Peter J. Harris, Ed. Altadena, Ca: Golden Foothills Press, 2024. ISBN 978-1-7372481-2-5.
The world's longest-established Chicana Chicano, Latina Latino literary blog.
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Golden Foothills Poetry Anthology from the Green Hills of Altadena
Peter J. Harris, Ed. Altadena, Ca: Golden Foothills Press, 2024. ISBN 978-1-7372481-2-5.
Monday, May 20, 2024
About _Tejerás el destino, You Will Weave Destiny_ by Álvaro Torres Calderón
About _Tejerás el destino, You Will Weave Destiny_ by Álvaro Torres Calderón
Traveling and being transported to another place means experiencing
different seasons and times. It is an essential part of Xánath Caraza’s poetry.
The feeling given by the pages of You
Will Weave Destiny stems from the complexity of the images with which
we are presented. These Nahuatl images and objects appear as offerings for our
appreciation and to bring us closer to times that initially seem remote.
This collection is also a passionate homage to one of the women who made
a difference in fifteenth century Tenochtitlan.
Macuilxochitzin or Macuilxochitl was a poet born during the most
prosperous period of the expansion of the Aztec civilization. Daughter of the
royal advisor Tlacaelel and niece of the Tlatoani warrior Axayacatl. Her life
and her texts are an example of the gender parallelism of pre-Hispanic Mexico
where women had the same opportunities as men.
According to the anthropologist and historian Miguel León-Portilla,
there are several chroniclers who refer to the cantos (songs) penned by
female authors; unfortunately, we do not know the names of many of these women.
The aforementioned songs reveal the poetic talent and the profundity of the
female poets’ messages, such as, for example, advice to their young daughters, addresses
by elderly women, or the words of midwives who, with the experience of their
own labor, give advice to mothers who are about to give birth, whether for the
first time or not, since it is a time that is not only physically painful, but
special and magic. These are words that flow like blood and water in the
creation of life, the continued growth of societies, and the cyclical regeneration
of the Mesoamerican vision.
That collection of songs is certainly a treasure and within this
literary richness is a song by Macuilxochitzin, native of Tenochtitlan, both in
1435. Hernando Alvarado Tezozómoc, the mestizo chronicler from the sixteenth
century, writes that this forger of songs was the eighth of twelve children,
and her father was the great Tlacaelel, the extremely famous advisor, or
Cihuacoatl, to the Aztec kings. In addition, Macuilxochitzin was the mother of
Prince Cuauhtlapaltzin. Macuilxochitzin’s poetry makes it clear that she was
familiar with much of the advice her father gave Emperor Axayactl, who
confronted diverse groups that would end up joining the empire. In one of these
encounters, the emperor was wounded, and Macuilxochitzin recounts some
specifics about the destiny of the man who wounded him.
Xánath Caraza brings these scarce (and one-of-a-kind) elements of
context together to elaborate on them and give us something more than the
“official” story, bringing us to something more personal and emotional. She
emphasizes Macuilxochitzin’s importance, as a woman whose lyrical poetry and
philosophy offers us a bridge to cross over and more fully understand her world
and traditional life, its joys, fears, and heartaches. It is the intrahistory
to which Miguel de Unamuno referred.
The poetic voice in this collection travels to the time of
Macuilxochitzin’s birth. Her name already carried a mission, whether because
she was born on a day of the calendar that carried the date 5-Flower (which is
the meaning of her name) or because it became her nickname when her love for
poetry became known. It is also one of the titles that was used to invoke the
god of the arts, of song, and dance, and in ancient Nahuatl texts, that day was
destined to forge songs.
The images that Caraza presents in the first poem, “Macuilxochitzin”,
gives us a vision of how special the moment is, as well as in several of the
following poems, “You Will Weave Destiny”, “Your Mother Gives Birth”, “A Deluge
of Petals”, “Poet of Jade”, “You Are of Poetry”, “Golden Poet”, “Nobility in
Your Lineage”, and “White Huipil”, among others.
Knowing Macuilxochitzin’s lineage, it is clear that her education must
have been outstanding. León-Portilla, in his Fifteen Poets of the Aztec
World, alludes to the fact that the Aztec poet was certain to have heard
advice from her mother where the “little girl…is like jade, quetzal plumage,
the most precious reality that come[s] forth upon earth.” The author begins the
collection by describing the skill of the Aztec poet as a forger of songs,
whose words are “conches” or “Obsidian Designs / The Sacred Word ... / A
Paintbrush ... / Before the Natural Springs / The Words Are Born … / Your Voice
Fills with Jade / You Give Life.”
The images offered by Caraza in her verses are carefully selected and
constructed, because she remains faithful to the characteristics of Nahuatl
verses, and at the same time, her educational vocation surfaces naturally as
she shows us words that sound better in the original language, like “Xochitl”
or “Cuicatl,” songs perceived as if by divine inspiration, as well as the
sounds of the “huehuetl” and “teponaztli” drums.
