing over? this mixture of ‘ces, rather than resaliag in an Inferior Being, provides yd Progsay, 4 mutable, more malleable species with 4 rich Bene oo). rom ths aca, ideologies, cultura and biological cron poliizacion, an “allen” consciousness i presently inthe mak nga new mestiza consciousness, una concienca de mujer Is consciousness of the Borderlands ‘Una tucha de frontera A Struggle of Borders ‘ontiaually walk out of one cultare and into another, because 1am in all cultures atthe same time, ‘dima entre dos mundos, res, cuatro, ‘me sumba ta cabeza con lo contradictorio ‘stoy norteada por todas las voces gue me bablan ‘imadtancamente‘The ambivatence fom the cash of woces results in mental and emotional stats of perplexity lntcebl sre results i ise. ‘cuit and indecisiveness. The mestiza's dual of multiple pet ‘sonal is plagued by psychic restlessness. Im a constant state of meatal nepantilism, an Aztec wont meaning orn between ways, la mest i4 product of the Wat fer of the cultural and spin values of one group to another Being tricuiturl, monolingual, bilagual, or mating, speak ing 4 patois, and io a state of perpetual transition, the meats faces the dicmma of the mixed breed: which colcctivity docs the daughter of dakskinned mother listen to? 11 choque de un aima atvapado entre ot mundo deb ‘piri y ef mundo de ta téentea a vece la deja entllada Cradles in one culture, sandwiched between two cultures, stra ing al tee cultures and their vale sytem, Ka mestice ander oes a struleof flesh, a stage of border, inner wa Le all people, we perceive the version of reality that our culture ‘communicates, Tike others having olving ia tore tan one cu tore, we get multiple, often opposing mestages. The coming together of ewo selfconsistent but habitually Incompauble frames of ceference! uses un cbogue, a cultura clision, ‘Within us and within fa cultura ebicana, commonly held Detes of the white culture atack commonly held beliefs ofthe ‘Mexican culture, and both attack commonly held beliefs of the Indigenous cure. Subconscious, we see 20 stack on Our selves and our elie asa threat and We attempt to lock with a ‘Bt i is not enough to stand on the apposite river bank, shouting questions, callenging pitratchal, white conventions, ‘A counterstance locks one into a. vel of oppressor. ald ‘oppressed locked in mostal comb, like the cop and the ex hal. both are reduced vo a common denominator of violence. The ‘counterstance refutes the dominant eultire'’ views and hei ‘and, for this, is proudly defiant All eaction i imted by, an Sependent on, what iis seating agaist. Because the couater: ‘ance stems from a problem with authority—outer as well 35, inger—i's 2 step towards berton fom cultural domination Buc i not a way of lie. At some point on out way to» new ‘consciousness, we will have to leave the opposite bank, the spit bermeen the two mortal combatants somehow healed so that we ste on both sores a once and, a once. ee through Serpent and {a conctencta de ta mestiza Towarts 3 New Consciousness Cigle eyes. Or perhaps we will decide t0 disengage from the ‘dominant culture, wt off altogetier a ost cause, an exons le border int wholy new and Separste territory. Or we might sso another route, The possibliis are unerous ance we deese ‘ATolerance For Ambiguity “These numerous posibiltes lave fa mestiza floundering in Ueharted seas. In perceiving conflicting infriation and posits ‘of view, she i subjected to a sammping of hier poyeoloal boe ‘ders. she hs discovered that she cat hold concepts of ideas in fisid boundaries. The borders and walle that are supposed eo keep the vmdesirabie ideas out are entrenched habit and pat terns of Behavior, these habits and pattems are the enciny With Im Rigicty means death. Only by cesaining flexible se se to stretch the poyche horzoncaly and vercaly. La mestiza con ‘tantly has to shift out of habital formations, fom convergent ‘inking, analytical reasoning that tends to use rationality ‘move toward a single gol (a Westera mod), to dvergent think. ing characterized by movement away from set patetas and soals and toward a more whole perspective, one that Incles| "ther than exches, “The new mestiza copes by developing a toleranee for con traditions, tolerance for ambiguity. she learns to be an Indian in Mexican culture, to be Mexican from Anglo point of view. She leans to juggle cultures. She has plural personaly, she ‘operates ina pluralistic mode—nothing is thrst out, the good the bad and the ugly, nothing eejcted, nothing abandoned. Not fonly does she susan coatraictons, she turns the ambivalence Into something ese, She can he jarred out of ambivalence by an intense, and often pain, emotional event which inverts or resolves the ambivalence. Tm not sure exicty how. The work takes place lunderground—sabconsciouh. 