I believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves. Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black slaves.
—
Esther A. Herold
————– Original message from Latina1955@aol.com: ————–
>
> Emilie,
> I have never thought that there was a conscious effort in destroying “actas”
> for reasons related to destroying the African presence…I’ve always thought
> about it as as a natural occurrence that would happen during a Revolutionary
> War (form of destroying old political governments). Your suggestions gave
> me reason to ponder that this might have occurred also during the War of
> Independence. But if I were to venture to take a guess about the family
> stories
> heard and stories of families in some pueblos who were French – but today, do
> not hold those French last names, I would more venture to guess that it had
> to do their presence not being very welcomed after Maximiliano’s government
> failed. People knew who they were – but these immigrants would not necessarily
> boast their presence – perhaps they took Spanish surnames to further
> integrate themselves….as did this man’s grandfather from Santiago…Further,
> I
> don’t think their presence was that many—I think I read that a total of
> 50,000
> French/Austrian soldiers came in during this period – can’t say I know if
> indeed most of them returned back home…it was a difficult period for French
> citizens in France…..
>
> Yes, like your family, I have siblings with blue eyes, siblings who look
> like Indios, and of course siblings that look like me (lol) – a bit of this and
> a bit of that….funny thing is that my blue eyed siblings have hair so curly,
> they need a pick to comb it….
>
> The German immigration to both the US and throughout Latin America first
> started in the early to mid 1800’s, when their government was undergoing
> tremendous changes. One of the biggest exodus of course was shortly after WWI.
> I
> could go on, but my family is ushering me out the door….
>
> I really appreciated hearing your thoughts – it gives me yet another
> dimension to contemplate…
>
> Esperanza
> Chicagoland area
>
>
>
> In a message dated 12/29/2006 4:51:47 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> auntyemfaustus@hotmail.com writes:
>
> Esperanza – you said “The tracing of African heritage was stopped after the
> Mexican Independence – no doubt due to the fact that Mexico’s 2nd
> president, Vicente Guerrero was a mulatto”. Do you think that is the reason
> that so
> many records were destroyed after the Independence and after the Revolution?
> I heard that Hitler had his army demolish every public building in his home
> town in Austria via weapons of mass destruction (rockets, etc), and that it
> wasn’t just for target practice. He wanted to be sure any records that would
> bring up a hidden Jew in his lineage would be obliterated. I hear that in
> Canada there is a move by some public official to destroy/and or deny public
> access to all family records, and some say it has to do with questions of his
> heritage or illegitimacy of birth.
>
> I also find your comments about the French and Africans in Mexico
> interesting, especially because my father, who was born in Jerez in 1903, was
> so
> prejudiced against blacks and told us that his great-grandfather was known as
> El
> Frances in his community (Tepetongo or Salitrillo) and had blue eyes. I find
> through my searches that there are only Spaniards with Basque names (like
> Olague) and that way back they intermarried with Indios and that other lines of
> his had many listed as mulato (he would have been aghast). I haven’t found a
> single Frenchman in the bunch.
>
> I cannot find any birth record for my father nor his sister nor of the
> marriage of his parents. I find no record of his maternal ancestors, only his
> paternal ancestors. My father did not look like his tall, very dark, handsome,
> curly-haired cousins. He was very short, only 5 foot like me, was medium
> complexioned, “chato”, and was born blond (my mother had a lock of blond hair
> given to her by his grandmother that she said had been from my father as a
> little boy). It seems so many families in Mexico place high value on light
> hair
> and skin. I am the darkest one in my family and the only one with curly
> hair. My mother couldn’t figure out why I came out that way except she said
> that my father had some very dark, curly haired cousins. In other words, she
> wanted it known that I was the result of something in his background, and not
> of
> hers, ha, ha.
>
> I also wondered why there are so many people in South America with German
> and Italian surnames and their only language is Spanish. I have had to
> interpret for blond, blue-eyed people surnamed Schmidt here in the US who were
> from
> Argentina and only knew Spanish, and my husband had to interpret in Italy for
> some Argentinians of Italian descent who couldn’t speak Italian to their
> cousins there in Italy.