It is worth noting that Macuilxochitzin was not only a poet. Her ability
to present a concept of life through images or objects that had, for that
society at that time, an immeasurable value meant she was not only a poet, but
also a philosopher. For that reason, Caraza, in this deeply felt and passionate
homage, is meticulous with both style and aesthetics, evoking memories and
encouraging interior dialogue. The present-day poetic voice is possessed by the
spirit of the Aztec poet. Spirituality and introspection are very important
elements in Nahuatl poetry, and the author develops them very well in both this
and her previous collections of poetry.
In addition, we have rhythm and meter as formal elements. The verses are
musical, as Nahuatl verses always were, as if they were designed to be sung or
accompanied by instruments.
Another theme that is very present and especially cultivated by Caraza
is the theme of life as a mystery that cannot be resolved. A vital mystery that
includes human destiny. In this way, Macuilxochitzin in her song wonders if her
words will have a destiny beyond time, although she is comforted by knowing
that her verses are heard in her present. In this aspect, the poetic voice
takes the flow of Mesoamerican thought from the fifteenth century and brings it
to us, making it persist over time. This human destiny is nothing but the
implacable passing of time, that which is “ephemeral” about life, a tangible sense of anguish. Like the cycle
of things, the Nahuatl poet is renewed with the verses of the present-day
poetic voice that has the power to travel: “During a Midwestern winter, in the midst of COVID and uncertainty, I
think of you … I see how your first cries were
covered in precious stones. I too was there.”
This essence is maintained both in the background of the Mesoamerican
subject matter and in the formal elements that include the figures of speech
typical of the Nahuatl “cuicatl,” such as doublets, periphrasis, repetition,
and parallelism.
Having read Xánath Caraza several times, I can say that much of her
poetry encompasses all of these elements, weaving together images, sounds, and
sensations. The senses are constantly engaged and that leads to the recreation
of the Nahuatl world and vision, whose destiny is being forged or woven. This
is the mission and legacy that we are left by Macuilxochitzin, “poet of obsidian blood,” who transcends. We need to
celebrate them with an incantation, con “cuitatl” songs and “maconnetotilo”
dance.
That is also the reason behind the title of the collection, where
complexity and beauty go hand in hand.
Macuilxochitzin, the Aztec poet, was familiar with the art of weaving
and embroidering along with the art of preparing exquisite food and drink, but
she did the same with songs and poems. Macuilxochitzin weaved the destiny of a
culture, of a society, of the great deeds of the leaders of her time, including
the councils of state of her father, who must have enjoyed seeing his
daughter’s talent.
Caraza tells us “Daughter of
Tlacaelel: / noble woman of privileged birth / … Talent coursed through your veins. / Song was forged
in your heart, / the gods sought refuge in your huipil. … / Sacred tattoos inhabit your skin. / They open your
spirit to the arts. / Poetry is your breath.”
As suggested above, since the poet was close to her father, she would
have learned about the different conquests and quarrels between the Aztecs and
other Nahuatl groups. In 1476, the Aztecs were preparing for war once again. In
addition to the references to her father’s strategic advice and the exploits of
Emperor Axayacatl, Macuilxochitzin does not miss the opportunity to also evoke
in her song the decisive action of a group of Otomi women whose entreaties to
the emperor saved the life of Tlilatl, the Matlatzinca captain who had wounded
him. The fact that Macuilxochitzin acknowledges the valor of the Otomi women
who attempted to save their leader is noteworthy, since the forger of songs
recognizes and identifies with those women and might possibly have acted in the
same way were her leader in danger. She emphasizes the character of those woman
and simultaneously underscores her own nobility through the act of recognizing
them.
The poetic voice seeks to embrace the Mesoamerican poet to understand
and aid our understanding the world that was so tragically mutilated when the
collision with Western culture took place. That embrace is combined with a
silence that allows the past to connect with the present, a perfect
communication of heart and mind, which reveals the secrets of the forger of
songs. Together they seal the encounter with the melody created by “the wind between the leaves.”
Another important aspect to consider in Caraza’s verses is the theme of
the power of writing and the sequence of images that represent it: night, as
the most auspicious moment for inspiration; liquid obsidian, which allows us to
capture the heart and mind; amate paper, as proof that it transcends; water,
which represents the flow of ideas and the passing of time. Finally, Venus is
the feminine force that inspires writing and that remains, even though day is
breaking, preserving “…her
brilliance.”
