The Father Of My Father

My family origin had God all in it. I don’t know this fact for a long time. I know my mom and my dad spiritual life because I saw it firsthand. I don’t know my grandparent spiritual life until much later in my life. My family was a group of people that rejected new ideas and different spiritual system. I have a family member that was Muslim. The old people in my family really

I was borned in a small village call San Bartolome Quialana located in Southeastern Mexico. It is best known for its indigenous peoples and cultures. Here, in San Bartolome Quialana, women proudly cover their heads with multicolored chews and protect their satin dress with their gauze blouse and bib garments, each made with their own hands. The fabric is reserved for the women who also work in the fields. I mostly grew up with my mother Guadalupe,Smirna and Friedy. My brother being 14 years and my sister 12. In San Bartolome Quialana I grew up speaking an indigenous language call Zapoteco. I lived in a bigger house there but didn't have any warm water, nor a shower. Our kitchen didn't have a stove we made our own tortilla in a comal. My

To Maria, Mexican culture revolves all around your family, morals, and traditions and religion. “You have to be proud of where you come from, Mexican culture is about being proud of who you are” said Maria. “My Father taught all of my brothers and sisters to look out for one another because with out family you have nothing.” Ever since Maria born her family has been very religious. She was baptized in a church is Guadalajara, but she

Religion is a long-standing social and cultural phenomenon. Religion can play a different role in different societies during different periods. In the modern society, it has an important function due to it promotes social integration and identity. It has a very important impact. Therefore, from my perspective, it is significant to learn about Latino religious practices and know about the religious affiliation of Latino families, so that people can deliver better services to them.

This is a narrative of one Mexican American woman’s experiences and her views on the importance of passing down the cultural beliefs of her ancestors. In the section of the country in which I live there is a large population within the community of Mexican American culture. Although I have frequent contact with people of Mexican American heritage either through employment or interaction out in the community, I have a limited understanding of their culture. For this reason, I chose to learn more about the population of people I have frequent contact with and as a professional work with as clients in the field of mental health counseling. The quest of finding someone knowledgeable to discuss the population, their cultural background and some of their necessities, as well as some past experiences, led me towards contacting a church. This took calling two different churches before the person at the second church informed me that I needed to speak with, Mrs. Socorro Garcia head of their Hispanic Ministries. Unfortunately, Mrs. Garcia was on vacation when I called, but I was able to speak with her over the phone the following week, setting up an interview in person at her office a couple days later. This was a relief because I was becoming concerned about locating someone for a personal interview.

When it came to the encounters that Kirkham’s had with the different citizens of Mexico, the interactions varied depending on the status that each individual had. On occasions we see Kirkham describe the Mexican people to be backwards in thinking when it came to the way their demonstrated their Christian faith. The instance in which Kirkham see’s the devout Mexican citizens can be seen as “the great mass of the people, which compromises nine-teen-twentieths of the whole, are keep in a state of perfect ignorance” (Kirkham 27). Even though they were devoted to their faith Kirkham believes that they are backward in nature due to the way in which mass is given to church goers, that being in Latin, which prevents the church goers from understanding the different sermons that are given.

One of the first topic points of our discussion was the importance of Mrs. Garcia’s cultural values. This was a very personal subject for Mrs. Garcia. She described the importance of passing these values down to her children and grandchildren, and is concerned that the importance of these values are not being passed down the way she would like. In her family alone, she witnesses her grandchildren not being taught to speak their native language of Spanish. Mrs. Garcia tries to instill these important aspects of their culture to them, but she becomes frustrated when her daughter does not teach them in her home. Mrs. Garcia emphasized the importance of family in the Mexican American culture, and with all families there is a bit of a hierarchy amongst them. Typically, it is the mother that holds this position within the Mexican American culture, therefore if these values and beliefs are passed down it is primarily the mother’s responsibility. Although if both parents are involved in the parenting both of them play a role in the development of the children, however the mother seems to be more influential. As reported by Knight et al. (2011) in Mexican American adolescent ethnic identity development and internalization of Mexican American values are facilitated by the mother through ethnic socialization. In the Mexican American community, religion is an important aspect of their lives and with Mrs. Garcia this no different. The majority of the culture is Roman Catholic and