>
> Emilie
>
>
>
>
Hi Emilie,
You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean
being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me
regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound
on that?
Esperanza
In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time,
eaherold@att.net writes:
believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into
Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as
the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves.
Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black
slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The
spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that
had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black
slaves
Hi Emilie,
You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean
being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me
regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound
on that?
Esperanza
In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time,
eaherold@att.net writes:
believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into
Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as
the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves.
Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black
slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The
spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that
had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black
slaves
Esperanza,
I think you meant to address your message to Esther. She’s the one who e-mailed that account of black slaves in Monterrey. I know nothing of the coast there, only of Zacatecas and Jalisco.
Emilie
—– Original Message —–
From: Latina1955@aol.com
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy
Hi Emilie,
You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean
being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me
regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound
on that?
Esperanza
In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time,
eaherold@att.net writes:
believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into
Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as
the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves.
Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black
slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The
spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that
had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black
slaves
Esperanza,
I think you meant to address your message to Esther. She’s the one who e-mailed that account of black slaves in Monterrey. I know nothing of the coast there, only of Zacatecas and Jalisco.
Emilie
—– Original Message —–
From: Latina1955@aol.com
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2006 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy
Hi Emilie,
You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean
being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me
regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound
on that?
Esperanza
In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time,
eaherold@att.net writes:
believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into
Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as
the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves.
Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black
slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The
spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that
had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black
slaves
You’re right about the indigenous population disappearing and being replaced. I’ve had several students from Cuba and the Dominican Republic and none of them have any knowledge of the indigineous people of their islands. My parents were very light skinned Mexicans and they always told me that discrimination there is not based on race or ethnicity, but on socio-economics. That’s somewhat true, yet at the same time they were always telling me to play in the shade, don’t get too tanned, or runaround sweating “como una india”! Owning up to prejudice and racism is very difficult. However, it’s something we all have to admit to and learn to conquer. Alice BB
— eaherold@att.net wrote:
From: eaherold@att.net
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:38:28 +0000
I believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves. Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black slaves.
—
Esther A. Herold
————– Original message from Latina1955@aol.com: ————–
>
> Emilie,
> I have never thought that there was a conscious effort in destroying “actas”
> for reasons related to destroying the African presence…I’ve always thought
> about it as as a natural occurrence that would happen during a Revolutionary
> War (form of destroying old political governments). Your suggestions gave
> me reason to ponder that this might have occurred also during the War of
> Independence. But if I were to venture to take a guess about the family
> stories
> heard and stories of families in some pueblos who were French – but today, do
> not hold those French last names, I would more venture to guess that it had
> to do their presence not being very welcomed after Maximiliano’s government
> failed. People knew who they were – but these immigrants would not necessarily
> boast their presence – perhaps they took Spanish surnames to further
> integrate themselves….as did this man’s grandfather from Santiago…Further,
> I
> don’t think their presence was that many—I think I read that a total of
> 50,000
> French/Austrian soldiers came in during this period – can’t say I know if
> indeed most of them returned back home…it was a difficult period for French
> citizens in France…..
>
> Yes, like your family, I have siblings with blue eyes, siblings who look
> like Indios, and of course siblings that look like me (lol) – a bit of this and
> a bit of that….funny thing is that my blue eyed siblings have hair so curly,
> they need a pick to comb it….
>
> The German immigration to both the US and throughout Latin America first
> started in the early to mid 1800’s, when their government was undergoing
> tremendous changes. One of the biggest exodus of course was shortly after WWI.
> I
> could go on, but my family is ushering me out the door….
>
> I really appreciated hearing your thoughts – it gives me yet another
> dimension to contemplate…
>
> Esperanza
> Chicagoland area
>
>
>
> In a message dated 12/29/2006 4:51:47 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> auntyemfaustus@hotmail.com writes:
>
> Esperanza – you said “The tracing of African heritage was stopped after the
> Mexican Independence – no doubt due to the fact that Mexico’s 2nd
> president, Vicente Guerrero was a mulatto”. Do you think that is the reason
> that so
> many records were destroyed after the Independence and after the Revolution?
