Week 14 Revisiting

I think that when I first did this assignment, I just tried to get through it as quickly as possible. I didn’t pick the most moving or political piece of artwork, instead I picked the coolest to look at. Originally I picked ‘Spiritual & Religious Practices,’ and I do still believe that it is the funniest piece to look at, but I needed to do some more reading on the piece to get the full affect of it.
‘Spiritual & Religious Practices’ is an artist’s look at God. I is meant to be a fun and enjoyable piece. With a frog face and a fish on its head, how can it not be?
But this piece goes deeper than even entertainment. This picture depicts many different religious practices from all over Latin America. It is actually a very moving piece.

Alyssa- Their bodies burn the ranch down only leaving the remnant of their love, a recipe book in which Tita recorded her feelings.
Beatriz- This is a movie that is based off of a book written in 1989 and takes place during the revolution.
Brandon- her mother's proclamation of the family generation that the youngest daughter can never marry and must take care of the mother until she dies.
Jamison- Through twelve chapters, each marked as a "monthly installment" and thus labeled with the months of the year, we learn of Tita's struggle to pursue true love and claim her independence.
Kathy- The story is told by Tita's great-niece
Kelsey- According to Elena, the Mexican tradition is to have the youngest daughter be the one who does not marry. The daughter's job is to take care of the mother until she passes away. Tita happened to be the youngest daughter and when she found her love, Pedro Muzquiz, she felt sad. He even went to her mother to ask for her hand, but the only response he got was to direct his attention to marrying the eldest daughter, Rosaura
Kim- Gertrudis (another sister) is taking a shower after eating the sensual meal and the building catches on fire.
Logan- This film became one of the most watched foreign language films in American film history
Maria- Freire's idea of oppression is shown in this story when the Mother tells Tita and when Rosaura says that her daughter is to stay at home and devote her life to their mother
Melissa- The Story begins with a young woman cutting onions and remembering her family. She then narrarates the story of her great-aunt Tita.

Love Making That Will Kill You

Week 13 Like Water for Chocolate

In high school I was made to read this book. I loved it. But re reading it for this class, with Latin American cultures and values in mind was like reading a whole new book.
Tita is the youngest of three girls in a small Mexican family. She shares a love with Pedro, but is not allowed to marry him because it is custom in her family for the youngest daughter to take care of the mother until she dies. So, while Tita is taking care of her very cruel and abusive mother, Perdo agrees to marry Rosaura, the older sister. He said that it was so he could be close to Tita. Meanwhile Tita’s cooking skills are growing. Each chapter of the book begins with a recipe of hers, and then the atmosphere of that chapter revolves around what it was that she made. There is a lot of magical realism within the story.
The rest of the story goes by pretty quickly, considering how much goes on. Pedro and Rosaura have and loose a baby boy, they move away for health reasons and Tita blames her mother for the death of her nephew, her mother beats her so she runs away to this type of bird house and refuses to leave the spot. A doctor comes to talk her down, and finally he succeeds, but her mother won’t let “crazy people” into her house. So Tita goes to live with the doctor. They become close and are to be married, but Tita cannot forget her feelings for Pedro, who recently just had a second child with Tita’s sister.
Eventually Mama Elena dies and Tita is free to be with Perdo. Their love making is so hot, that Perdo dies. And later while thinking about that night, Tita insights a fire and burns down the house, herself in it.
This is another story about oppression. Tita was oppressed by her mother and the traditions of her family. Like the others Tita fought the oppression, this time cooking was her tool, and in the ed she got what she wanted.
She definitely got the short end of the stick and the story didn’t end happily, but it is still a loveable tale and the recipes sound great! Plus the magical realism makes it rather funny and entertaining too.