1 work that che soul performs ‘That focal point of fulerum, that juncture where the mevtie stands, where phenomena tend 0 collide. Is whese the pos. ‘bly of uikng al shat is separate occurs. This assembly i not ‘one where severed or separated pieces merely come tosethct Nori ita balancing of opposing powers. In stempting to work ‘outa synthesis, the self has added a thd clement which1a eociecta de ta mestsa Yast New Conslousiess ftcater chan the sum of ts severed part. That thid element is 4 few consciousness mestiza consciousness—and though iit 4 source of intense pan. it energy comes fom contiaual cee ative motion that Keeps beeaking dow the unitary spect of esch new paradig, re wns pocas conturas, the tute wil belong tthe mee ‘usa, Because the future depends on the Breaking ow of pare ligase depends om the straddling of two or moe calater, By ‘reatinga new oythos—that is, a change Inthe way we petceine realty, the way we sce ourcives, and the ways we Bele ‘mest cremtes 1 new conscious. ‘The work of mestiza consciousness isto break down the subjectobject duality that keeps ert prisoner and to show tt the flesh and through the images inet work how daly i wan, scended. The answer tothe problem between the white race ad the colored, between males and females. hes in healing the split ‘hat originates inthe very foundation of out lives, our culo, fur languages, our thoughts. A massive uprooting of dune thinking in the individual and collective consciousness Is the beginning of tong stugele, butane that could, In our best hopes, bring Us othe end of pe, of Volence of war a enerucijada | The Crossroads A chicken i being scritced at crosrouds, 2 simple mound of earth ‘mud shrine for faba, Yoruba god of indetermioacy, ‘who blesses her choice of path she begins her journey, Su cuerpo es una bocacalle. La mestisa has gone fom Deiny the sacrificial goat to becoming the oftating pistes a the crossroads AAs a mestiza {have no county, ay homeland eas ne out et all counties are mine eesse Iam every woman's sats ob ‘Potential loves. CAs esbiaa Lave no race, ty owa people de slam me; but Lam all races because there isthe queer of all races) Tam caltureless because, as feminist 1 challenge fie collective cultua/eligious malederived beliefs of tndo. 105 {a conconca de a mestica Towards» New Consciousness ispanies and Anglos; yt Lam cultured because am pariipat {ng the creation of yet another culture a ew sory to explain ‘he work and our parucipaton in t,x new valu sytem wih ‘images and symbols that connect us to each other ad to the plane. Soy un amasamiento, Lam an at of kneaing, of ane fing and joing that not only has produced both a creture oF saskness and a creature of igh, but sso creature that questions ‘he definitions of ight and dask and gives them new meanings ‘We are the people who leap in the das, we are the people ‘on the knees f the god. To our very flesh, (evolution works ‘the clash of cules. Ie makes ur crazy constany but the ‘enter holds, we've made some kind of evolutionary sep for ‘wand Nuesna alma ef trabajo, the opus the great acest ‘work: spiritual mestizaje, 2 “morphogenesiy an inevitable ‘unfolding. We have become the quickening serpent movement Indigenous ike comm, ike com, the mestisa is 4 product of ‘crossbreeding, designed for preservation under avarice of con ‘dtions, Like an ear of comma female seed bearing organ the ‘mestiza is tenacous, ighty wrapped inthe has of het culture ‘ke Kemels she clings to the cob, with thick stalks and strong. brace roots, she lds tight tothe earth—she will surive the crossroad, avando y remojando of mats en agua decal despojando “pele. Mosiendo, misteando, amasandn, hacienda trtilas de ‘masa She seeps the corn in line, swells softens. With sone roller on metate, she gsinds the corn, then grinds agin, she ‘nea and moulds the doug, pats the round ball into ordi ‘We are the porous sock in the stone metate squating on the