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Emilie, sorry for the mix-up, they came over legally in 1916. It's just that had they came over in this age of racism, they'd be look down upon-and every brown face I see now I see someones grandparents, parents, brother or sister. Also, please read Mr. Reveles' books. They aren't novels but vignettes, short stories that are very entertaining. thanks for your input!!! Peggy Delgado
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Peggy, I am glad to see good reviews of Daniel's books. I've known about them since his nephew told me about them, but I usually don't read novels, so I haven't bought any of them. I think I will now. Daniel's father Nicolas was from Jerez, Zacatecas where my father was born also. They came over legally around the time that the US threw open its doors to refugees from the Mexican revolution (1915). I have done some work on those lines, since I encountered one of Daniel's brothers on the Jerezano.com website several years ago and we compared notes. We may be related collaterally; the places and names seem to match. Nicolas Reveles was a painter (pintor) in Jerez, and he later, along with his son Antonio, designed sets at MGM in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. It is sad that those open doors slammed shut, and I was surprised to hear that your grandparents had to cross over illegally. My father crossed over at the El Paso, TX border crossing where Daniel's father also crossed over around 1915. As far as I know they were given legal safe passage on the railroads from Jerez to Juarez and El Paso. Emilie Garcia Port Orchard, WA --- style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> |
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Hi, Victor, Thanks for sending that article about Fugitive Slaves in Mexico. I for one was not aware that many slaves prior to the end of the Civil War sought refuge in Mexico, and that Mexico for the most part refused to extradite them. Since my father, who was from Jerez, was so bigoted against blacks and asians, I am surprised that American black slaves were protected by Mexico. That sympathy may have come from their stuggles with Spain over the abuses suffered by the landless Indians and Mestizos, and they viewed Anglos with the disdain they viewed the Spaniards. Maybe it was also just to get back at Americans for the previous invasion of Mexico. Speaking of my father, my recent diggings further back into his lines who lived around Tepetongo, Zacatecas and its environs such as Marecito, Salitrillo, Salitral, Estancia, turned up records that show that two of his lines (Suriano and Quijas) on his paternal side were mulatos or mulatos libres. Wouldn't he have been chagrined to learn that? You asked what might be behind the attitudes of the Spanish-surnamed border guards, and all I can say is that they have taken up one of the few careers allowed them by the Anglos, since they naturally fit in with their knowledge of Spanish. However, like many civil servants with overwhelming workloads, they may be suffering from "burn-out". Those places are usually filled with unrelenting lines of people waiting for service. These Mexican-American border guards have as their goal a comfortable retirement that their long labors in that frying pan promise, but it is a long hard road to get there. The Anglos can step back because that is what they always do in difficult situations with Mexicans. The Mexican-American guards are caught between the pressure of dealing with the multitudes of illegal aliens clearly breaking a law that is on the books and trying to please their superiors, who are mostly often unsympathetic Anglos or they would see how their subordinates are treating people. The Mexican border guards are on the front lines more than their Anglo co-workers, and I imagine they take their stress out on the Mexicans who are the hapless ones to be there. I can imagine that the border guards' attitude is one of "what kind of lie is going to come out of this one's mouth", "these people come here time and time again and are never prepared", "are they going to gang up and make a run for it across the fence or bridge and endanger me and themselves and others", "are they carrying weapons or drugs", etc. It is a huge hassle for them, and being American they have grown up rushing to get things done efficiently and in a casual way that leaves little room for the slower pace and formalities of interaction between strangers that Mexicans are used to. I do believe that a lot of the hurdles recently set up against Mexican and Haitian immigration are racially based. Many powerful racist Anglos are using the threat of terrorism to limit immigration by brown and black people. As for the legislators, I guess they are under the pressure to act as some of their powerful constituents demand, no matter how idealistic their campaign promises were to improve human rights for all. I often feel helpless about the violations against human rights world-wide, so instead of giving gifts to relatives and friends for Christmas, I send in as much as I can afford to activists like Amnesty International, etc. I only need to pick up their newsletter to read about the most abominable abuses, many the result of American oversight, and see that there is so much to be done in this fight for human rights in many places all over the world. Emilie Garcia Port Orchard, WA ---
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Daniel
Reveles wrote three books about the border town, Tecate, Mexico, in which each
chapter is it's own story. In the second or third book, "Tequila, Lime and
Salt", page 95, the story is called, "Big Caca's Revenge". Big Caca is the
Mexican border patrol agent. He's big, mean, and his last name happens to
be Cacabellos.
Reveles wrote three books about the border town, Tecate, Mexico, in which each
chapter is it's own story. In the second or third book, "Tequila, Lime and
Salt", page 95, the story is called, "Big Caca's Revenge". Big Caca is the
Mexican border patrol agent. He's big, mean, and his last name happens to
be Cacabellos.