1. Alyssa- The book takes place in the 1840s, in Buenos Aires, Argentine.
2. Beatriz- Her grandmother had been gotten in trouble with the government for being a spy and instead of imprisonment.
3. Brandon- Her father is a strong supporter of the dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, but Camila is not.
4. Candace- They each try desperately to avoid this possible love affair as he is a priest and can not take a wife for it will interfere with his devotion to god, and she is the daughter of a socialite who is expect to marry a man of a certain class standard.
5. Kathy- the true story of forbidden love and personal struggle.
6. Kelsey- Camila is a woman who expresses her thoughts and is very rebellious.
7. Kim- Ladislao is the nephew of the governor.
8. Logan- both Camila and Father Gutierrez were oppressed by the laws of a dictator.
9. Maria- They ran away to a town together and became educators.
10. Melissa- Adolfo dislikes his mother and Camila talking to each other, he kicks Camila out and says not to visit her.

Week 12

This is a love story that you don’t hear every day. Camila a young girl from Argentine, meets and falls in love with the newest addition to her local church, father Gutierrez. Camila confesses her feelings to him and he warns her of the danger in saying what she is saying, meaniwhile father Gutierrez is fights the urge , he can’t help but to fall in love. He can’t seem to practice what he is preaching.


Knowing that their love will not be allowed of excepted, they decide to run away together to a small village. They open up a school there and Camila becomes pregnant. But back home he father (who has disowned her, and the government are looking for them. Wanted flyers are hung and e veryone is on the look out. Unfortenatly, while at a party, the couple is recognized and arrested. Without the help of her father, Camila and her lover are destined for death.
The story of Camila doesn’t end as happily as Love in The Time of Cholera did. Although both were forbidden loves. Unlike Florentino and Fermina, Camila and Father Gutierrez are both killed in the end. However, I like to think that they are still happily together in a better place now, with their baby, safe and free from hiding, falling more in love with each other every minute.


Camila and the father knew that they could not live up to their full potential or even together in their home village. In order to grow and escape the tyranny of their government. Freire had strong ideas about how people can struggle under their governments rule. And how they can rise above their oppression and become better.

It remindes me of the song Rise, by the Flobots because of the rising up beyond society and government philosophy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QC6Ur-bC7U


This story pushes the boundaries because the couples in the story die at the end. It is odd for a story to end so cruelly, but this is a true story, so the pain is realistic. It is sad but true.

Beatriz: Florentino felt that he was unable to be with Fermina because of his status

Brandon: It is not just a Latin American or Columbian story but a story about love and class struggle.

Jamison: "The next day, neither of them could imagine going back home and Florentino proposes that they "keep going, going, going, back to La Dorada." Asked by the Captain how long he thinks they can keep up this coming and going, Florentino's answer is simply, "forever."

Kathy: This story is based on social status.

Kelsey: The movie, Love in the Time of Cholera, is set around the year 1900 where women marry for money and not love.

Kim: Fermina’s Aunt helps in the passing of letters back and forth between the two young lover

Maria: he comes down with Cholera but believes that the fever is just because he has fallen in love with her.

Melissa: Years pass and Florentio is convinced that if he climbs in social status he will get Fermina back once her husband dies, since he is willing to wait forever for Fermina.

Mike: The separation between physical age and the essence of your being is interesting to me in that while your physical being may get old and deteriorate your spirit can remain constant. It is only when you let your physical age control your spirit that you begin to wither away.

Nancy: There are several forms of oppression and prejudice present in this story: Fermina’s father rejects Florintino as a suitable suitor for Fermina because he is lower class.