> I heard that Hitler had his army demolish every public building in his home
> town in Austria via weapons of mass destruction (rockets, etc), and that it
> wasn’t just for target practice. He wanted to be sure any records that would
> bring up a hidden Jew in his lineage would be obliterated. I hear that in
> Canada there is a move by some public official to destroy/and or deny public
> access to all family records, and some say it has to do with questions of his
> heritage or illegitimacy of birth.
>
> I also find your comments about the French and Africans in Mexico
> interesting, especially because my father, who was born in Jerez in 1903, was
> so
> prejudiced against blacks and told us that his great-grandfather was known as
> El
> Frances in his community (Tepetongo or Salitrillo) and had blue eyes. I find
> through my searches that there are only Spaniards with Basque names (like
> Olague) and that way back they intermarried with Indios and that other lines of
> his had many listed as mulato (he would have been aghast). I haven’t found a
> single Frenchman in the bunch.
>
> I cannot find any birth record for my father nor his sister nor of the
> marriage of his parents. I find no record of his maternal ancestors, only his
> paternal ancestors. My father did not look like his tall, very dark, handsome,
> curly-haired cousins. He was very short, only 5 foot like me, was medium
> complexioned, “chato”, and was born blond (my mother had a lock of blond hair
> given to her by his grandmother that she said had been from my father as a
> little boy). It seems so many families in Mexico place high value on light
> hair
> and skin. I am the darkest one in my family and the only one with curly
> hair. My mother couldn’t figure out why I came out that way except she said
> that my father had some very dark, curly haired cousins. In other words, she
> wanted it known that I was the result of something in his background, and not
> of
> hers, ha, ha.
>
> I also wondered why there are so many people in South America with German
> and Italian surnames and their only language is Spanish. I have had to
> interpret for blond, blue-eyed people surnamed Schmidt here in the US who were
> from
> Argentina and only knew Spanish, and my husband had to interpret in Italy for
> some Argentinians of Italian descent who couldn’t speak Italian to their
> cousins there in Italy.
>
> Emilie
>
>
>
>
You’re right about the indigenous population disappearing and being replaced. I’ve had several students from Cuba and the Dominican Republic and none of them have any knowledge of the indigineous people of their islands. My parents were very light skinned Mexicans and they always told me that discrimination there is not based on race or ethnicity, but on socio-economics. That’s somewhat true, yet at the same time they were always telling me to play in the shade, don’t get too tanned, or runaround sweating “como una india”! Owning up to prejudice and racism is very difficult. However, it’s something we all have to admit to and learn to conquer. Alice BB
— eaherold@att.net wrote:
From: eaherold@att.net
To: research@nuestrosranchos.org
Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy
Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:38:28 +0000
I believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves. Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to rules that had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black slaves.
—
Esther A. Herold
————– Original message from Latina1955@aol.com: ————–
>
> Emilie,
> I have never thought that there was a conscious effort in destroying “actas”
> for reasons related to destroying the African presence…I’ve always thought
> about it as as a natural occurrence that would happen during a Revolutionary
> War (form of destroying old political governments). Your suggestions gave
> me reason to ponder that this might have occurred also during the War of
> Independence. But if I were to venture to take a guess about the family
> stories
> heard and stories of families in some pueblos who were French – but today, do
> not hold those French last names, I would more venture to guess that it had
> to do their presence not being very welcomed after Maximiliano’s government
> failed. People knew who they were – but these immigrants would not necessarily
> boast their presence – perhaps they took Spanish surnames to further
> integrate themselves….as did this man’s grandfather from Santiago…Further,
> I
> don’t think their presence was that many—I think I read that a total of
> 50,000
> French/Austrian soldiers came in during this period – can’t say I know if
> indeed most of them returned back home…it was a difficult period for French
> citizens in France…..
