I am from a flag of
red, white, and green
I am from a city where
freedom is everywhere
I am from a house
with the spirit of my uncle and picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe
I am from a street of
crooked houses and loud cars going by
I am from my mom
Maria and my dad Gabriel
From sopitos,
tortilla with lemon and salt, and pozole
From a mom who says,
“Ven a comer, Casandra!”
I am from noise,
yelling, and homework.
Mitzi Casandra Chavez, age 8
In reading the above poem written by one of my students, I
am struck by the enormity of the questions, “Where are you from?” and “What is your culture?” In doing this writing exercise with my
students, I realized more than ever that our culture is always evolving and
changing. What we define as part of our
culture seems to depend on where we are, how old we are, who or what is
influencing us, and how much we have learned from others in our culture
group. I believe that there are core
values and customs within every culture, but that we take those commonalities
and represent them in unique ways that are more meaningful to our lives. I hope
that this website provides you with some insight into the Mexican Culture…and
that you gain some appreciation for its consistency as well as its diversity.