ground. ‘Weare the rolling pin, of mate y aga, a masa bavina, Somos el amasiio, ‘Somos fo motide en et metate ‘Weare the coma sling hot, fhe hot tort, the hungry mouth ‘We are the course rock Weare the grinding motion, the mixed potion, somor ef mocajete. Weare the peste, the comin, ajo pimienta,a conclencia dela mest Towards New Consciousness ‘We are the ebie colorado, the green shoot tha crac the rock, ‘We will abide, BL camino de la mestizn The Mestioa Way ‘Caught berween the sudden contraction, the breath sucked in and the endless space, the browa woman stands Sil Tooks atthe sky. She decides to go down, digging her ‘ay aloog the routs of trees. Sifting through the bones she shakes them to see if there Is any marzow in them. Then, fouching the dirt to her forehead, to her tong, she takes 3 few bones, leaves the rest in thelr burl place She goes through her backpack, keeps her Journal and address book, thtows away the muatart metromaps. The Coins ate heavy and whey go next, thea the preeabacks Mut trough te ar. She keeps ber kale, can opener and eye- brow pencil. She puts bones, pieces of bark, bier, eagle feather, snakestin, tape recorder, the rte and rm in het pick and se sets ou o become the complete foteca Her fits step i 10 take inventory. Despojand desgranan do, auto pj Jost what did she taser toms hex ancestor? ‘This weight on her back-—which isthe baggage from the Indian smother, wich the Baggage from the Spanish father, which the Dagan from the Anglo? Pero «5 diel ditercovaing between lo beradada, lo sadquride, fo impuesto, She puts history through 4 sieve, ‘winnows out the es, looks a the forces that we a8 8 race, ‘women, ve been a part of Luego bora fo que no tule, ts Uesmtentos, los desencuentos, e embratecimienta. Agnarda el nici, bondo y enratzado, de la gente antigua This step 8 2 ‘conscious rupture wit al oppeesive traction ofall eatares and religions. She communicates thit rupture, documents the Struggle. she reinerprets history and, using new symbols she shapes new myths. she adopts new perspectives tow the dadskioned, women and queers. She steagiiens her toe ance Gnd intolerance) for ambiguity. she is willing to share, to make herself vulnerable to foreign ways of seeing and this. She surrenders all otons of sey of the uma, Deconstnc, feonstnuct She becomes a nabual able to tansorm hersel ito {a concenca de ta mesic Towards x New Consciousness —aarn"naree rte a New Gonssiownets ‘tree, 2coyote, into another person. She leatns to transform the Sanat“ ito the total Seif. Se hace moldeadona de sw ala ‘Sain la conerpeton gue ene de si mtsman as sent, ‘Que no se nos olviden Ios hombres i mo srves pa nada— you're good for nothing, res pura via “You're nothing but a woman" means you ae defetve. ks ‘posite ist be wm macho. The modern meaning of the word “machismo” as wel 8 the concept, is actualy an Anglo faven- ‘on, For men ike my athe, bela macho" meant betng sou ‘enough to protect and support my mother and us, yet being able to sow love, Tod's macho iis doubte about hissy to eed ‘and protect his fam, His“machiano" san adaptation to oppes sion and poverty and low scltesteem. It i the seavie of hierarchical male dominance. "The Anglo, feeling inadequate And Inferior and poweress,csplaces o transis these feeling tthe Chicano by shaming tim. Inthe Geingo world, the Chicano sf fers from excessive humility and sleeflacement, shame of set and Sel'deprection, Around Fatinos he stfers from 1 seme of language inadeguacy and ies accompanying discomior with Native Americans he suffers ftom a racial smnesa whic ignores ‘our common biood, and fom gue because the Spanish part of him took their land and oppressed them. He has an excessive ‘compenstory hubris whien around Mexicats from dhe other sil i overaysa deep sense of eat shame, ‘The loss of a sense of dignity and respect in the macho bree a false machismo whic feads his put down worsen and even to brutlize them. Coexisting with his sexi bebavice 's4 love forthe mother which takes precedence over that of al bothers. Devoted son, macho pi, To wash down ihe shame ot hie ts, of his very Delng, and to landle the Bete in the mitre, be lakes tothe bot, the snort, the neal, an! the ise ‘Though we “understand” the root causes of mae hated and {eax and the subsequent wounding of women, we do not excuse, We do not condone, and ee will no longer put