He
extorts money from people coming into Mexico with goods brought over from the
U.S., throughout all three books, he does this, (first book is "Enchiladas, Rice
and Beans" and the other is "Salsa and Chips". )
extorts money from people coming into Mexico with goods brought over from the
U.S., throughout all three books, he does this, (first book is "Enchiladas, Rice
and Beans" and the other is "Salsa and Chips". )
size=2>
Well,
in the last book Big Caca finally finds love and begins to court this
woman. He takes her into the U.S. into Temecula for a romantic
weekend. While there, they get acosted by a U.S. Customs agent demanding
their "papers" allowing them to visit the U.S. Big Caca has his, but his
lady-love, Lizette does not, the papers are back at the hotel.
Needless to say they deport her back to Mexico ending their little romantic
getaway. Big Caca is furious!
in the last book Big Caca finally finds love and begins to court this
woman. He takes her into the U.S. into Temecula for a romantic
weekend. While there, they get acosted by a U.S. Customs agent demanding
their "papers" allowing them to visit the U.S. Big Caca has his, but his
lady-love, Lizette does not, the papers are back at the hotel.
Needless to say they deport her back to Mexico ending their little romantic
getaway. Big Caca is furious!
He
goes back to Mexico with revenge on his mind. Now, mind you, living in
this sleepy little town are all the Americans who wanted to set up their
businesses, cheaply, hire workers, cheaply, and live the good life in
Tecate. You've also got retirees who wanted to live where the cost of
living is way low. Now, of course, these Americans, when entering Mexico,
did have papers, but never updated them. Big Caca knows this and when he
gets back to town, he starts asking all the Americans for their
citizenship papers that say they could stay in Mexico
legally. He picks up the factory owner, Jerry, and deports him back to the
U.S. He sees sweet old retired Millie, and asks her for
her papers. When she can't produce them, he
takes her to the border, groceriers and all, back to
the U.S. Here's a quote from the book:
goes back to Mexico with revenge on his mind. Now, mind you, living in
this sleepy little town are all the Americans who wanted to set up their
businesses, cheaply, hire workers, cheaply, and live the good life in
Tecate. You've also got retirees who wanted to live where the cost of
living is way low. Now, of course, these Americans, when entering Mexico,
did have papers, but never updated them. Big Caca knows this and when he
gets back to town, he starts asking all the Americans for their
citizenship papers that say they could stay in Mexico
legally. He picks up the factory owner, Jerry, and deports him back to the
U.S. He sees sweet old retired Millie, and asks her for
her papers. When she can't produce them, he
takes her to the border, groceriers and all, back to
the U.S. Here's a quote from the book:
size=2>
face="Arial Narrow" color=#0000ff>The little grandma was now genuinely
frightened. "But you just can't pick me up off the street and throw me out
of the country. Fred's at home waiting for me. He'll think I was in
an accident. He'll worry about me!" Tears rolled out of her blue
eyes.
color=#0000ff>
face="Arial Narrow" color=#0000ff>Big Caca looked at the frightened grandmother,
and thought, I'm sure the U.S. Border Patrol listens sympathetically when they
pick up some poor Mexican woman on her way home to her children after a day of
cleaning houses.
size=2>
size=2>Anyway, the reason why I tell this story is because of its irony.
This happens to Mexican's every day. And as Victor said, they're just
trying to find a better way of living. Just like the American's going to
these border towns to run their factories for a fraction of what it would cost
them here in the U.S. In this story, the shoe is on the other foot.
Without giving away the ending of this little story (for those of you who'd like
to read them - which I highly recommend because they're all hilarious), I'll
tell you that the moral of this story is both countries need each other.
Mexican immigrants contribute to the U.S. in doing the jobs that other don't
want. Picking the grapes, cleaning the houses and cheap day labor.
Americans set up shop in border towns and give job opportunities to the
Mexican's that do stay.
This happens to Mexican's every day. And as Victor said, they're just
trying to find a better way of living. Just like the American's going to
these border towns to run their factories for a fraction of what it would cost
them here in the U.S. In this story, the shoe is on the other foot.
Without giving away the ending of this little story (for those of you who'd like
to read them - which I highly recommend because they're all hilarious), I'll
tell you that the moral of this story is both countries need each other.
Mexican immigrants contribute to the U.S. in doing the jobs that other don't
want. Picking the grapes, cleaning the houses and cheap day labor.
