El Proletariado de Aztlán” is a beautiful piece of artwork by Emigdio Vasquez that beautifully blends the past, the present, and the future. A panoramic photo that interlinks different eras and demonstrates the progress of Latinos throughout the ages. This mural is a paradox, demonstrating both subjugation and resistance. This mural shows the dignity in the everyday lives of Latinos; within their eyes, you can see their pride, passion, and hope. This mural portrays the repercussions of colonization on lives of Latinos. European conquest became the gateway that allowed colonialism and Eurocentric thought to enter and be used to subjugate the people of the Americas. The effects of Eurocentric ideology remains ingrained within the descendants …show more content…
of the oppressed and the oppressors. The dehumanization of people of Latin descendent is extremely apparent in today’s society --- within the workforce, in education, on the borders, in our justice and correctional systems. Within these institutions Latinos are dehumanized, taken advantage of and obliged to assimilate to Eurocentric thought. This mural demonstrates the human experiences of Latinos in today’s society, the crude reality of Eurocentric domination. This mural sets a stage and acts as a microphone that roars the truth of the past and our present, The purpose of this paper is to establish a space to attack the problem and find a solution to create a community that will not infringe on the autonomy and human rights of future generations. Despite demonstrating the development of worst repercussions of Eurocentric ideology onto present-day society, this mural stands as a symbol of hope. A hope for a future in which Latinos can create a community that can incorporate the pre-Hispanic culture which future generations can be proud heirs of. To create a community that can establish relationships on equal footing between Latin descendants and the offspring of their former colonizers without using the oppressive strategies that derive from Eurocentric thought. This mural displays humanitarianism; that Latinos are people regardless of the color of their pigments or their origins. There is no difference between the white man and brown man, underneath our skin we are all flesh and blood with hopes and dreams for the future. The many perspectives of these working men and women have been woven into the mural with an equalizing and dignified spirit similar to that their Aztec ancestor exhibits the ways that the intersecting dynamics of race, ethnicity, class, and gender produced different experiences, creating a distinction between these groups of people and To uproot the causes of today’s problems we must look towards the past.
This mural stands as a passageway between the past and the present. It is often said that history is written by the winners. The Spanish Conquest of the Americas was justified by Spanish as “holy intervention”, done to save the souls of the indigenous people of the Americas. History depicted our ancestors as irrational, barbaric savages. The colonists self-proclaimed as saviors, however, in reality, they themselves were the true savages. They did not speak about the atrocities they committed nor of the beauty of the indigenous people. “El Proletariado de Aztlán” incorporates the image of an Aztec warrior. The mural serves as a mirror allowing one to see things from a true …show more content…
perspective. To see reality through the eyes of the oppressed, imagine yourself as this Aztec standing up a hill looking upon the beautiful city of Tenochtitlán. A beautiful city with a system of canals and causeways to connect the islands, aqueducts that provide clean water, floating mud gardens known as chinampas with crops ripe to harvest, and beautiful buildings constructed as temples to their gods. The city is buzzing with life with as many as 60,000 people buying and selling in the marketplace. The roar of the drums beating as the people gave thanks to the gods for their abundance. This is what the Aztec sees, his people and his culture. Yet, history does not portray these aspects. We are taught at an early age that the Spanish were heroes saving the Aztec from savagery. In reality, the savages were the Spanish and history does not speak these truths. The Spanish murdered, plundered, raped, imprisoned the Aztec destroying their existence for their own gain. Cesaire states that “ between colonizer and colonized there is room only for forced labor, intimidation, pressure, taxation, theft, rape, mistrust, arrogance, contempt, self-complacency, brainless elites, and degraded masses. These relations of domination and submission which turn the colonizing man into a classroom monitor, an army sergeant, a prison guard, a slave driver and the indigenous man into an instrument of production.”(Cesaire 42) This statement indicates the effects of colonization between individuals and how it has created a segregation in which the colonizer is the user and the indigenous man a tool molded to serve the user. Imagine yourself again as the Aztec overlooking Tenochtitlán and seeing your city burned to the ground, houses plundered, the death and imprisonment of your people. History does not depict these atrocities enacted by the Spanish, we see the repercussions of these actions within their descendants who have been subjugated to domination by colonists and its effects on even today’s society. The oligarchy that came to rise in the Americas were the conquistadors, men who knew only how to steal and murder. These people were given large tracts of land known as encomiendas in which they owned all land, animals, and natives within the allotted area. The encomienda system is a feudal system in which the conquistadors protect and assimilate the natives in exchange for tribute and labor. The conquistadors became known as “encomenderos” and began to abuse the indigenous people demanding more labor and tributes. The Spanish create “barrios” in which the indigenous population were forced to live on. “Satellite pueblos de indios were also established in the vicinity of “pueblos de espanoles” in order to ensure the availability of a labor force on the farms of the surrounding countryside or for personal services for the Spaniards or for public works.”(Schaedel 478) They created these areas as a means to keep the indigenous population dependent upon the pueblos de espanoles for economic stability. These “barrios” had poor living conditions in comparison to the pueblos de espanoles. By controlling were the indigenous population lived and the things they were exposed to the Spanish crown was able limit the indigenous population’s options and thus allow only the option of assimilating.The indigenous people human rights were disregarded treated and seen as nothing more than beasts of labor and could easily be deposed of once they served their purpose. This system of using Eurocentric ideology to suppress and control the masses began its implications of colonial domination within the encomienda system.