Week 11

51 years, 9 months, 4 days
I chose to watch the film version of Love in the Time of Cholera, because of my love for Benjamin Bratt. Although, I do not favor is character in the movie, you can’t say that he isn’t a simply brilliant addition to the cast.
The plot is classic, boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy loses girl… it is the whole star crossed lovers situation that we are all familiar with. However, there are aspects of this story that give a fresh new look at the longevity of true love.
When Florentino Ariza meets and falls in love with Fermina Daza it seems that they will be together forever. However, as in many love other stories they don’t just ride off into the sunset. Fermina’s father refuses to allow their relationship to grow and sends her off to live with relatives. Florentino is left with nothing but persistence. Florentino waits for true love for 51 years, 9 months, 4 days. This persistence sure pays off for Florentino in Love In The Time Of Cholera. In the end, true love is at last his, together, forever.
Freire’s ideas are important to the story, because Florentino is able to realize that he is not as good as he can be. That as long as there are people like Dr. Juvenal Urbino that he could always be better. Florentino made the choice to become rich and successful like Dr. Juvenal Urbino in order to be worthy of his true love.
Also another important aspect that involves Freire is that the couple corresponded via written letters. Had the couple been illiterate and words had not been written to express true love then the love may not have blossomed.
Any time that a person from the “wrong side of the tracks” falls for an upperclass person, then all hell breaks loose. This story crosses borders, because it proves the point that true love waits and is everlasting and impossible to break, no matter how much change you carry in your pockets.




1. Susan: Rigoberta Menchu is an activist who campaigned against human right violations committed by the Guatemalan armed forces.
2. Alyssa: Ceaser Chavez was born on March 31st, 1927.
3. Brandon: He used to be a migrant farm worker and he was appalled with the conditions of the job.
4. Candace: there was a very strong female presence during the Boom.
5. Jamison: Growing up I will always remember running around under the great mural that is paint on the school that shows Cesar Chavez and and other great people to bless us with their work and life.6. Kathy: Dario wrote a poem titled A Roosevelt (To Roosevelt) in January of 1904 in Malaga, Spain in reaction to the US's involvement during the Separation of Panama from Colombia.
7. Kelsey: Some female writers are Chilean Isabel Allende, Argentine Luisa Valenzuela, Chilean Diamela Eltit, Mayra Montero, Daina Chaviano, Zoe Valdes, and Angeles Mastretta.
8. Kim: In many countries, the Deaf sign languages are barred in schools for the deaf and are used mainly outside the classroom and within the Deaf community.
9. Logan: Servants learned to speak with their hands and use of specific facial expressions. I found this interesting because most people believe singing is specifically about learning how to read hands when the reality is that there is a huge emphasis on reading a persons facial expressions and lips when they communicating through signing.
10. Maria: The most known authors at those time wrote about their Latin American countries giving their novels a historical theme

