La Ventana

A mother with her two daughters looking into a bridal store window in Azusa, CA. One can only hope these little girls, no matter what career path they choose, do not succumb to a stereotype and statistic and settle to make marriage the one and only priority, as past generarions have within our culture. One hopes they understand it is alright if they decide to fit into the framework of marriage if they desire, but if they choose to marry, that these girls would be able to buy their own dresses from their own  income if they wanted to.

A Fine Fania Find

Ruben Blades. Tito Puente. Celia Cruz. Johnny Pacheco. Hector Lavoe. Eddie Palmieri. These names echo in the ears and memories of those of us who saw our mamás dancing beautifully to these salsa greats' songs. They made up the legendary salsa collective Fania All-Stars. Music transcends boarders, of course, and without excluding our Mexican hermanos,we can say: To find this shirt as a non-Mexican individual warms our hearts and we are proud to claim salsa as ours.  In between t-shirts donning Jenni Rivera and Vicente Fernández's faces on them and with speakers constantly blasting Banda el Recodo through them, and finding Mexican food joints on every corner, a South American,Central American, and the Caribbean person can get over whelmed. Where are we? Well, we are here. Not just near MacArthur Park, but in a thrift store in Covina as well. We are everywhere. This shirt is a reminder that we brought our rhythms with us to SoCal when making our migration here. It was an amazing find in a thrift store for two dollars, but what it means is priceless.

Meet "El Palomero"

Bargains, food, and socializing. This is what swap meets have provided Latinos with for a long time. Among these staples, we also find one of a kind characters. 

At Bassett Swap meet in La Puente, everyone Sunday you can be sure to find Pedro Aguilera, songwriter and vendor, at his post near the second part of the swap meet.

 With his eccentric suits and warm personality, Aguilera proudly displays a collage at the front of his post, with which has had customers stopping and staring. It consists of shaking hands and posing with famed Mexican ranchera and regional artists and actors such as Vicente Fernández, Lola la Trailera, La Tigresa, and Pepe Aguilar. He has met and befriended many of these artists through his career as a songwriter and actor. One can look forward to him exchanging his stories of these encounters, among with some consejos:

"El exito no te lo van a dar en un papel celofán. Te lo tienes que ganar."

"El deseo es lo que lo lleva uno al éxito.

And referring to the youth and opportunities:
"Todas las puertad están abiertas para uds."

Gracias, Señor Aguilera. See you next Sunday.

United against Urban

I'm sweating...but I will not be buying an over priced tank from Urban Outfitters stay cool, (and I never have). I am heated over the article I read a short time ago. Urban used the official logo of the United Farm Workers on a trendy denim long sleeve...without permission. To think that an organization that has done so much for our community and who's workers have labored tirelessly over all of these years...just so that some oblivious hipster can wear it with "pride" that they finally got an "Native"/cultural article of clothing to make them seem more wordly. Urban took it down within hours of a photo post in Voto Latino's Facebook page. Social commentary website Latino Rebels said it best as a tagged category on their post..."No Mames."

http://www.latinorebels.com/2013/08/05/why-is-urban-outfitters-hawking-the-ufw-logo-on-a-denim-shirt/

Urban Outfitters Allegedly Uses United Farm Workers Of America Logo Illegally

El curioso

This child was growing curious at the sight of an elderly man selling rosaries and other religious items outside of the Basilica de Zapopan,Jalisco.

With my recent trip to Jalisco, I found a new sense of myself as a Latina. Though I am Central American, I married into a familia Jaliciense and after my adventures there, I could not be more proud of my tri-cultural life. This is an image I captured from a relaxing trip to Santa Maria del Oro,Nayarit,a lagoon approximately two hours from Zapopan,Jalisco where I stayed. This place is filled with beautiful scenery and is a true escape from the city noise and smog. My husband,a fishing fan,caught two bass.

A bitter translation

They didn't need to translate it all weird. Chocolate in Spanish is chocolate.

-Photo and post courtesy of Isai Rocha. Rocha is a contributor to both Foodbeast.com and Dodgernation.com blogs. He also served as sports editor on Mt. San Antonio College's award winning newspaper The Mountaineer.