The manipulation of indigenous people has become the foundation of capitalism, the benefit for a few elites at the cost of many people., and creating a capitalist structure of labor, resource and product control. Within “Coloniality of Power and Eurocentrism in Latin America” Quijano uses the slave system and encomienda system to strengthen the argument the forced domination of indigenous people is a construct used by the privileged white population to justify the abuse of labor of the minorities to maximize their profits. They treated the indigenous population as inferior, ingraining into their minds that they are second class and did not deserve the same rights as their white counterparts.” The racial classification of the population and the early association of the new racial identities of the colonized with the forms of control of unpaid, unwaged labor developed among the Europeans the singular perception that paid labor was the whites’ privilege.”(Quijano 539). Racial classification has been established as a social construct that classifies and drowns the brown population into internalizing racism. Laura M. Padilla in “Race, Racism and the Law” expresses internalizing racism as a barrier to break the molds of “winners and losers,” , the Eurocentric ideology of race classification “ Those at the receiving end of
prejudice can experience physical and psychological harm, and over time, they internalize and act on negative perceptions about themselves and other members of their own group.”(Padilla) Thus, an unquestioned acceptance of liberal ideology promoting pursuit of individual well-being pushes away from anything that defies Eurocentric thought. This assimilation is a the method of survival that we have inherited from our predecessors and explains how we subconsciously feel degraded in the face of domination as it has been internalized to ensure survival. Within the mural you see many hardworking men and women forced to work in a capitalist system, a system they have no means in which to question or oppose. The modern-day workforce can be seen as the evolution of white superiority over the masses. Starting in 1942 the United States started the Bracero program, which brought over thousands of Mexican workers to tend to the fields. These men and women were forced to work in extremely dangerous environments,long hours for extremely low wages and under inhumane living conditions. These men and women
In this installment of Harvest of Empire, we reach the third and final chapter named La Cosecha which shows the impact of Latinos in politics. Though, the two previous sections were interesting due to learning history and the history of Gonzalez himself, in this section we learn of the triumphs and downfalls of communities that were aren’t made aware of in modern textbooks or in classrooms. In Chapter 10, we are knowledgeable that the Latino vote has not only increased by sky-rocketed from the years 1976 to 2008. The revolution has been in the works since post World War II although it’s not commonly known as other legacies throughout the United States. As the years later progressed, the United States saw the rise of major radical groups such
In Sueños Americanos: Barrio Youth Negotiating Social and Cultural Identities, Julio Cammarota studies Latina/o youth who live in El Pueblo, and talks about how Proposition 187, the anti-immigrant law, is affecting Latina/o youth in California (Cammarota, 2008, p. 3). In this book review, I will write about the two main points the author is trying to get across. The two main points I will be writing about are how Proposition 187 is affecting the Latina/o community, and about how Latina/o youth are copping in the El Pueblo barrio. Afterward I write about the two main points the author is trying to get across, I will write a brief description of the author and write about the author’s strengths and weaknesses.
Harvest of the Empire is a valuable tool to gaining a better understanding of Latinos. This book helps people understand how varied Latino’s in the United States are. The author also helped give insight as to how Americans reacts to differences within itself. It does this by giving a description of the struggles that every Latino immigrant faced entering the United States. These points of emphasis of the book were explained thoroughly in the identification of the key points, the explanation of the intersection of race, ethnicity, and class, in addition to the overall evaluation of the book.
In El Plan de Santa Barbara, we are provided with a brief description of what “racial structure” has created for the Chicano community.Those who are privileged, “Anglo-American community,” have determined our future, a future where we are meant to stay in the lower class of society. In the Manifesto of EPDSB, it states “due to the racist structure of this society… self-determination of our community is now the only acceptable mandate for social and political action”(EPDSB 9). This “racist structure” stated in El Plan de Santa Barbara is traced all the way back to our ancestors during the Spanish invasion and through the Chicano movement we have been able to fight back against this “racist structure.”
Before entering into the main body of his writing, Allen describes to readers the nature of the “semicolony”, domestic colonialism, and neocolonialism ideas to which he refers to throughout the bulk of his book. Priming the reader for his coming argument, Allen introduces these concepts and how they fit into the white imperialist regime, and how the very nature of this system is designed to exploit the native population (in this case, transplanted native population). He also describes the “illusion” of black political influence, and the ineffectiveness (or for the purposes of the white power structure, extreme effectiveness) of a black “elite”, composed of middle and upper class black Americans.