The connection between the here and the beyond is represented by the xolo dog that “barks in the
distance / announcing the passing of the ancestors, / rhythms that guide those
who / have left the Earth on this day.” It is the guide in the darkness, like another way of
representing Venus’s light. Its origin is the god Xolotl, the brother of
Quetzalcoatl, whose mission was to guide the sun to the underworld and protect
it from dangers. In Caraza’s verses, the xolo dog announces the passing of the
ancestors, and they add their voices to that of the poet, who is a messenger
protected by god, whose translation from the Nahuatl to Spanish is “heart of
the sky,” “the Master of Near and Far,” or “giver of life.”
Nature is very important in most of these poems, because it serves as a
safe haven in the process of creation. The present-day poetic voice travels
again, and it is possessed by the spirit of Macuilxochitzin, walking in
Tezcutzingo, the garden that Nezahualcoyotl, the Poet King, had built. The
gardens are a paradise of natural beauties, flowers, hummingbirds, cenzontl
birds, toucans, and fireflies. It is the safe haven for both poets, who walk
through these gardens spiritually, a space of communication between the spirits
of the here and the beyond in which the poetic voice gives sound to the words
of the forger of songs. She speaks to her in the second person as if to confirm
her imagination, her steps, her walk through the garden. The words and actions
of the Aztec poet are not lost on the wind, and they persist in memories, “the memory of your people, / the history of your blood
… / The battles are remembered, / the stars recognized.”
Finally, Macuilxochitzin’s body is scattered throughout the universe: it
is art, it is music, it is nature represented by jade, the hurricane,
butterfly, and orchids in the night.
To conclude, “You Will Weave Destiny” gives us more than history.
It gives us the inner workings of a poetic being. It leads us to what the poet
of Tenochtitlan would have experienced as a woman, daughter, chronicler, poet,
wife, and mother; and at the same time, it brings us closer to her Mexican
roots, to the richness of its cultures and its vision of the world. Xánath
Caraza affords us a wonderful revelation with these powerful verses, that are
finely sculpted, passionate, ‘transgressing’ time and space, inserting the
freshness of Nahuatl poetry into our senses, and paying homage to one of the
most important pre-Hispanic poets. It was undoubtedly a woman who painted the
world in which she lived with such poetic gifts, embroidering images that were
initially fragmented, and transcending the centuries with her philosophy of
life. This collection opens the door to an intimate dimension that emphasizes
the importance of the voice of women and their active role in the pre-Hispanic
Mexica society, as well as encouraging the continuous exploration of this and
other forgers of song. “You Will Weave Destiny” is an invaluable
resource since it makes us reflect on individual as well as ethnic and cultural
identities. As the poetic voice concludes at the end of the poem: “You lived the splendor / of your culture, my roots, /
that I can barely understand.”
Tejerás
el destino, You Will Weave Destiny by Xánath Caraza
Translated by Sandra Kingery
FlowerSong Press, 2024
Viajar y transportarse es vivir diferentes estaciones y
tiempos. Es una parte esencial en la poesía de Xánath Caraza. La sensación de
estas páginas de Tejerás
el destino es la complejidad de las imágenes que se nos presentan. Son
imágenes y objetos náhuatl que vienen como ofrendas para nuestra apreciación y
aproximarnos a tiempos que en un principio son remotos.
A su vez esta colección de poemas es la rendición de un
apasionado homenaje a una de las mujeres que destacaron en la sociedad de
Tenochtitlan del siglo XV.
Macuilxochitzin o Macuilxochitl, poeta nacida en los años
más prósperos de la expansión de la civilización Azteca. Hija del consejero
real Tlacaélel y sobrina del guerrero Tlatoani Axayácatl. Su vida y sus obras
son un ejemplo del paralelismo de género en el México prehispánico en el que
las mujeres tenían iguales oportunidades de las que disfrutaban los hombres.
Según el antropólogo e historiador Miguel León-Portilla,
hay varios cronistas que hacen referencia a cantos cuyos autores son mujeres;
sin embargo, lo lamentable es que no se tiene conocimiento de muchos de los
nombres de sus autoras. Dichos cantos demuestran su talento poético y la
profundidad de sus mensajes, como por ejemplo consejos a sus hijas pequeñas, el
discurso de ancianas, o las palabras de la partera, quien con experiencia de su
labor aconseja a las madres que están a punto de dar a luz, no interesando si
eran primerizas o no, ya que es un momento doloroso físicamente, pero al mismo
tiempo especial y mágico. Son palabras que fluyen como sangre y agua en la
construcción de vida, a la continuación del crecimiento de sociedades y
regeneración cíclica de la visión mesoamericana.
Aquella colección de cantos ciertamente es un tesoro y
dentro de esta riqueza literaria se encuentra un canto cuya autora es la señora
Macuilxochitzin oriunda de Tenochtitlan, nacida en 1435. El cronista mestizo
del siglo XVI, Hernando Alvarado Tezozómoc, escribe que aquella forjadora de
cantos era la octava de doce hijos, cuyo padre fue el gran Tlacaélel,
celebérrimo consejero o Cihuacóatl de los reyes aztecas. A su vez, de ella
nació el príncipe Cuauhtlapaltzin. Al leer su canto puede desprenderse que Macuilxochitzin
pudo haber conocido muchos de los consejos de su padre al emperador Axayácatl y
que este enfrenta a diversos grupos que terminan formando parte del imperio. En
uno de estos encuentros el emperador es herido y la poeta azteca relata algunos
detalles sobre la suerte del que lo hirió.
