It is easy to dismiss Binondo’s filthy and crowded sidewalks once one has breathed Alabang’s crisp, unpolluted air or Bonifacio High Street’s lush greenness. After all, when one is on vacation, one expects nothing less than paradise to greet him. To the naked eye, Binondo will seem a horrifying disappointment, but some still choose to visit the area to take in its rich history. Horse-drawn calesas that continue to trot along Binondo’s streets today are one of the district’s main attractions. Calesa rides may not be as glamorous as they used to be, but one look at a carriage can bring back some type of collective memory or images of the Spanish Colonial Era that most of us have experienced only in classic Filipino literature. It is a consolation then, that a calesa ride can surely take its passenger on a time travel to the good old days when Binondo was glamorous and its streets sparkled with wealth and newness. With enough imagination, one might even catch a glimpse of Rizal’s Ibarra walking along the shores of Pasig. But it is not only the old or the fictive that Binondo can offer to its tourists. The observant eye will notice landmarks of modernization and of Westernization that blend in with Binondo's equally diverse historical sites. It does not confine itself to the Spanish Colonial Era; Binondo boasts of the emergence of the Filipino identity, the harmonious relationship of the Filipino and the Chinese, and the country’s efforts at economic improvement. A deeper understanding of it may explain why people should not consider Binondo as any lesser than Tagaytay, Boracay, or Alabang just because it is not as sophisticated as they seem. After all, Binondo has character. There are many entry points to Binondo: one may o... ... middle of paper ... ...A plaque in front of a quaint little house along Lavezares announces: Here, the La Solidaridad was first printed. After witnessing all the wonderful renovations in Binondo, it’s always pleasant to look back on the country’s past. After all, without the help of La Solidaridad, the Propagandistas, and our national heroes, we might have never repossessed our freedom from the Spaniards. As Rizal said, “To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of her past.” Binondo lives up to this proverb perfectly by embracing both the past and the present of the country. It is undiscriminating to change, but also nostalgic for the bygone days. This is why when people claim that Binondo is merely a stinky fish market compared to the new structures popping right out of Makati, Taguig, and Alabang, I’d be the first to say that they’re wrong.
Mexico’s political and economic stability from 1940-1982 can be well understood by looking at one of Sergio’s televisions. In Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman introduces the reader to Sergio Espinoza, a businessman who once employed some 700 workers to produce televisions, stereos and sound systems. His televisions’ high production costs, low quality, high prices and inaccessibility to the poor sketch a rough microcosm of the period from 1940-1982 by laying bare the inefficiencies of import substitution industrialization and the vast inequalities in Mexico. From 1940-82, economic growth and stability came at the expense of social justice and political pluralism. In particular, the Mexican campesinos, the backbone of the revolutionary Zapatista uprising, suffered from the economic development model and from the PRI’s ability to muzzle dissent.
The debate on Puerto Rican Identity is a hot bed of controversy, especially in today’s society where American colonialism dominates most of the island’s governmental and economic policies. The country wrestles with the strong influence of its present day colonizers, while it adamantly tries to retain aspects of the legacy of Spanish colonialism. Despite America’s presence, Puerto Ricans maintain what is arguably their own cultural identity which seems largely based on the influence of Spain mixed with customs that might have developed locally.
A growing affluent class called upon the Diaz regime and imported architects to construct buildings in the Zocalo to reflect a “proper” image that drew on influences from Europe and the United States. Johns recognizes the architectural dependence of the influential Mexicans constructing Mexico City when he states, “Mexican architecture, on the other hand, was an expression of a city run by a people who were looking to create their own culture while entirely dependent on the industry and ideas of Europe and America” (22). The same construction that the elite felt was a celebration of a newfound dignity in the Mexican people was criticized, by visitors and locals alike, as grandiose and a futile effort to shield the native roots of a circle of imposters. Johns’s argues that the “Mexicans knew little of their adopted European tradition, had acquired even less of its taste, and enjoyed none of its tranquility” (23). While the influence on the Westside led to development, the squalor and lack of authority of the peasants on the Eastside created mesones, or as Johns described them, “…a little more than ‘a bare spot to lie down in, a grass mat, company with (the) vermin that squalor breeds…’” (48). Politics on the Westside of the Zocalo were concerned little with the living conditions of the majority. No one would undertake the unglamorous task of assisting the poor, but rather they attempted to veil the masses in the shadow of their refined buildings and recent assumption of culture.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century the cultural and societal foundations were laid for the newly formed nations of the America. Both José Enrique Rodó and Jose Marti made large contributions to the development of Latin America through their literature. Both sought to improve and encourage the people of The America’s, however it is Jose Marti who truly succeeds in inspiring a national pride in his writing Our America.