up with Fronthe men of our rice, we demand the adaiston/acknowedy smentisclosure/testimony that they wound us, wolte Ua, ate atau! of ws and of our power. We need them ta say they will begin to eliminate their hort patdown ways. Bat more than the words, we demand act. We sy to them We will develop ‘cq power with you ad those who have shane ws. ‘ti imperative that mestizas support each ether in chang {ng the sexist elements in the Mexican Indian elture As long | ‘woman is pot down, the Indian and the Black in all of put down, The steal of the mesiza i above il feminist one. AY ong 38 as hombres think they have to cbingar mujeres an each other to be men, as long as men are taught that they are super ‘rand therefore cultural favored over lm: as Tong 23th 1 viel sa thing of derision, there cane no ral healing of Dayches, We're halfway thete—we have auch love of he Mother {he good mother. The first step Is to unlear the putaerrgen lchotomy and to sce CoatalopeubsCoaticue in the Morten Guadalupe ‘Tendemess, a sign of valneraily, i $0 feared that i 8 showered on women with verbal abuse and blows. Men, even ‘ore than women, are feitered to gener roles. Women at fst have fad the guts to break out of bondage, Only gay mea have had the courage to expose themselves to the woman tse the and challenge che current masculinity. I've encountered few scattered and Isolated gente saighe men, the beynlngs Of = ‘ew breed, but they afe confused, and entangled with sexist Fbchaioes that they have not been able to eradicate, We need = ew masculinity and the new man needs 4 movement "Cuming te males who deviate fom the general norm with Iman, the oppressors 4 gross inti, drome pensar aie ‘nos hemos quedado on ee poso oscuro donde of mano encler "i tas lesbianas. Asombra pensar que bemos, come fomenistas y lesan, cerrado nuestros corasénes a fos Pom ‘oes, a nuestros bermanos ls foto, dsberedaddos marinas ‘como nosotros Being the supreme croners of cultures, hom sexual have strong honds with the queer white Disk, Avan, Native American, Latino, and wieh the queer la Tay, Acstalla And the rest ofthe planes. We come from al colors, al classes, a aces, alltime periods. Our role isto link people with each ‘other—the Blacks with Jews With Indias with Astns with {er conctoncia de ta mesa Towns 4 New Consciousness ‘wiles with extraterrestrial. fe sto transfer ideas and taforma tion fom one culture to another. Colored moses hare more knowiedge of other cultures, hive always been atthe fore front although sometimes in the closet) of alberto sragalce io this country: have suffered more injustices and hve marvel them despite all odds. Chicanos need to ackoowledye the Poll fal and artistic contributions of theie queer. People, liste ‘what your joer saying. ‘The mestizo andthe queer exist this tie and point on the ‘evolutionary coatinuua for a purpose. We are + Mending that roves that all ood is inteately woven together, ad thet me re spawned out of mia souls, Somos una gente Hay tantisimas jronteras ‘que dickden a ta gente, Pero por cada frontend ‘existe tambien un Puente ‘ina Vales?” Many women and men of color do not want to ave any delings with white peopl, It takes too fauch fime and energy to explain tothe downwardly mobile: we Imiddie class women that i's okay focus to ano own sponses ons" never having had any nice furnitate on our dit floors of “luxuries” ike washing machines. Many fec tha whites shoold ‘lp their own people sd themselves of race hatred and leat frst. 1, for one, choose t9 use ronte of my enemy to scare ae ‘mediator I think we need to allow whites to he ou aie Through our itersture, an, corrdog and folktales we oat she ‘9 history with them so when tiey set up eommmtecs to help ig Mountain Navajos or the Chicano farmworkers or fe ‘Mearagenses they won't turn people away beeause of tet ‘ical fears and ignorances. They wal come to se tt they are ‘ot heiping us bet following out lead Individual, but uso a8 2 rica entity, we need ko voice our needs. We need t sy to white socety: We need you to accept the fat that Chicanos are diferent, ta acknowledge your eke on and negation of us. We need you to own the fict tht you "woked upon us as less than human, that you tole our lanl, ora conctencia dela mstza Towards 2 New Consciousness ersoood, our selrepect. We need you to make pullers {lon sy tht, © compensite for