Xánath Caraza reúne estos escasos (y únicos) elementos de
contexto para elaborarlos y darnos algo más que la historia “oficial”,
aproximándonos a algo más personal y sensible. Resalta la importancia de
aquella mujer, quien a través de su lírica y filosofía nos extiende el puente
para cruzar y conocer más de cerca su mundo, la vida tradicional, sus alegrías,
temores y angustias. Es la intrahistoria a la que hacía referencia Miguel de
Unamuno.
La voz poética viaja a los tiempos del nacimiento de
Macuilxochitzin, cuyo nombre llevaba ya una misión, ya sea porque nació en un
día del calendario que llevaba precisamente la fecha 5-Flor (que es el
significado de su nombre) o porque haya sido un apodo al ser conocida su
afición por la poesía. Asimismo, es uno de los títulos con que se invocaba al
dios de las artes, del canto y la danza y con relación a los antiguos textos
náhuatl este día era destinado a forjar cantos.
Las imágenes que presenta Caraza en el primer poema,
“Macuilxochitzin”, nos dan una visión de lo especial del momento, así como en
varios de los siguientes poemas, “Tejerás el destino”, “La madre da a luz”,
“Lluvia de pétalos”, “Poeta de jade”, “De la poesía eres”, “Áurea poeta”,
“Nobleza en tu linaje” y “Blanco huipil”, entre otros.
Al saber de su linaje podemos saber que su educación
tenía que ser esmerada. León-Portilla en su libro Quince poetas del mundo
azteca, hace referencia a que la poeta azteca seguramente escuchó los
consejos de la madre en los que la “niñita …es como un jade, como un plumaje de
quetzal, como lo más preciso que brota en la tierra.” La autora inicia el
poemario describiéndonos la destreza de la poeta azteca como forjadora de
cantos, cuyas palabras son “caracolas” o “diseños de obsidiana / la palabra
sagrada.../ un pincel /...Frente a los manantiales / Las letras nacen…/ La voz
se llena de jade / Das vida.”
Son cuidadas y bien labradas las imágenes ofrecidas por
Caraza en sus versos, porque se mantiene fiel a las características de los
versos náhuatl, y al mismo tiempo aflora naturalmente su vocación educadora al
mostrarnos palabras que suenan mejor en el idioma original como “Xóchitl” o
“Cuícatl,” cantos percibidos como de inspiración divina, así como los sonidos
de los tambores “huehuetl” y “teponaztli”.
Cabe destacar que Macuilxochitzin no era solamente poeta.
La capacidad de presentar un concepto de vida a través de imágenes u objetos
que para su sociedad en aquel tiempo tenían un valor inconmensurable, no era
solo el ser poeta sino también ser filósofa. Por tanto, en el homenaje tan
sentido y apasionado, la autora cuida mucho el estilo y la estética, evocando
recuerdos y promoviendo el diálogo interior. La voz poética del presente es
poseída por el espíritu de la poeta azteca. La espiritualidad y la introspección
son elementos muy importantes en la poesía náhuatl y la autora los elabora muy
bien en este y sus anteriores poemarios.
Sumamos a esto el ritmo y la medida como los elementos
formales. Leemos versos musicales como lo eran los versos náhuatl, como si
fueran concebidos para llevar acompañamiento musical o ser cantados.
Otro tema muy presente y especialmente cultivado por
Caraza es el tema de la vida como un misterio que no puede ser resuelto. Un
misterio vital que incluye el destino humano. Así Macuilxochitzin en su canto
se pregunta si sus palabras tendrán un destino más allá del tiempo, aunque se
reconforta con saber que la escuchan en su presente. En ese aspecto la voz
poética toma ese fluir del pensamiento mesoamericano del siglo XV y nos lo trae
y lo hace perdurar en el tiempo. Ese destino humano no es otra cosa que el paso
inclemente del tiempo, “lo efímero” de la vida, una angustia patente. Como el
ciclo de las cosas, la poeta náhuatl se renueva con los versos de la voz
poética del presente que tiene el poder de viajar: “En un invierno del medio
oeste, entre COVID e incertidumbre, pienso en ti… veo cómo tus primeros llantos
fueron cubiertos de piedras preciosas. Yo también estuve ahí.”
La esencia se mantiene tanto en el fondo de la temática
mesoamericana como en lo formal en los que hay las figuras propias de los
“cuícatl” náhuatl como el difrasismo, la perífrasis, la repetición y el
paralelismo.