>
> Yes, like your family, I have siblings with blue eyes, siblings who look
> like Indios, and of course siblings that look like me (lol) – a bit of this and
> a bit of that….funny thing is that my blue eyed siblings have hair so curly,
> they need a pick to comb it….
>
> The German immigration to both the US and throughout Latin America first
> started in the early to mid 1800’s, when their government was undergoing
> tremendous changes. One of the biggest exodus of course was shortly after WWI.
> I
> could go on, but my family is ushering me out the door….
>
> I really appreciated hearing your thoughts – it gives me yet another
> dimension to contemplate…
>
> Esperanza
> Chicagoland area
>
>
>
> In a message dated 12/29/2006 4:51:47 P.M. Central Standard Time,
> auntyemfaustus@hotmail.com writes:
>
> Esperanza – you said “The tracing of African heritage was stopped after the
> Mexican Independence – no doubt due to the fact that Mexico’s 2nd
> president, Vicente Guerrero was a mulatto”. Do you think that is the reason
> that so
> many records were destroyed after the Independence and after the Revolution?
> I heard that Hitler had his army demolish every public building in his home
> town in Austria via weapons of mass destruction (rockets, etc), and that it
> wasn’t just for target practice. He wanted to be sure any records that would
> bring up a hidden Jew in his lineage would be obliterated. I hear that in
> Canada there is a move by some public official to destroy/and or deny public
> access to all family records, and some say it has to do with questions of his
> heritage or illegitimacy of birth.
>
> I also find your comments about the French and Africans in Mexico
> interesting, especially because my father, who was born in Jerez in 1903, was
> so
> prejudiced against blacks and told us that his great-grandfather was known as
> El
> Frances in his community (Tepetongo or Salitrillo) and had blue eyes. I find
> through my searches that there are only Spaniards with Basque names (like
> Olague) and that way back they intermarried with Indios and that other lines of
> his had many listed as mulato (he would have been aghast). I haven’t found a
> single Frenchman in the bunch.
>
> I cannot find any birth record for my father nor his sister nor of the
> marriage of his parents. I find no record of his maternal ancestors, only his
> paternal ancestors. My father did not look like his tall, very dark, handsome,
> curly-haired cousins. He was very short, only 5 foot like me, was medium
> complexioned, “chato”, and was born blond (my mother had a lock of blond hair
> given to her by his grandmother that she said had been from my father as a
> little boy). It seems so many families in Mexico place high value on light
> hair
> and skin. I am the darkest one in my family and the only one with curly
> hair. My mother couldn’t figure out why I came out that way except she said
> that my father had some very dark, curly haired cousins. In other words, she
> wanted it known that I was the result of something in his background, and not
> of
> hers, ha, ha.
>
> I also wondered why there are so many people in South America with German
> and Italian surnames and their only language is Spanish. I have had to
> interpret for blond, blue-eyed people surnamed Schmidt here in the US who were
> from
> Argentina and only knew Spanish, and my husband had to interpret in Italy for
> some Argentinians of Italian descent who couldn’t speak Italian to their
> cousins there in Italy.
>
> Emilie
>
>
>
>
Alice…
Actually, my whole tone in my extensive research reflects exactly what you
stated. While many argue that it is socio-economic status that dictates
things throughout Latin America, it is no mistake that many of us who reflect
“color” are not enjoying the same socio-economic status of others…despite
similar educational backgrounds or excellent family names. See, my research of
long ago ended with this: as long as you resembled our “darker” past, then it
means that at one time the “whiter” society had you in servitude – and despite
any means to try to escape that legacy, your skin color and physical
features provides a subconscious (and conscious) rationale to continue to
discriminate…hence, one’s socio-economic status never really elevates or has a chance
to elevate, as the “light skinned” counterparts. Our countries still suffer
from the “conquistador” syndrome.
Esperanza
Chicagoland area
In a message dated 12/30/2006 8:44:47 P.M. Central Standard Time,
alicebb@netscape.com writes:
You’re right about the indigenous population disappearing and being
replaced. I’ve had several students from Cuba and the Dominican Republic and none of
them have any knowledge of the indigineous people of their islands. My
parents were very light skinned Mexicans and they always told me that
discrimination there is not based on race or ethnicity, but on socio-economics. That’s
somewhat true, yet at the same time they were always telling me to play in
the shade, don’t get too tanned, or runaround sweating “como una india”!