Week 2

What are these histories, cultures, nations?
President Obama speaks mainly about the Americas and some of the Muslim countries and their specific cultures and customs.
What is your summary of this video?
Obama basically is talking about the fact that this is OUR world and that if the Muslim countries would work together with America then together we could succeed. We could forget all of this terrorism drama and move on toward a better future together.
What information did you learn that you did not know before?
I didn’t know very much about the Muslim culture before listening to this speech. I also didn’t know the extent of Obama’s dreams of making the whole world a unified nation. Most presidents only worry about their own country.
What does the President say about 'dialogue'?
He says that the verse “do unto others as we would have them do unto us” is universal rule for every religion/belief system in the world. This is true. It is in the Talud, the Koran and the New Testament. If people only knew that we were all striving for the same thing then they may not be so darn nagative. We are all on the same team.
What did he say that relates to culture through either one of these items: the visual arts, drama, film, music, dance, literature, philosophy, religion?
When he spoke about culture he was just getting the point out there that there are so many different aspects of culture and although so many people have different ideas of life, that deep dwn inside they will have something in common, whether it be art, music, or even with their thoughts of how to treat others… there is always something there.
Why do you think this relates to Latin America?
Well, this is defiantly a world issue. And Latin America is a part of the world, but the truth of the matter is that as Americans, I think that people just group everyone else together as different or bad… this is not true… we have a future that will invole Latin America as well as the Muslim countries.
PART 2
This video was taken at a commencement ceremony at Duke University?
Yes it was
Who is in the video?
Oprah
What summary can you provide of this video?
Oprah gives a speech and tells 7 different stories about how people in life have succeeded and become her personal heroes.
What part strikes you the most?
I love the story about the Columbine episode that she recorded, but never aired. I love the fact that she thinks about her viewers and puts out positive messages to her audience. She didn’t air the episode because it was too dark for her viewers.
Does this person affect any part of our culture through either one of these items: the visual arts, drama, film, music, dance, literature, philosophy, religion?
Oprah talks a lot about the value of all of these things
Do you think this person has influence for our interdisciplinary studies (why/why not)?Oprah has an influence in all things she touches. She is one of the most influential people in the world. The fact that she is a woman and African-American just adds to the power of her persuasion.
Alyssa said “As people we need to learn about others and understand other cultures to better ourselves.” VERY TRUE!!!
Candace thinks that President Obama wants to let the Muslim people know that America has no ill will towards them as a people and that we are aware of the contributions to the modern world made by the Islam societies. --- I agree that this was his exact intention!
Isbell President Obama very eloquently and firmly opened the door to building solid relations with the Muslim world.
Julisa mentioned that Oprah’s godson William Bumps was graduating.
Logan restates that Obama mentions the injustice of woman's rights and the history of African Americans throughout our own history.
Mike said President Obama's speech to the Middle East is a positive step forward by the US to communicate the new approach our country is willing to make to establishing a new type of relationship with people in the Middle East and establishing a new paradigm in solving problems that have long made our relations less than desirable and productive between our country and the Middle East.
Nancy thinks that Americans may recognize and connect with some of the Muslim cultural values Obama mentioned.
Robert believed that every statement he makes applies to Latin America
Shannon says that Obama believes now is the time for a new evolution of humankind and that evolution begins with a pledge to dialogue.
Susan thinks that this video is about reaching out to other country's and trying to bring Muslims and Americans together.

Week 9

Independence Era refers to the violent time of lain America's history where they broke off from the hold that the Spanish had on them. Many people think that the seperation had been simmering sinse the US departed from Great Britian.

I chose to learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe because I grew up Christian and had many Catholic friends who attened the Our lady Guadalupe church in Windsor, and I never knew what it was all about. I laughed when I realized that Lady of Guadalupe and the Virgin Mary were the same person.

Fun Facts Section

1. The Lady of Guadalupe, is also known to many as the Virgin Mary. Who is a key figure in the New testament of the Bible. The Virgin Mary is the mother to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

2. Many Catholics believe that it was Our Lady of Guadalupe who told Juan Diego to build a church in what is now known as Mexico City. Diego didn’t believe her, but she told him to go and pick a bundle of flowers and although it was winter, he was able to gather enough Spanish roses. He gave the roses to the Bishop, and when they fell, the image of the Virgin Mary was imprinted on his apron.



3. Catholics pray through the Virgin Mary, and they also hold a nine day celebration in her honor "Novena." Here is a copy of the prayers for the nine day celebration:

First Day: Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my humble prayer offered with heartfelt confidence to beg this favor......Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Second Day: O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you under the glorious Aztec title of Guadalupe. Obtain for me a lively faith to do your Son’s holy will always: May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Third Day: O Mary, whose Immaculate Heart was pierced by seven swords of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns strewn across my pathway. Obtain for me the strength to be a true imitator of you. This I ask you, my dear Mother. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Fourth Day:Dearest Mother of Guadalupe, I beg you for a fortified will to imitate your divine Son’s charity, to always seek the good of others in need. Grant me this, I humbly ask of you.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Fifth Day:O most holy Mother, I beg you to obtain for me pardon of all my sins, abundant graces to serve your Son more faithfully from now on, and lastly, the grace to praise Him with you forever in heaven.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Sixth Day: Mary, Mother of vocations, multiply priestly vocations and fill the earth with religious houses which will be light and warmth for the world, safety in stormy nights. Beg your Son to send us many priests and religious. This we ask of you, O Mother.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