These new immigrants brought new traditions, a foreign language to the United States, but also ideological diversity. People like Jose Marti fought for Cuban independence from U.S. shores, Luisa Capetillo and later Luisa Moreno fought for labor and women’s rights, and organizations like the League of United States Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española (the Spanish-Speaking People’s Congress) organized Spanish-speaking people to try to harness their political power more effectively, giving Spanish speaking communities a vo...
...rancisco Solano López and the Ruination of Paraguay: Honor and Egocentrism. New York: Rowan and Littlefield, 2007. Print.
Adams, Jerome R. Liberators and Patriots of Latin America. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers, 1991. Print.
Miguel Melendez’s book, “We Took the Streets” provides the reader with an insightful account into the activities of the Young Lords movement established in the latter years of the 1960s and remained active up until the early seventies. The book’s, which is essentially Melendez’s memoir, a recollection of the events, activities, and achievements of the Young Lords. The author effectively presents to the reader a fascinating account of the formation of the Young Lords which was a group of college students from Puerto Rico who came together in a bid to fight for some of the basic rights. As Melendez sums it up, “You either claim your history or lose authority over your future” (Melendez 23). The quote is in itself indicative of the book’s overall
The 6 acre parcel located within Condado’s “golden triangle” had many zoning restrictions applicable to the desired development. For example, back in 1993, the government of Puerto Rico initiated a “special land use plan and zoning regulation for the entrance of San Juan Islet” (Trouble in paradise, 2010). This regulation brought forth Regulation No. 23 that strictly stipulated the zoning ordinance could not be a...
Life in Mexico was, before the Revolution, defined by the figure of the patron that held all of power in a certain area. Juan Preciado, who was born in an urban city outside of Comala, “came to Comala because [he] had been told that [his] father, a man named Pedro Paramo lived there” (1). He initially was unaware of the general dislike that his father was subjected to in that area of Mexico. Pedro was regarded as “[l]iving bile” (1) by the people that still inhabited Comala, a classification that Juan did not expect. This reveals that it was not known by those outside of the patron’s dominion of the cruel abuse that they levied upon their people. Pedro Paramo held...
Even though some old establishments have made way for the new in recent years, the kampong spirit of Tiong Bahru is very much alive. Ng Siew Tock, 90, has lived in the area since 1980 and is optimistic about where the neighbourhood is headed. “[Tiong Bahru] used to be very quiet, but now it is very lively. We need such new blood in the neighbourhood.” The Tiong Bahru of today is quaint and sophisticated;
Phuket is well known as a Pearl of Andaman because of its beautiful beach and many tourist places such as Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Karon Beach and Lam Promathep. Actually there are additional factors such as its culture, architect, historic and much more that is enough to make this city became a paradise.
Kaohsiung, Taiwan is among the oldest of the Cebu City Government’s Sister Cities. This relationship was formally established on February 6, 1969 under the leadership of Mayor Eulogio E. Borres and Hon. Florencio S. Urot as expressed through Resolution No. 229 entitled “A Resolution creating the sister city relationship between Cebu City and Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Province, Republic of China.” This resolution cited the similarities between Cebu City and Kaohsiung, Taiwan which made them compatible for each other, due to their characteristics (1) of being the second biggest city in their respective countries not only in population but also in commerce and industry, (2) of being port cities, (3) of being the first to have an export processing zone (4) of having common aspirations of obtaining progress and prosperity for its residents and (5) of being noted for its gracious and hospitable peoples. In this resolution, it was conveyed that the Sister-city program between the two cities would be “one of the best means of fostering and cementing friendship and understanding between the citizens of Cebu City
The Philippines is endowed with abundant natural resources and one of the world’s richest diversity of fertile lands; flora and fauna; heart seizing scenic beauty; diverse culture; indigenous etiquette. A country blessed with astonishing natural environment along with the country’s hospitable and pleasant people has made it one of the major tourist destinations around the world. Tourism is one of the major contributor to the economy of the Philippines. Its beaches, mountains and rainforest are among the country’s natural tourist destinations. Aside from these, its rich historical heritage, diverse culture and traditions, festivals and celebrations, native foods and delicacies are endemic additions to the Philippines’s tourist captures.