Habiendo leído a Xanath Caraza varias veces, puedo decir
que mucha de su poesía encierra todos estos elementos, tejiendo imágenes,
sonidos y sensaciones. Los sentidos están en constante acción y de allí también
es que se recrea el mundo y la visión náhuatl, cuyo destino se va forjando o
tejiendo. Es la misión y legado que nos deja Macuilxochitzin: “poeta con sangre
de obsidiana,” que trasciende y por los que hay que celebrar con un conjuro,
con cantos “cuitatl” y danza “maconnetotilo”.
Por eso también la razón del título del poemario, en el
que complejidad y belleza van de la mano.
La poeta azteca conocía el arte del telar y del bordado
junto con el de preparar exquisitos platillos y bebidas, pero igualmente hacía
lo mismo con los cantos o poemas. Macuilxochitzin tejía el destino de una
cultura, de una sociedad, de las hazañas de los líderes de su momento,
incluyendo los consejos de estado de su padre, quien habrá disfrutado de los
dones de su hija.
Así Caraza nos dice “Hija de Tlacaélel: / mujer noble /
de privilegiada cuna… El talento mezclado en las venas / El canto se forjó en
tu espíritu, / los dioses se albergaron en tu huipil…En tu piel habitan
tatuajes sagrados / que abren el corazón a las artes. / La poesía es tu
aliento.”
Como se dijo anteriormente, al estar la poeta alrededor
de su padre, esta se habrá enterado de las diferentes conquistas y rencillas
entre aztecas y demás grupos náhuatl. En 1476 los aztecas se aprestaron a la
guerra una vez más. Además de las referencias a los consejos estratégicos de su
padre y de las hazañas del emperador Axayácatl, no pierde oportunidad para en
su canto también evocar la actuación decisiva de un grupo de mujeres otomíes
que con sus suplicas al emperador salvaron la vida del capitán matlatzinca
Tlílatl que lo había herido. Resulta de interés aquel detalle en el que la
poeta reconoce la gran valía de las otomíes al intentar salvar a su líder, ya
que la forjadora de cantos se reconoce e identifica con aquellas mujeres y
posiblemente hubiera actuado de igual forma ante el peligro de su líder.
Resalta el carácter de aquellas mujeres y al mismo tiempo subraya su nobleza al
reconocerlas.
La voz poética busca abrazar a la poeta mesoamericana
para comprender y darnos a entender ese mundo que lamentablemente fue mutilado
al producirse el choque con la cultura occidental. Ese abrazo se confunde con
un silencio que permite la conexión del pasado con el presente, una
comunicación perfecta de corazón y mente, aquella que revela los secretos de la
forjadora de cantos y sellan el encuentro con “la melodía [del] viento entre
las hojas.”
Un aspecto importante para considerar en los versos de
Caraza es el tema del poder de la escritura y la secuencia de las imágenes que
lo representa: La noche, como el momento propicio para la inspiración; la
obsidiana líquida, que permite plasmar el corazón y la mente; el papel amate
como prueba que trasciende; el agua que representa el fluir de las ideas y el
paso del tiempo. Finalmente, Venus es la fuerza femenina que inspira la
escritura y se mantiene, aunque amanezca, “…sostiene su brillo.”
La conexión con el más allá y el más acá se ve
representada por el xoloitzcuintli que “ladra en la distancia / anuncia el paso
de los ancestros, / ritmos que guían a quienes hoy han dejado la tierra.” Es el
guía en la oscuridad, como otra forma de representar a la luz de Venus. El
origen es el dios Xólotl, hermano de Quetzalcóatl y cuya misión era guiar al
sol al inframundo y protegerlo de sus peligros. En los versos de Caraza el
perro xólotl anuncia el paso de los ancestros y se unen a la voz de la poeta quien
es mensajera protegida por dios, cuya traducción del náhuatl al español es
“corazón del cielo,” “el dueño del lejos y del cerca” o “dador de la vida.”
La naturaleza es muy importante en la mayoría de los
poemas que presenta, porque sirve de refugio en el proceso de la creación. La
voz poética del presente viaja nuevamente, y está poseída por el espíritu de
Macuilxochitzin, caminando en Tezcutzingo, el jardín mandado a construir por el
Rey Poeta, Nezahualcóyotl. Los jardines son un paraíso de bellezas naturales,
flores, colibríes, cenzontles, tucanes y luciérnagas. Es el refugio de ambas
poetas, que caminan por estos jardines espiritualmente, una de comunicación
entre los espíritus del allá y el acá, y en la que la voz poética da sonido a
las palabras de la forjadora de cantos. Le habla en segunda persona como para
confirmar su imaginación, sus pasos, su recorrido por el jardín. Las palabras y
acciones de la poeta azteca no se pierden en el viento y perduran en los
recuerdos, “la memoria de tu pueblo, / la historia de tu sangre…Las batallas se
recuerdan / los astros son reconocidos.”