Owning up to prejudice and racism is very difficult. However, it’s something we
all have to admit to and learn to conquer. Alice BB
Alice…
Actually, my whole tone in my extensive research reflects exactly what you
stated. While many argue that it is socio-economic status that dictates
things throughout Latin America, it is no mistake that many of us who reflect
“color” are not enjoying the same socio-economic status of others…despite
similar educational backgrounds or excellent family names. See, my research of
long ago ended with this: as long as you resembled our “darker” past, then it
means that at one time the “whiter” society had you in servitude – and despite
any means to try to escape that legacy, your skin color and physical
features provides a subconscious (and conscious) rationale to continue to
discriminate…hence, one’s socio-economic status never really elevates or has a chance
to elevate, as the “light skinned” counterparts. Our countries still suffer
from the “conquistador” syndrome.
Esperanza
Chicagoland area
In a message dated 12/30/2006 8:44:47 P.M. Central Standard Time,
alicebb@netscape.com writes:
You’re right about the indigenous population disappearing and being
replaced. I’ve had several students from Cuba and the Dominican Republic and none of
them have any knowledge of the indigineous people of their islands. My
parents were very light skinned Mexicans and they always told me that
discrimination there is not based on race or ethnicity, but on socio-economics. That’s
somewhat true, yet at the same time they were always telling me to play in
the shade, don’t get too tanned, or runaround sweating “como una india”!
Owning up to prejudice and racism is very difficult. However, it’s something we
all have to admit to and learn to conquer. Alice BB
Hi there Esperanza ,
I have a few books on mariages from Villa de Santiago and they all have references on negro , mulatto , esclavo , collote and the protocolos de Monterrey also have the same references , there are quite a few .
Welester
> From: Latina1955@aol.com> Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:02:30 -0500> To: research@nuestrosranchos.org> Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy> > > Hi Emilie,> You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean > being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me > regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound > on that? > Esperanza > > In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time, > eaherold@att.net writes:> > believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into > Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as > the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves. > Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black > slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The > spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to
rules th
at > had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black > slaves> > > > — — — — — — — — — — — — — > Nuestros Ranchos Research Mailing List> > To post, send email to:> research(at)nuestrosranchos.org> > To change your subscription, log on to:> http://www.nuestrosranchos.org
_________________________________________________________________
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Hi there Esperanza ,
I have a few books on mariages from Villa de Santiago and they all have references on negro , mulatto , esclavo , collote and the protocolos de Monterrey also have the same references , there are quite a few .
Welester
> From: Latina1955@aol.com> Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:02:30 -0500> To: research@nuestrosranchos.org> Subject: Re: [Nuestros Ranchos] Monterrey & African Legacy> > > Hi Emilie,> You are right on all accounts regarding the slave trade, with the Caribbean > being the “point” place of exchange. Your last statement intrigued me > regarding the original settlers in Monterrey having black slaves…can you expound > on that? > Esperanza > > In a message dated 12/30/2006 5:38:58 P.M. Central Standard Time, > eaherold@att.net writes:> > believe in the early colonial period, many of the spainards coming into > Mexico came in from Cuba and other parts of the caribbean. In the Carribean, as > the native populations died off they were were replaced by afican slaves. > Some of the spainards coming in from the caribbean had trafficed in black > slaves. Black slaves were considered more reliable than indian slaves. The > spainards had a system were a slave could gain his freedom according to
rules th
at > had been set down. Many of the original settlers of Monterrey had had black > slaves> > > > — — — — — — — — — — — — — > Nuestros Ranchos Research Mailing List> > To post, send email to:> research(at)nuestrosranchos.org> > To change your subscription, log on to:> http://www.nuestrosranchos.org
_________________________________________________________________
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Esperansa you made me remember my own family situation. My mother was blond and blue eyes with very white skin.. I also found Mulato’s in her maternal line in Zapotlan El Grande, Jalisco back to the 1650’s. My father’s family is from Jerez Zacatecas and for the most part much darker. My mothers family was poor as church mice and could not read or write.. my fathers family was established, owned their homes and could read and write.. My maternal grandmother was in horror when she found out my mother was marrying this dark skinned man. She almost disowned my mother. The only issue was skin color. It had been made such an issue in Mexico that she brought the feelings with her from Mexico to the states in 1922.. We do what we know. I can also remember when being told I didn’t “look” Mexican was taken as a complement! Years later I started asking what does a Mexican look like, my own personal healing had begun. I also remember at age 17 being told by a perspective
employer to stay on my side of town.. I do wonder at the members who say they have never encountered prejudice. I know color lines were and still are a very real thing in Stockton Ca.