jour own seme of dete nes, you ste for power overex. Ys ee hon a ‘or experience cine takes you feel aly yd er fog Your ro eto sy youve pit Fur om wpe os i ye a ec oft pats of yours, rater the pve pars onto {Scere ster fe pence of inte there show Brojection. Where here ilnce and wat tnt 8 repesion St atiadow Wo sy tht you ae afd of ty that to pr ance Teeween ut you wea he ask of eootempt. Admit Meco ‘your double that se extra the shadow of ths country. hat seat vocab ober nam, scp the doppelganger In your poche. By tking back your cece shadow the nr ura spt wil Del And fly elas wht youned rom By Your True Paces We Will Know You 1 am visible—see this taan face—yet | am visible, Thoth blind tem with my beak nose and am thee Blind spot, Butt ‘exist, we ex. They'd ike to tink Ihave meted nthe pot But haven’, we havea" ‘The dominant white cultures Kiling ws slowly with its ign0- rane. hy taking away our selEdetermipation, it har made Us ‘weak and empy. As a people we have resisted and we have taken expedient positions, but we have newer been allowed to develop tuencumbered—we have never heen allowed to be fly ur selves, The whites in power want us people of color wo barricade ‘rseves behind our separate trial walls 0 they can pick us off ‘one at time with thelr hidden weapons; so they ean whitewash and distor history. Ignorance splits peopte, creates prejodices ‘Amisinformed people is 4 subjogated people, ‘Before the Chicano and the undocumented worker and the Mexican from the other side can come together, Delore the ‘Clcano can have unity with Native Americans and ether groups, we need to koow the history of thei stale and they need to know ours. Our mothers, our sites nd brother, the guys who hangout on street corners, the children ia the playgrounds, cach ffs mast know our Indian lineage, our afromestisaje, ou hie tory of resistance 109 1a conctencia de a mestia Towns + New Consciouroes ‘To the immigrant mevicano and the recent arrivals we mist {each our history. The 80 milion mesicanos xd the Latines from Cental and South America must know of our sugslce Fach one of us must know basi cts about Nicer, Chie sod the rest of Latin America. The Latinoist movement (Chicas, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and other Spanish-speaking people wos ing tonether wo combat racial dserimiation in the oarkeplace) 's good but i is not enough. Other than a common eal we will have nothing (0 hold us together We need to meet Om s ‘broader communal ground. ‘The strugple i toner: Chicano, sudo, American dun, ‘mojado, mexicano, iumnigrant Latino, Ango in power, Working «sss Anglo, Blac, Asian—our psyche resemble the hondertomnes and are populated by the same people, The struggle has always ben inner and is played out inthe outer terns Awarenees ot Dur situation mies come before inner changes. which tt te ome before changes in society. Nothing happens in the “eat” ‘world unles i frst happens inthe images in our hens Fldia de a Chicana | wil ot be shamed again Nor will shame myself 41am possessed by a vision: that we Chicanas and Chicanos have taken back or uncovered our true faces, ou dignity adv respect Isa validation vision, Seeing the Chicana anew in light of her history 1 seek an ‘exoneration, 4 sceing through the Getions of white supremacy, 4 seeing of ourselves in our te guises tnd not a the fe nad Personality that hasbeen given to us and tht we have give ‘urseves, I seek our woman's face our true features te post tive and the negative seen cleat, free of the tainted bate of male dominance. 1 seek new images of Mentiy, new belits shout ourselves, ovr humanity and Worth no longer tn question, {Estamos vetendo en ta noche de tx Ras wn ttempo cua so el trabajo se bace a to quiets elo scuro El eae ‘eeptamos tly como somos y para donde vanes pogue-ese ia sore da de ka Rasa. Yo tengo el conpromiso de eaprecara comciencia deta mestca [Towa 4 New Consciousness ‘mt est mi senstbdad, mt percep dela revaldactn de ka ‘gente mesicana, su meri, estimacton, Donra preci) tales (On December 2nd when my sun goes into ay fst house, 1 ‘elebrate ef dia de i Ccanay of Cheam Oa tat day Teles imy altars, ight my Caatlalopeu candle, urn see a opal, take ef bano para espantar basung sweep my house. On tt ‘day Tare ‘iy soul, make mysel vulnerable to fiends sl fay Dy expressing my feclings. On that dy Lafiom who we ae ‘On that day 1 Took inside our confit and oe base intr verted racial temperament. Tently our need, woice them. 1 acknowledge thatthe self and the race have been wountied. 