Finalmente, el cuerpo de Macuilxochitzin se esparce en el
universo, es arte, es música, es naturaleza representada por el jade, el
huracán, mariposa y orquídeas nocturnas.
Para concluir, Tejerás el destino nos da más que
la historia. Nos da la constitución interior del ser poético. Nos lleva a lo
que la poeta de Tenochtitlan habría experimentado como mujer, hija, cronista,
poeta, esposa y madre; y a su vez nos aproxima a las raíces mexicanas, a la
riqueza de sus culturas, y su visión del mundo. Xánath Caraza nos da una grata
sorpresa con estos poderosos versos finamente labrados, apasionados,
‘transgrediendo’ el tiempo y espacio, poniendo el frescor de la poesía náhuatl
en nuestros sentidos y haciéndole homenaje a una de las poetas destacadas
prehispánicas. Fue sin duda una mujer que pintó el mundo en el que vivía con su
don poético, bordó imágenes que inicialmente estaban fragmentadas y trascendió
su filosofía de vida a través de las centurias. El poemario abre la puerta a
una dimensión íntima en la que se enfatiza la importancia de la voz de la mujer
y su papel activo en la sociedad prehispánica mexica, así como también alimenta
el seguir explorando más sobre esta y otras forjadoras de canto. Tejerás el
destino es de una riqueza invaluable puesto que nos hace reflexionar sobre
la identidad tanto individual como étnica y cultural. Como concluye la voz
poética en el último poema: “Viviste el esplendor / de tu cultura, mis raíces,
/ que apenas puedo entender.”
Associate Professor of Spanish
Department of Spanish & Portuguese
University of North Georgia
Tejerás
el destino, You Will Weave Destiny by Xánath Caraza
Translated by Sandra Kingery
FlowerSong Press, 2024
Friday, May 17, 2024
Tipos to Luchadores to Slime
Here comes a trio of excellent new books in June - July, all from Simon & Schuster. These are highly recommended. But first ... You like movies, right? And chances are that you like Mexicans too. So how about a Mexican movie? Oh yes - from the Golden Age of Mexican Movies, a special showing (it's a party) of Dos Tipos de Cuidado, with Pedro Infante (!) and Jorge Negrete (!) Be still my fluttering heart.
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Simon & Schuster - June 11
[from the publisher]
A timeless, epic novel about a family of luchadores contending with forbidden love and secrets in Mexico City, Los Angeles, and beyond.
Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores—Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes—were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name recognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.
Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father’s gym while Freddy’s own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.
With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.
Simon & Schuster - July 2
[from the publisher]
In a city ravaged by a mysterious plague, a woman tries to understand why her world is falling apart. An algae bloom has poisoned the previously pristine air that blows in from the sea. Inland, a secretive corporation churns out the only food anyone can afford—a revolting pink paste, made of an unknown substance. In the short, desperate breaks between deadly windstorms, our narrator stubbornly tends to her few remaining relationships: with her difficult but vulnerable mother; with the ex-husband for whom she still harbors feelings; with the boy she nannies, whose parents sent him away even as terrible threats loomed. Yet as conditions outside deteriorate further, her commitment to remaining in place only grows—even if staying means being left behind.
An evocative elegy for a safe, clean world, Pink Slime is buoyed by humor and its narrator’s resiliency. This unforgettable novel explores the place where love, responsibility, and self-preservation converge, and the beauty and fragility of our most intimate relationships.
Tell It to Me Singing
Tita Ramírez
Monica Campo is pregnant with her first child when, moments before being wheeled into emergency heart surgery, her mother confesses a long-held secret: Monica’s father is not the man who raised her. But when her mother wakes up and begins having delusional episodes, Monica doesn’t know what to believe—whether the confession was real or just a channeling of the telenovela her mother watches nightly.
In her despair, Monica wants to speak with only one person: her ex-boyfriend of five years, Manny. She can’t help but worry, though, what this says about her relationship with her fiancé and father of her unborn child.
Monica’s search for the truth leads her to a new understanding of the past: the early eighties when her parents arrived from Cuba on the famous Mariel boatlift, and the tumultuous seventies, a decade after Castro’s takeover, when some people were still secretly fighting his regime—people like her mother and the man she claims is Monica’s real father. Tell It to Me Singing is a story that takes readers from Miami to Cuba to the jungles of Costa Rica and, along the way, explores the question of how and to whom we belong, how a life is built, and how we know when we’re home.
Later.
Manuel Ramos writes crime fiction. Read his latest story, Northside Nocturne, in the award-winning anthology Denver Noir, edited by Cynthia Swanson, published by Akashic Books.