When I was born the first question was how dark was I and did I have blue eyes, the same for my siblings and my cousins. Oh how Grandma Rafaela would have shuddered to know she had African ancestors! The only way racism will be abolished is one by one.. when we have the knowledge that we are more alike than different, I can do my part just like everyone else in this group with educating myself about the true history of Mexico. Because of genealogy and learning the history of Mexico through this avenue I’ve learn to embrace and be proud of all my heritage. With mtdna and dna findings we deepen our knowledge even more.. so many tools now to work with..
Linda in Everett
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Esperansa you made me remember my own family situation. My mother was blond and blue eyes with very white skin.. I also found Mulato’s in her maternal line in Zapotlan El Grande, Jalisco back to the 1650’s. My father’s family is from Jerez Zacatecas and for the most part much darker. My mothers family was poor as church mice and could not read or write.. my fathers family was established, owned their homes and could read and write.. My maternal grandmother was in horror when she found out my mother was marrying this dark skinned man. She almost disowned my mother. The only issue was skin color. It had been made such an issue in Mexico that she brought the feelings with her from Mexico to the states in 1922.. We do what we know. I can also remember when being told I didn’t “look” Mexican was taken as a complement! Years later I started asking what does a Mexican look like, my own personal healing had begun. I also remember at age 17 being told by a perspective
employer to stay on my side of town.. I do wonder at the members who say they have never encountered prejudice. I know color lines were and still are a very real thing in Stockton Ca.
When I was born the first question was how dark was I and did I have blue eyes, the same for my siblings and my cousins. Oh how Grandma Rafaela would have shuddered to know she had African ancestors! The only way racism will be abolished is one by one.. when we have the knowledge that we are more alike than different, I can do my part just like everyone else in this group with educating myself about the true history of Mexico. Because of genealogy and learning the history of Mexico through this avenue I’ve learn to embrace and be proud of all my heritage. With mtdna and dna findings we deepen our knowledge even more.. so many tools now to work with..
Linda in Everett
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
I just went to phone you, but only have your home address. Please send me your phone number off line.
You were so supportive to me when I lost my three siblings, and the heartfelt letters that you sent. You are such a wonderful caring person. Abrazos y besos/Helyn
Latina1955@aol.com wrote:
Hi Alicia and Welester and Ranchos Group,
I was just in Monterrey,as part of the Chicago educators and Mexican Fine
Arts Museum delegation dedicating an exhibit to Monterrey’s exhibit on our
African legacy. Please check this out Welester while the exhibit is still there
(right across the street from the state capitol building). It is beautiful
and very enlightening, particularly for those of us with limited information
of our African legacy in Mexico.
I have shared many of my resources with my district’s curriculum director.
However, Joseph, I have two CD’s about this (African legacy in Mexico), plus
an enormous amount of wonderful photos I took. Please let me know how I can
share with the group. The CD’s have music and voice to them…I have some
beautiful photos of Santiago…I believe another member of the group mentioned
they have family from there. In addition, I was fortunate enough to speak
personally with Santiago’s historian..anyone with questions, let me know.