1 ‘Fecognize the need to take care of our personhood, of our rail ‘set. On that ay I gather the splintered and disowned parts of la {gente mexicana and hold them in yates. Todas fas partes de Nosotros valen. ‘On that day 1 sy, “Yes, al you people wound us when you reject us. Rejection strips us of seléworth; our vunecsbity ‘exposes us to shame. Its our innate ientty you And wanting ‘We are ashamed that we need your good opis, that we med ‘your acceptance. We caa ao longer camouflage out seeds, ca no fonger Jet defenses and fences sprowt sound ws. We can no longee withdraw. To rage and look upon you with contempt ito ‘age and be cootempruous of ourselves, We can no longer blanc ‘you, nor disown the white pars, te male pars, he ptlogiel pars, the quect part the vulnerable pars. Here we, ae ‘weaponless with open arms, with oly our magic, Lets I out ‘way, the mestzu way, the Chicana say, the woman way ‘On that day, I search for our esse dignity 28» people, a People with a sense of purpose to belong in contibute 10 something gieater than out pelo. Oa that day {seek to recover and reshape my spiritual identty Animate! Raza a celear ‘a deta Chicana. Hretorno {Al movements are accomplished in sx stages, and the seventh beings return. “Thing? Tanto tiempo sin verte casa mia, ‘mi cuna, mt bono nido de a bert soled” a conciencia dela metzaiowicde «New Consciousness mn men eee Ber omic | stand at the river, watch the curving, twisting serpent, « seepent nated to the fence where the mouth of the Rio Grae empties into the Gul. have come back. Tanto dolor me costs ef wejamienta. sade my eyes and look up. The bone hesk of wt slowly ce sling over me, checking me out as potential carrion. tats Wake tle bird ickering is wings, swimming sporaeally ke a fis lm the distance the expressway and the slough of trae ike ea Istated sow. The sudden pall nya la tera, os aie My and, ef viento soplando la arena, el lagarifodebajo des Inopaito Ste acuerdo como era antes. Una regi deseriea te asta lanuras,costeras de baja altura, de tscasa Meola te haparrates formades por mesquite} butsaches If took eat hard ean alnwost see the Spanish fithers who were called “the ‘vary of Chris” enter thi valley siding thir burros, see the ‘ash of cultures commence Herva natatTis is home, the smal tens in the Yate, fos ‘reblitos with chicken pens and goats picketed to mesjute Shrubs. Jas colonias on the other side ofthe racks, junk cars line the font yards f hot pink and lavender immed houses Chicano architecture we call it, selconsciousiyT have mised {Be TV shows where hosts speak io hai and half, and where awards ae given in the eaeyory of Terex music. Thave mised te Mexican cemeteries blooming with artificial flowern, the elds of aloe vera and sed pepper, rows of sugarcane, of comm anging on the stalk, che cloud of poteareda inthe die road behind a speeding pickup truck, e! sabor ie tamates de res 9 ‘enaado, Ihave missed la yegua colorada goawing the WOO site of her stall he smell of horse fesh fom Cat's coves ‘Hecho menos tas nochescalientes sn aie, moches de linterna 1 echuzas making holes inthe night {stl fee the old despair when look atthe unpainted, disp ‘dated, srap lumber houses consisting mostly of corrugated le minum. Some ofthe poorest peope in the US, live in the Lowe io Grande Valley. an ad and sematd lan of ig aren Intense sunlight and heat, citrus groves next to chaparral and ca ‘us. {walk trough the elementary school attended 2 long spa, ‘ha remained segregated ntl recent, t remember how tne ite teachers used 19 punish ws for being Mexican,How 1 love this tragic valley of South Texas, as Rico Stocher calls it this bordefand between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. This land has survived possesion and ilkse by five ‘counties: Spi, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, tie US, the CConiederacy, and the US. agai. 1 has survived Anglo Mexican ‘ood feuds, Iynchings,burings, rapes, plage “Today I see the Valley stil stugaling to sarive, Whether it docs or not, i wil never be a8 I remember it The borders Sepression that was set off by the 1982 peso devaluation In Desico resulted in the closure of hundred of Valley business, Many