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Chicanonauta: Read the 2023 Extra Fiction Winners
by Ernest Hogan
Those of you who read the italicized notes at the end of these columns may be curious about the Somos en escrito Extra Fiction Contest. I could go on about encouraging writers in the Chicano/Latinoid continuum to pursue the diabolical science fiction/fantasy/horror megagenre, but what better way to explain this than to give you a chance to read this year's winners? So here are some links and nifty graphics:
First Place goes to "Death and the Santa Ana Wind" by Salvador Ayala, a well-crafted Chicanoization of the classic mass-murder-at-a-summer-camp genre, given a lift with realistic location and characters.
Second place goes to "SOE: The Sword of the East" by Robert Martin, a sword-wielding post-apocalypse set in a futuristic barrio with a butt-kicking female protagonist.
Finally, "The Collaborator" by M.R. Subias is a cop story set in LA after Earth has been conquered by aliens—a different Conquest, dealt with in a different way!
I also liked the runners-up: “When a Flower Blooms in Hell” by J.R. Rustrian is a very original take on an afterlife; and the neorealistic/folkloric “Lechuza,” by Carmen Baca. It was a close race, and I had to make up some impromptu rules to come to my final decisions.
I encourage the winners, and the everyone who submitted stories, to keep on writing, and submit your work to be published.
An interesting trend I’ve noticed is more stories with a pop culture/“commercial” intent rather than high brow/fine art ambitions. I don’t consider it to be a bad thing. These winners deliver as pulp fiction, and could do well in graphic or film adaptations.
I do keep dreaming of our stories becoming bestsellers that change global culture. So let’s all keep doing it.
Ernest Hogan is trying to sell his latest novel. His reportage on the Trump years can be read in Our Creative Realidades: A Nonfiction Anthology. Guerrilla Mural of a Siren’s Song: 15 Gonzo Science Fiction Stories, his first story collection, has been called “A great introduction to chicano sci-fi from the Father of Chicano Sci-fi himself.”`
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The Lives of Tomato
Written by Romilda Byrd
Illustrated by Tincho Schmidt
*ASIN: B0CSWLMGQG
*Publisher: Independently published
*Language: English
*Paperback: 37 pages
*ISBN-13: 979-8875976094
"Tomato thrives in a garden brimming with love and care, where everything is wonderful. But when an unimaginable accident befalls Tomato, he must confront a new reality. Forced to change his plans and refocus his dreams, Tomato embarks on an unexpected journey of resilience and adaptation.
Yet, amidst the challenges, Tomato discovers the power of second chances. He learns that even when life doesn't go according to plan, there are endless opportunities to create something wonderful. Join Tomato as he navigates setbacks and embraces the possibility of a new path filled with hope and possibility."
"The Lives of Tomato" is Romilda Byrd's debut picture book, featuring endearing characters and timeless lessons about perseverance and making a positive impact on the world. With captivating storytelling and charming illustrations, it's a must-have addition to any children's bookshelf.
"The Lives of Tomato" is not just a book—it's an opportunity for families to bond over a shared love of nature, food, and exploration. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this book offers something for everyone to enjoy. Add it to your family's library today and embark on a flavorful journey into the world of tomatoes!
Introduce your family to the wonderful world of tomatoes with "The Lives of Tomato," a delightful and educational adventure that will engage both parents and children alike.
Romilda Byrd is a passionate author with a background in early childhood education. Inspired by her experiences working with families and children, she crafts enchanting stories that inspire imagination, empathy, and environmental awareness. Romilda is an experienced gardener and enthusiastic food lover, as she uncovers the fascinating stories behind one of nature's most versatile and beloved fruits. From the vibrant colors and juicy flavors to the rich history and cultural significance, Romilda's captivating narrative will spark curiosity and inspire young minds to explore the wonders of the garden and the kitchen.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Guest Reviewer: Piñata Breaks Into Speculative Realms
Review: Piñata. Leopoldo Gout. A Nightfire Book Published by Tom Doherty Association/Tor Publishing Group
In Piñata, written by Leopoldo Gout, Carmen Sánchez, an architect and single mom, travels to Tulancingo, Hidalgo, Mexico, to oversee the renovation of an ancient abbey with her daughters, 11-year-old Luna and 16-year-old Izel.
Soon after their arrival strange and unexplainable events occur, like the appearance of an old, monstrous-faced woman who keeps watch over the family; the discovery of a hidden room in the abbey where a Nahua piñata is found; and the sighting of terrifying apparitions that all preface the chaos that is to come.
I read this book with curiosity, as a writer, because I, too, want to ground my work of fiction in history prior to the Spanish invasion of Mexico, specifically highlighting the Popol Vuh, the creation story of the Maya.
Gout’s book provided me with a model to uplift my narrative and do it in a respectful, thoughtful and entertaining way. The manner in which he addresses current problems and links them to historical trauma that has far too often been ignored or dismissed, served as a useful approach for what I am trying to do with my writing.
