Denis Lynn Daly Heyck - Barrios and Borderlands: Cultures of Latinos and Latinas in the United States

BARRIOS and BORDERLANDS

Cultures of Latinos and Latinas in the United States

DENIS LYNN DALY HEYCK

First published 1994 by Routledge
Published 2013 by Routledge
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Copyright 1994 by Routledge

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by an electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Barrios and borderlands : cultures of Latinos & Latinas in the United States /
[edited by] Denis Lynn Daly Heyck
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-415-90395-0 (pbk)

1. American literatureHispanic American authors. 2. Hispanic Americans Literary collections. 3. Hispanic Americanscivilization. I. Heyck, Denis Lynn Daly. II. Title: Barrios and borderlands.
PS508.H57B37 1994
810.80868dc30 94-4773
CIP

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication also available.

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Sandra Cisneros

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Carmen Arceo

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Carlos Cumpin

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Eldin Villafae

Dolores Prida

Carlos Fernndez

Father Luis Olivares

Otto Lpez

Mara Guadalupe Martnez Torres

Dolores Prida

Puerto Rican Writers in the United States,
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Nicholasa Mohr

Sherezada Chiqui Vicioso

Juan Flores

Helen Valdz

Barbara Carrasco

Humberto Calzada

Jess Snchez

Judith Ortiz Cofer

Jess Martnez and Ricardo Murillo

Roberto Durn

Francisco Javier Savallos

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Ariel Dorfman

Beatriz Badikian

Juan Armando Epple

Achy Obejas

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Pat Mora

My Roots are not Mine Alone:
La Identidad Cultural

Gustavo Prez Firmat

Sister Elizabeth Avalos

Rudolfo Anaya

,

Pat Mora

Viviana Carballo

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Gloria Anzalda

From With His Pistol in His Hand:
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Amrico Paredes

Father Jerome Martnez

Joaqun F. Blaya

Double Dutch:
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Robert W. Pazmio

Virgil P. Elizondo

Aurora Levins Morales

Rosario Morales

The purpose of this anthology is to paint a portrait of the rich, complex, and fascinating mixture of Latino cultures in the United States today. It departs from the standard literary or political anthologies, and from those that treat only one Latino ethnic population, by being broadly inclusive in terms of genre, discipline, and ethnicity. Thus this book is intended for readers interested in any or all of the major aspects of Latino culturesliterature, cultural anthropology, ethnography, religion, the arts, community studies, and (im)migration studies. I hope that any reader can learn from the book, if only by dipping and sampling. However, I have prepared it very much with the teacher in mind, in hope that it will stimulate lively class discussions.

Barrios and Borderlands is organized around six central cultural themes: family, religion, community, the arts, (im)migration and exile, and cultural identity. My judgment is simply that if readers understand these themes, they will have a good sense of the Latino cultures in all their richness and fluidity. Each chapter contains diverse types of readings that shed light on its theme from a variety of different angles. Hence the readings include short stories, poems, essays, excerpts from novels, a play, photographs, and even a few songs and recipes. A special feature of this anthology is the inclusion of interviews and oral histories of Latinos from diverse walks of life and geographical areas. A migrant worker from the orange groves of Florida; an ethnomusicologist from northern New Mexico; a community organizer in the maquiladoras, or foreign-owned assembly plants, that line the border; a refugee from Central America; a muralist from Los Angeles; a museum director from Chicago; and a Spanish-language television executive from Chile are some of those whose stories enrich this anthology.

The title Barrios and Borderlands is intended to suggest not only the historical grounding and broad scope of the anthologized materials, but also the extensive presence of the Latino populations in urban and rural areas throughout the United States today. The term borders implies more than geographical boundaries between countries; it also implies a critique of arbitrary barriers erected to separate cultures, language groups, races, sexes, and economic and political groups. Explicitly and implicitly, the chapter readings question the functions and effects of borders in both the limited and broader meanings of the word.

This work both highlights the diversity of Latino cultural expressions and points out the distinctive features of the three major Latino populationsMexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban. Each of the main groups has developed along very particular lines, so that what is true for Puerto Ricans, for example, may not be at all true for Cubans. Given their very different histories, not all Latinos fit comfortably under the umbrella term Latino. Hispanic is the term of choice of the United States government, non-His-panics, and some Hispanics. Despite the official usage, I have chosen Latino because it is more inclusive incorporating Brazilians, for exampleand because more people refer to themselves as Latinos than refer to themselves as Hispanics. However, much more appropriate than either Hispanic or Latino would be mexicanos, puertorriquenos, or cubanos, for this is how people are most apt to describe themselves. A recent survey, for example, indicates that 86 percent of Mexican, 85 percent of Puerto Rican, and 83 percent of Cuban immigrants polled prefer to be called mexicano, puertorriqueno, or cubano, respectively. That is not surprising. What is remarkable are the high percentages of those who were born in the United States but who still wish to be called mexicano, puertorriqueno, or cubano 62 percent of Mexican Americans, 57 percent of Puerto Ricans, and 41 percent of Cuban Americans.