Americans set up shop in border towns and give job opportunities to the
Mexican's that do stay.
size=2>Whether its wrong or right (immigration) I don't know. I just feel
sad sometimes, when I see, on the news, people screaming to deport the illegals,
when, 90 years ago, those illegals were my
grandparents........
sad sometimes, when I see, on the news, people screaming to deport the illegals,
when, 90 years ago, those illegals were my
grandparents........
size=2>
size=2>
size=2>-----Original Message-----Emilie,
From: ranchos@...om
[mailto:ranchos@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
v.h.villarreal
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 7:48
AM
To: ranchos@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ranchos] Re:
Dialog of the Dead --> with the
Living
The group has been rather
quietly lately so I'm using this opportunity
to make an additional comment
on the "Dialog of the Dead" play. I
understand that it might not be
directly related to genealogy but
since Joseph brought up the subject I
hope nobody will complain.
I have previously expressed an opinion about
one experience that could
be common among some of us that are in pursuit of
our genealogical
roots: the contrast between finding our dead
relatives and finding
our living relatives. Relations with our dead
are so easy; they do
not prejudge us; they do not make any kind of demands;
we just embrace
them as part of ourselves regardless of what, where or who
they were
and that's the end of it. Relations with the living,
particularly
those distant living relatives that we rediscover thru
our
genealogical endeavors, can be and often are very complicated.
And,
aren't we all related at some point back in time?
Our
prejudices and misconceptions of life usually get in the way and
it isn't
easy accepting each other when we have such divergent views
of the world
that surrounds us. We may share common genes but our
outlook on life
has been shaped by our experiences and is continually
being influenced by
external forces. Our actions stem from our
individual "perception of
reality" and our sense of belonging.
I agree with the views expressed
by some members here about how great
and lovable this group and our virtual
fellowship is but there's no
denying that "it's a jungle out there" in the
real world. There's just
too much polarization and that is reflected in so
many aspects of our
societies.
Take for example the US
immigration debate. The underlying motivation
for every migrant, either
today or five hundred years ago or five
thousand years ago, has always been
to improve one's life and/or get
away from a bad situation. That has
been the norm since who knows
when, even before countries existed as we
know them today. On the
other hand, immigration laws are of more
recent creation and can be
reformed and adapted to the needs and purposes
of each country. What
I find ironic is that some of the most
vociferous anti-immigration
proponents like Colorado state congressman Tom
Tancredo or radio talk
host Michael Savage, are themselves sons of
immigrants. And I don't
mean from 10 generations ago but 2 and 1
generations ago respectively.
How selfishly intolerant and xenophobic can
humans really become is
amazing! Even California's governor, who has
openly suported
anti-immigration movements like the minute-man project is
an immigrant
himself. What is their implicit message? OK, now
that we're in close
the doors (and build a wall) behind us for anyone else,
particularly
those dark-skinned little mexicans from south of the
border. American
pie slices getting too thin?
Now the saddest
part. I have witnessed how Hispanics wearing the
official uniforms of
the US immigration authorities and behind the
desks at the border offices
deal with Mexicans and other foreigners
who go there and ask for a permit
to enter the United States. Have
you ever being treated as a 2nd
class citizen? Can you imagine
imagine yourself in both sides of this
equation? What's really
surprising is that Anglo-Saxon looking
immigration officers hardly
show the kind of prepotency and disdain towards
Mexicans as those with
the Hispanic surnames on their tags. How can
this be explained? Have
they been brainwashed in the name of homeland
security or is this
just our human nature? Who is really behind those
anti-immigration
voices infusing into your minds so much venomous and
hateful rhetoric?
Just to end. I want to share with you a link
that shows another
historical aspect of people migrating to find a better
life. But this
time in reverse. Not from Mexico into the US but
out of the US and
into Mexico.
href="http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/hiddenhistory/Pages1/tyler.htm">http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/hiddenhistory/Pages1/tyler.htm
How
many of you were aware of this reality?
Victor
México
---
In ranchos@yahoogroups.com, "Emilie Garcia"
<auntyemfaustus@h...>
wrote:
>
> Victor,
>
>
As usual your observation is as astute as always. I did identify
with
some of the debaters, those that took the middle road. I think
we all
need to get together and advance our situations by sticking
together and
not going off on tangents to the extremes, such as the
Aztlan group.
It is unfortunate that those in that group do not
realize that people like
Pat Buchanan stir the Anglo populace up by
making it look like that fringe
group speaks for us all, and that we
are all into "Reconquista" which
brings up to the Anglos the specter
of armed brown hordes seeking to
re-conquer the land. We are slowly
re-conquering anyway, due to the
American economy being so dependent
on cheap Mexican labor in
manufacturing, agriculture and services. We
just need to tone down
our resentments and work towards ensuring that
this country remains the
bastion that it has been for human rights for
everyone. We can't
afford to take any backward steps. We must
acculturate, but because
of the proximity to Mexico and our mostly
Native origins, they can't expect
us to give up our ethnicity as
rapidly nor as completely as other immigrant
groups. This will take
several generations to accomplish, if
ever.
>
> Emilie
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