people lost their homes, cars, ind. rior to 1982, U.S store owners thrived on real sles to Mexicans who cme acrors {he border for groceries and lathes and appliances, While goods fon the US. side have Become 10, 100, 1000 times more expen. Sie foe Mexican buyers, goods on the Mexia side have become 10, 100, 1000 times cheaper for Americans, Because the Valley heavily dependent on agriculture and Mexican seal trade, it has the highest unemployment rates along the entire border ee gio seis the Valley that as ben hardest “Wes beema bad yea for corn’ my brother, Nune, sty. AS he tas, remember my father scanning the sky for a tain tha ‘would end the drought, iki up into the sky, day afer dy, ‘whe the cova withered on ts stall My father hasbeen dead for 429 years, having worked himself to enth, The fe span of @ Mexican farm laborer is 86—he lived to be 38. Ie shocks me that Tam older than he. I, t00, search the sky for tlm. Like the ancients, 1 worship the rain god and the maize goddess, But ‘alike my father have recovered ther ames. Now for ui Get {tion one offers nota saci of blood, but of money. "Rarming sin a ad way” my brother says, “Two to three ‘owsand sma and big farmers went baakrupt in this county Jas year, Six years ago the price of com was $8.00 per hundeed pounds he goes on. "This year fe $3.90 per hunted pounds” And, U think to myself aftr taking inflation Into acco, no Planting anything pts you ahead | walk out to the back yar, stare at oe rosales de mama, she wants me to help her prune the ose bushes, dig aut the cx Det grass that choking them Maragrande Rermona también lenta rosales, Here every Mexican grows flowers. It they dont lave a pec of dit, they we ca des, js cams, sive boxes loses atthe Mesias vor ower tink how mabe thoy na Nr the Chicano and Chicana havea : have sways ten cae of ‘owing things and the land. pin wee the cr ot oe ie fetng off the chon hus, chngig ino Surman ates ws Sng into the el with Pp an Mar, asi fw beng ee sum telow cur fect under te ele the ean sesh. We cover them with paper nc, pug eons oe top ofthe plates to esp them Ito being Buna na ‘he wind Te paper pate tep the ees sy Nendo ane Bes, we rinove the pss, Bare te tyre shoes ee Element. "They survive an prom ive fr handed fa these ofthe eed. We water them and hoe tear We hae them. The vince dry. fot, se Plowed under Growth, aca decay, bla The so prepted agin ad aga, apeeene Yorke on 4 constant changing of forms, renaciento® de ‘This tad was Mexican once ‘was idan alway and "Aad wil be sainNotes ‘Te tlomeland, Aun Ere México 1 target Note cnt and 2 ack D. Fab, (Greenwich, CT awe aon, Memes Boks 973,13 188, Ee Wot Sci. of Sinking Sa Cheap, Is Univer of Chia De, hoes Bots, 1939. 32 3. Joba. Chives, eso apd The Can gs ft Sn vogera NO Unie of New Meso Pes, 198, 9 tAnzana, ome Poco of New Bese, Comanche of Texas, Opa of ‘Seno tabasco hon ad Da, athe ich on spk ‘Worse nung edescenes fom he Cache people 5 Ray Tanai ex In ory Crt Maso, Se and yPaisiersSexoroagh Hoe, 10), 3 6 chives, 2 7 el Par, Lin Maar de lt Paan Med, Epi ‘ones tay, 185), 1867 4 rom the Mexican corde “Dt alr de nereehinNcete ‘T_ Mendos, ELCorida Masta’ (Meico DE Fons be ar edi, 1956 2 9. Arc De tain, ‘Ths: Cllst Men Greases: Ane Aties “wa Mentancness, 14211900 (tn TS Very a Yn Pes 10, Me Plan of an Diy, Tea, dws 4 onary 6, 1915, ced fe inepeene an erepton of temas orig Mes Tes, ‘New Meni Arum, Colorado, afro nds Wout hea ck, Backs woul et Sates he south an fo theo Ine een repue Cave. 9. 1, jes ena, “lle he Ro Ge ey st Case "2, Somme abr wes he fs Mean fe ht wa Ay Mexien ant wt a ton Faropean i. ered the Jv sd tothe dspation of tei haste Th Bin speed genet ots eS 1, From the Nea "Preto Sng” sng upon pol ato 1) Geome Wrong “ning tone an Chas ew or, RY Ligh 138), 9 24 mc at ota, May Aono Sas eo 15, Marpria B. coe, “Mesien Women Adapt Mignon? 