Perhaps one of the nicest things I got to do was to interview an elder from
this side of the family in Monterrery- I learned some additional information
that would normally not be shared…additionally, I got a photo of my great
great aunt whose last name was Elizondo Elizondo – she was not only beautiful,
but I was amazed how much our gene pool skips first generation and resembles
2nd and 3rd generation. I was able to take a photo of the painting…
Also, I attended my mom’s funeral shortly after I returned from Mexico.
There were originally 10 siblings, now there is only one. This is the reason
why I was unable to contact the group earlier. My mother and an aunt are the
last of the Luna/Herrera’s 2nd generation that came from my grandparents
(Manuel Luna Herrera and Norberta Herrera Luna were the 1st generation) that were
born in the Tlaltenango, Zacatecas. I took pictures of the family during
this occasion, I can certainly forward them to the group as well. Perhaps one of
you might look one of us?
Alicia, you ask why there may be so much interest and formalized groups of
us researchers in the United States. I think the reasons vary – but I suspect
many of us still have one foot in Mexico (even if we were never there)
because of the stories we heard as young ones or because of the discrimination we
felt in this country. I also think that many people in Mexico “saben las
movidas”, and don’t necessarily rely on formalized groups to share information.
But like many of this group, I feel it is important to share, because we all
share a similar disenfranchised past. Connecting the dots makes us all feel
part of a family, and hence part of a larger group such as nuestros ranchos.
Happy New Year everyone. Hope your Christmas was filled with wonderful
memories and a shared family past.
Esperanza
Chicagoland area
I just went to phone you, but only have your home address. Please send me your phone number off line.
You were so supportive to me when I lost my three siblings, and the heartfelt letters that you sent. You are such a wonderful caring person. Abrazos y besos/Helyn
Latina1955@aol.com wrote:
Hi Alicia and Welester and Ranchos Group,
I was just in Monterrey,as part of the Chicago educators and Mexican Fine
Arts Museum delegation dedicating an exhibit to Monterrey’s exhibit on our
African legacy. Please check this out Welester while the exhibit is still there
(right across the street from the state capitol building). It is beautiful
and very enlightening, particularly for those of us with limited information
of our African legacy in Mexico.
I have shared many of my resources with my district’s curriculum director.
However, Joseph, I have two CD’s about this (African legacy in Mexico), plus
an enormous amount of wonderful photos I took. Please let me know how I can
share with the group. The CD’s have music and voice to them…I have some
beautiful photos of Santiago…I believe another member of the group mentioned
they have family from there. In addition, I was fortunate enough to speak
personally with Santiago’s historian..anyone with questions, let me know.
Perhaps one of the nicest things I got to do was to interview an elder from
this side of the family in Monterrery- I learned some additional information
that would normally not be shared…additionally, I got a photo of my great
great aunt whose last name was Elizondo Elizondo – she was not only beautiful,
but I was amazed how much our gene pool skips first generation and resembles
2nd and 3rd generation. I was able to take a photo of the painting…
Also, I attended my mom’s funeral shortly after I returned from Mexico.
There were originally 10 siblings, now there is only one. This is the reason
why I was unable to contact the group earlier. My mother and an aunt are the
last of the Luna/Herrera’s 2nd generation that came from my grandparents
(Manuel Luna Herrera and Norberta Herrera Luna were the 1st generation) that were
born in the Tlaltenango, Zacatecas. I took pictures of the family during
this occasion, I can certainly forward them to the group as well. Perhaps one of
you might look one of us?
Alicia, you ask why there may be so much interest and formalized groups of
us researchers in the United States. I think the reasons vary – but I suspect
many of us still have one foot in Mexico (even if we were never there)
because of the stories we heard as young ones or because of the discrimination we
felt in this country. I also think that many people in Mexico “saben las
movidas”, and don’t necessarily rely on formalized groups to share information.
But like many of this group, I feel it is important to share, because we all
share a similar disenfranchised past. Connecting the dots makes us all feel
part of a family, and hence part of a larger group such as nuestros ranchos.
Happy New Year everyone. Hope your Christmas was filled with wonderful
memories and a shared family past.
Esperanza
Chicagoland area