“Stupid Mexican!” She muttered as I accidently brushed her arm. I stopped and looked back she was beautiful. Her golden blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sun kissed complexion hid her ignorance well. I went into the bathroom and starred at the reflection in the mirror. The almond shaped eyes stared back at the girl before them. Her skin was fair and her curly brown hair over whelmed the mirror. As I starred I my self the words resonated, “Stupid Mexican!” I was confused. I am Cuban and Salvadorian; I realized I didn’t know what either meant. My mother told me that her father was a Spanish Businessman who was traveling through El Salvador and met her mother, a native to the country that had never stepped foot outside the small town she was born in. She said that my father was Cuban. She would show me pictures of him and his parents his mother as dark as the night. Her hair too over whelmed her photos. His father was fair in completion. Even through the black and white photo his blue eyes pierced my soul like those of that beautiful women. And there stood my father between his parent’s fair skin, nappy hair, and almond shaped eyes. His smile revolted me all I saw was the man who left his five-year-old daughter for another life. A man who left me, his daughter, wondering who I was and were I came from.

My personal assumptions and beliefs regarding ethnicity, culture, and religious background was influenced by my father, mother, and their ancestors. For example, my mother’s and father’s ancestors, my great, great grandparents emigrated

My background began with my birth in Managua, Nicaragua and my father was born in Oaxaca, Mexico. I remember when I was younger and I thought to my self, "Why do I have a beautiful name with a unappealing last name Pablo"? And "Why do boys use the adjective 'exotic' to describe my beauty"? These questions boggled me until my late teens since my mother was unable to clarify to me my father's background. They divorced when I was 5 years old and the only origin fact she had about my father was that he and his family were Oaxacan Indians. On account of the lack of relationship my siblings and I have with our father, we grew up in the shadows of not knowing our Mexican heritage. Thereupon, I was determine to learn about my heritage through an education

In the Mexican context, religiosity is still evident, despite a process of institutional secularization [1] promoted by the State from the second half of the nineteenth century.

My family claims to be religious, but most are content with being “Sunday-morning” Christians. If it were not for my great-grandmother, I probably would be the same as the rest of my family. She was the only one who truly supported my later decision to pursue God instead of flirt around Christianity. I would go to services on Sunday mornings, but that was about as

I love the city of Sinaloa where my parents come from. Im proud of being from there because mostly all the people are very nice.They have a lot of cultural things,all my family come along and hang out together.Every Time I go to Sinaloa they treat me very good.There’s always mexican food in the table at my grandma’s house in Mexico. Mexican food been an important thing to my family since all my family is Mexican.We all eat Mexican food all the time,In holydays that we celebrate my family gets along and makes Mexican food. Especially in Christmas all my family gets together and make a lot of Mexican food like Tamales,posole,barbacoa,carnitas and more.Im proud of being from a catholic family.Im proud of being Catholic because once in awhile my

The ethnic- Mexican experience has changed over the years as American has progressed through certain period of times, e.g., the modernity and transformation of the southwest in the late 19th and early 20th century, the labor demands and shifting of U.S. immigration policy in the 20th century, and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Through these events Mexican Americans have established and shaped their culture, in order, to negotiate these precarious social and historical circumstances. Throughout the ethnic Mexicans cultural history in the United States, conflict and contradiction has played a key role in shaping their modalities of life. Beginning in the late 20th century and early 21st century ethnic Mexicans have come under distress

For Wordsworth, child is a father of man also because a child is more innocent, pure and selfless. A child’s thoughts are simple and pure. A child is not like a man in his response towards society. He lives in his own world which is away from worldly desires.