1978 Movimiento de rebelde yl clara ue tacionan, 1, etncicoGuers, Te Dre Colanbiba Mind: iat ia the abe. ‘otis ena dees fein hho. he ae ‘uma and exh sith ay of achat i pn ‘mel Sew ok, 9 Sein Pen 171) nteriog nt the Serpent 1, Bom he son Seo Con Serpent hy Siro Roig, om che ‘bum iar xan. Tasted by Baran Dae wt te elbosnes 2 Natgas aia, bates, 22ers et suck ibe they say sakes 4 ta ene tome ss: sapetntral pow om her aim sou se tone 1 Quote: mead, 6 Asad oe 7 Nenen:veom, poe Cutora decasaet atesne 2 tn te Nahant des Yona cle Toot Mealy “Out ety Mother” nan wa ame pea Naha see mesa ese ‘ring he consons a he Earth Moher a spots cease Ship* The Mes consered the mouatin nae sone af Capatepe Dethcr moter, Ber Caw Brute ‘Mi ine neyo ae Pes"), a 10, fa Campbel "he Vin of Gndslepe andthe ems Se ng: AA Mexean Coe Hay hes} Frenon, (Chapel, NC: Une of oh Carl Pe Toy1, Aun Suatom, “The Toman Cal of be Bem Nabe ‘se Msp Temes its es) Presto, 12, Una tla tda om pra lade age. 1a clon lth tac ns over te bak an Ue ogee scom he sole 13, Aedes Gonmtes Gere, Js he Seance 9 Sues Sent ‘hesiog a ibesaton (sn aor MI Unters Wifi eration 90, 2 14 algunos en gue Gusdatpe #6 une palate dere det lengua date gue signs “Ra Octo” Tow de Pas, Te ad ‘Gindatge Sow rk. WY olay Howe, 1980, 44 15. “Dose ecfo una brs maton cn Props de ami de ‘usa Sear de Guadatpe Cote, 1 16, trom ta Vigo Rancher Gere, 27 17. Le tren Marfa onen eyed with the Antec Tyna, he May cbt, te Ina Mamaccha nd te Yoru Yeap 18 Geuttey Parades, he rset Cen on, NY. Pt le Pleo, 197), 72 19, leistom padi which oppotesmaee oer aod nle ‘ome sm sach vy eet try of earn rede Jae ah The Autecs andthe eso of Male Dominance” igs Cine 1998, 30, 21, Pade 7. 22. Na 392 28. Nah, 350,395 24, Prine 35, 25 ees Sow, The Daly Lief she ues othe eo he Soa Cones New York. 1 clan Fbithing Compay 860, Sovsiete mi mnt ote ste te inratin fom te ance ‘othe eran de Stain, che bral of tna wig ie 26, Nes 282258, 28 Noh, $0502, Noes 2. at Wicket, "eons Norman, OK: Univers of show Ps, 1976) 68 0 oi 34. marta de shai, (Gorestige Code, Vt Revs, tmnt Arr tueeee cel Tae ite uns Fe, NM Scoot american Rae, 190) 3. Te Aue te Soak Woman’ prong of cab nd vege {aon by placing «sca Anti he empy eae eared on ey nck Glenn’ chi who de i eli. they noag hee ‘ito ret rm oc og woman Yung me ws Shapes Bandage tas” mm 32 Antroplos Lien Ler cone the wd purttipation ‘mtg Acorg to ae." denen 2 Dasholsiot Type he VOL 6 incon, NF Psceon Uren, res 1955, pT 233. Thee lot the sure of Is quot anne knows whe i les et he pais now 2 Some mesic an Chicanos dating between iat, nd ‘mal fret ts whch ele te ‘aherencia de Coalcue The Coalcn State 1. Mai ender oli. eal asia Calon 195, 2 GA. tran a Werner Forma, (ew York, MY. GF Panam & Soon, 1979). 55 3. Geeshen Kanan, [Steinert oa oe ci, = 4 tain or acne, tn: Eo Lan $A 1508 3. The sl eu mean stan a mon 6 esi tay “Coa” sony meas serpent sno mesa i 4 4 46 According andes ima, acheter the pretences ct gods and gudaciaes In the psiche. lms book Ae Venne ‘axlogy ew Yok NY: per stophon Books, 175), bas ben est ‘metal nthe devcopnet oy hough 7. Yomayd io kaon the wind, Ot the whiiad. Aon lngto tae athe autre wth Op tng the th tho ned me Antes form af the pens Cot Chima Shield an 4 sated cave pet the Huantn who me eset hin he the ‘Aste lt om tp of erp Dura, 165167 Asus hemo hcg and moto i he Merc Cy. 24, wher tad ti ice the dsc of te ee ‘pial orTenchn. ey ya ne te Ganawes people a ome | np stim fatal whl frat and flowers wih hey i onthe premenothe cnt mare. Tendon mainaicd h hee w ogy very Blend power underneath lad, 39540, 10, Jun Edun Cie, A icons of Sambal. ante fom he spi by ik Soe New Vo, NY Palopia! ary 1963 76 veto Tames Wild Tongue 1, fay Gym Sth Neri ald Cot npn Dok. 2 tm Kept, i rayer abemHeJouney Home a The Tabet in eich Sms Aly. eee Kaye Kano And ent epee Otten ses Wier Book 1980, 19, 3. RC. Ones Disetlgie Det Raia. tans. Honea. Avan ‘vanes CX: LC Ones Paiser & ooksele, 197,182 pits, 1975), 39 5 Meranderchivee sv 6. ena Rep, Sh Jews en: Yo a Aree “Tretia Keanowitr ad Wl, 3 7 Mela Kaye ansowna, Sgn We Set a ade: Pe a ‘ner Weng (aba Matron Puen, 1980, 8 | ce of ens pet yh ae Notes Rodale Gonz, ew Yr, Suna Boks, 1972), wa fet lah “ 10. caver, 8990 13, Aas ner ale the oo pone se cao, ster the my ft Spy Spi oro somite Ours he Scions Bhocence nd cites 691 mec Mill, Tapa /The ath ofthe Red and 1 KGordon Wason, The Wonicoas_ Mision Masai in Msonnarica New York, NI" Mees ook Compan, eae 2 Hobe Man Ams, The Bowes tea Cuscosas, ‘Phncipi, Ps Unveraty f Femnyenas wok 3. Amstong. 10 4 Anson. 4 5 Miguel Lecaoe, ‘tsa Otero, DX. Fondo Se Can Boonen, Bonnie 7 Nic Cant ao omen, for can 8 nicuche in tS that the ate tee une ‘aconcenia de a mstica warden New Consciousness 1. This sy own “tke oA” on Jone ne be ff" om Jose Vatconceon’ tek. Jone (esc: Agar Se Econes 38DUn Agitado Viento Ehécatl, The Wind