Seventh Day: O Lady of Guadalupe, we beg you that parents live a holy life and educate their children in a Christian manner; that children obey and follow the directions of their parents; that all members of the family pray and worship together. This we ask of you, O Mother.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Eighth Day: With my heart full of the most sincere veneration, I prostrate myself before you, O Mother, to ask you to obtain for me the grace to fulfill the duties of my state in life with faithfulness and constancy.Our father, Hail Mary, Glory.
Ninth Day: O God, You have been pleased to bestow upon us unceasing favors by having placed us under the special protection of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. Grant us, your humble servants, who rejoice in honoring her today upon earth, the happiness of seeing her face to face in heaven.Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory.

http://www.sancta.org/novena.html --- a .org site. It is an organizationally run site and trustworthy.

Peer Readings

1. Theresa- said that while reading she was "drawn to the articles and videos of this ancient and often mislabeled people, the Moors."

2. Susan Said that the Conquest Era stands out as being the era that shaped Latin America the most.

3. Stacy was "been both fascinated and horrified by the ways the indigenous cultures (Maya, Inca, Oltec etc.)"

4. Shannon chose to talk about C ortez and Columbus because there were a few quotes in the book "A People's History of the United States 1492- Present" that she wanted to share with the class.

5. Sara was interested in the housing styles of the aincent Latin Americans.

6. Robert chose to study how Columbus was a “conquisitor.”

7. Jamison said that native populations were wiped out and exploited by the Spanish.

8. Gray wrote about the significance of bells in the misions.

9. Brandon was immedietly intrigued wih his topic, once he found some information.

10. Logan Mission Dolores of San Francisco is the oldest standing building in the city standing at 116 years old.

INTDIS 4 week 8

Columbus and Cortes
1. The Conquest era refers to the years roughly between 1492 (when Columbus set sail) until around 1533. The time in which the Incas and Aztecs were conquered. Some people call this the mixing of European and Indigenous cultures and customs, but history has taught us that it was more likely the time of European dominance.
2. I chose this topic because growing up in elementary school I was always taught that Christopher Columbus and Hernán Cortés were good guys and that we should honor and celebrate their discoveries in the “New World.” But as I grew up and studied the topic more and more, I was surprised to see all of their heroic attributes fly out the window. I want to get another look at Columbus and Cortez and see if they are heroes or villains.
Fun facts 1: Columbus didn’t go to much school, he learned to read and write in Spanish while sailing, and he taught himself Latin, Because he needed to know how to read the maps, which were mainly written un Latin. Cortes on the other hand, attended the University of Salmanca, and was well educated. I think that the difference in their education levels is interesting, because they are so different from each other.
Fun fact 2: Cortez landed on what is now known as Baja California on his very last expedition. This was the first landing on what would become the United States of America. Many people believe this to be the reason that we live there today. Without this last expedition, this land may have remained uncharted forever.
Fun fact 3: I found it interesting how Columbus renamed the islands. Guanahani became San Salvador (Holy Savior) and Cuba which he renamed “Juana” after the Spanish princess.
Fun fact 4: The whole time Columbus was in Latin America, Columbus thought that he was in Asia.

http://www.harlingen.isd.tenet.edu/coakhist/explor.html
This site is reliable because it is a .edu site, which means that it is an educational site.


1. Alyssa chose to look at the Aztec’s because she remembered studying them in school and she fond them interesting
2. Beatriz chose to do the Aztec because she has family in Mexico City.
3. Brandon has always been interested in the Mayan culture.
4. Candace thought that the religious ideas behind the City Where Men Become Gods were interesting.
5. Jamison chose the Aztec because of their rich culture and human sacrifices, advanced mythology and calendar system.
6. Kathy chose to study the Guarani because she had not studied them in school.
7. Kelsey liked the Mayan Pyramids of Chichen Itza.
8. Kim visited the Coba ruins and included a picture of the ball courts.
9. Logan felt a “weird obligation” to pick the Olmec.
10. Sara found the level of the Mayan intelligence surprising.