...n, Gonzalez states his identity; "I am Aztec Prince and Christian Christ." This combination of culture is the basis of his poem, which can be found at http://www.pbs.org/chicano/joaquin.html, and is representative of the heritage of Mexican Americans. The concept of Aztlan is explained in Chicano!, and the mural ‘Corazon de Aztlan,’ found in Chicano Park (http://chicanopark.org/murals/north/n8.html ), reinforces the importance of this image in the lives of Chicanos. The myth of Aztlan symbolizes centuries of culture and struggles of Mexican Americans who went through incredibly difficult times throughout history, but never lost hope and always stayed strong, determined to one day be treated equally as citizens of the United States of America.
In schools, students are being taught wrong information. “Our gods were vanquished after the fall of Tenochtitlan as were our traditions. Our warriors and nobles were eradicated, our children starved and our women ravished by the white conquerors and their allies.” (157). In books across America, the Spaniards were said to be good people, but the way that Huitzitzilin described what happened, shows the complete opposite of how the Spaniards actually were.
Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire a History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2000.
In 1910, the first social upheaval of the 20th century was unleashed in Mexico. Known as the Mexican Revolution, its historical importance and impact inspired an abundance of internationally renowned South American authors. Mariano Azuela is one of these, whose novel, "The Underdogs" is often described as a classic of modern Hispanic literature. Having served as a doctor under Pancho Villa, a revolutionary leader of the era, Azuela's experience in the Revolution provides The Underdogs with incomparable authenticity of the political and social tendencies of the era between 1910 and 1920. The Underdogs recounts the living conditions of the Mexican peasants, the corruption of the government troops, and the revolutionary zeal behind the inspiring causes of the revolution. In vivid detail and honest truth, Azuela reveals the actuality of the extent of turmoil that plagued Mexico and its people during the revolution. However, before one can acknowledge The Underdogs as a reflection of the Mexican Revolution one must have an understanding the political state of Mexico prior to the Revolution and the presidents who reigned during it.
Being so naïve about the country I came from being influenced by the way other people look at Mexico made me ashamed of who I was. Even taking it as far as dreading the color of my skin and despising the blood that ran through my veins. Not knowing of course that blood and the way I am and look is what ties me to my ancestors and my future family. Now, having the ability to block out the unnecessary opinions of outsiders and finally having the courage to love myself and my roots; I’m able to fill my own head with information. Learning from how people in Mexico treated the land like a part a part of themselves, I decided that I’m as important as the seasonal fruits, as intricate as el mole, sweet life the pineapple, and as bright and persuading as the sunflower. For the first time everything I see and am is as beautiful as it should be.
In chapter seven, Menchaca discusses how after the Mexican Independence of 1821, land laws and regulations were instituted in the Southwest by the new Mexican government. The Mexican Government issued the General Colonization law of 1824 that stated that all heads of households in the Southwest who were citizens/or immigrants to Mexico were eligible to claim land. This new legislation was very different from the earlier Spanish government. With the instruction of this new law, no racial group was to be favored in the amount of land they acquired or received. The main goal of the law was to undo the effects of the Spanish land grant system, which favored Whites and military officials. As many people acquired land, many Indian villages became
As long as civilizations have been around, there has always been a group of oppressed people; today the crucial problem facing America happens to be the discrimination and oppression of Mexican immigrants. “Mexican Americans constitute the oldest Hispanic-origin population in the United States.”(57 Falcon) Today the population of Mexican’s in the United States is said to be about 10.9%, that’s about 34 million people according to the US Census Bureau in 2012. With this many people in the United States being of Mexican descent or origin, one would think that discrimination wouldn’t be a problem, however though the issue of Mexican immigrant oppression and discrimination has never been a more prevalent problem in the United States before now. As the need for resolve grows stronger with each movement and march, the examination of why these people are being discriminated against and oppressed becomes more crucial and important. Oppression and Anti-discrimination organizations such as the Freedom Socialist Organization believe that the problem of discrimination began when America conquered Mexican l...
In this groundbreaking book, Matthew Restall debunks many of the standard explanations for the success of the Spanish conquest of American societies in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. As promised in the book's title, he discusses what he judges to be key misconceptions about the conquest and its context, identifying the distortions that often characterize depictions of indigenous societies and cultures and linking them to implicit assumptions about European superiority that are equally commonplace.
In the US it is very common to still hear of the poor way African Americans were treated in the early part of this nations History. We hear stories of black slaves working 18 hour days picking cotton and the trauma of slaves being beaten for disobeying their masters. For many African American families, it seems, that was the way of life not long ago. While it is very important to realize what these African Americans went through, I think it is often forgotten that indigenous people of Latin America were exploited in similar ways but through different Labor Systems.
...ricans accept from financial, psychological, political and communal exploitation at the hands of strong Whites in this homeland. As an conclusion of this exploitation, very dark persons generally are put into positions where the ascribe of a lawless person proceed is often glimpsed as the most creative tenacity to their problems. Most Caucasians, whereas, will expected not ever recognize the predicament in which most very dark find themselves. Thieved from our homeland and then compelled to work under the saddest situation imaginable. African American not paid any money and kept in slavery of distinct types and newest tendencies up to this very day. Very dark individuals have been under the unchanging order of whites since approaching into this homeland. Today, white America’s most productive means of keeping that order is through the lawless person fairness scheme.