Gout sets the stage for his horror story in the atrocities, massacres, murders, rapes enslavements, and all manner of brutalities inflicted by the Spanish upon the indigenous people of Mexico.
It is with this backdrop that the book’s prologue invites the reader to begin to understand this past, drawing the reader in to make a direct connection between the planting of the original seed of racism 500 years ago and society’s current situation.
Gout entertains and enlightens the reader by effectively using Nahua history that has previously been erased, discounted and misunderstood. Gout welcomes the reader to think biculturally and in this book actually tri-culturally: as a Nahua, Mexican, and United States citizen.
The book begins with a quotation, “Listen carefully to the rhythms of your tongue so that they don’t get lost in memory.” In Nahuatl it reads, “Tikahaki in tlatsotsonalistli itech thlahtoltsin inik amo polihwi ipan ilnalmiki.”
The invocation to listen with intention reminds the reader that for too long the historians of the victors whitewashed Mexico’s barbaric past labeling the Spanish invasion not as a war, but instead as an entrada, a pacification, or as a conquest to save souls.
Adding to this injustice is that, often, reality is so brutal, barbaric and painful that reading about it in a history book or seeing it on a screen causes many to shy away from even learning about it, or worse yet, attempt to ban books to restrict students of history from learning about the past.
Gout’s choice of horror counters this void by enlightening, even when the reader may not know it, because they are enjoying the story so much.
Who doesn’t love a piñata?
But the hollow birthday decoration of paper and plaster in this book is not the modern day one shaped like a burro that was discovered by Marco Polo in China, brought to Italy, adopted in Spain and then celebrated in Mexico. No, this piñata already existed among the native Mexica and Mayan populations.
Gout writes:
He blew the dust off the clay pot, revealing it to be coated in leather and adorned with a terrible grimacing face. Its teeth were barred and its tongue was out. It looked like a monster.
“Interesting pot,” said Carmen.
“It’s a tlapalxoktli,” replied Quauhtli.
“A piñata.”
“For children to break?”
“Not exactly, it’s a sacrifice, an offer, tlamanalistli.”
What these characters will discover is that this offering does not have candy, toys or gum inside, but something much more sinister.
By employing such a powerful historical backdrop and symbol of Mexican identity, Gout can explore powerful questions like how should the past be preserved? Who has the right and power to preserve the past - the Nahua? the Catholic Church? the Mexican government? And what should be the appropriate way to avenge the wrongs of the past? Is violence the right way? Or should another path be taken through religion, either Christian or Nahua? Should we stand in judgment of others or should we learn to forgive?
Piñata may appear on its face as just another horror story, but to anyone who reads this book, including Latinos who are starving to be seen in all types of literature, including the horror genre, Piñata is much more.
Gout uses fiction in much the same way as Jordan Peele did with his directorial debut, “Get Out,” which wove a trenchant social critique with a brilliantly effective horror thrill ride. Piñata is a fear inducing and well-crafted book that places carefully written Latino characters directly in the canon where too long they have been excluded.
By having Latino characters up front, all readers are richer, although, possibly, sleep deprived because of the scream-inducing nightmares the book may incite in the reader’s imagination.
One character that readers will come to embrace is Yoltzi, a 24 year old woman who at a young age manifested a gift that can “only be described as an ability to see inside people.” As her name confirms she is Nahua and as a girl she wanted to “become an anthropologist or an interpreter for her mother tongue, or even a lawyer who would defend her people from the oppression” of the rich and the local government.
Yoltzi tries to warn Carmen that Carmen's family is in danger, but the Chicana from New York City misunderstands Yoltzi’s intentions and thinks instead that she is trying to threaten her with physical harm.
Gout’s knowledge of the differences of Mexican Americans living in Mexico, carrying negative biases after growing up in the United States towards Mexicans, shines in this passage.
Another writer might not know the nuances of the experience of being Chicana in the United States and that of being Nahua raised in Mexico. Gout grew up in Mexico City and then won a scholarship to study sculpture at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. He now resides with his family in New York City, so he knows the subtleties and complexity of the Mexican experience across many borders.
Gout does not shy away from the problems that Mexico faces such as drug trafficking, gangs, femicide, government corruption and the dangers that migrants face crossing the border between countries. He names them and highlights them as problems in his book.
The author puts these issues in the proper context and explains, through vivid storytelling, that much of these societal problems stem from a systemic trauma tied inextricably to how indigenous people were and are treated since the Spanish arrived to Mexico’s shores. Moreover, his book serves as an allegory as to what may happen if we do not address the past.
Guillermo Bonfil Batalla, a noted Mexican philosopher, asks in his seminal book, Mexico Profundo, “Did Mesoamerican civilization really die, and are the remaining Indian populations simply fossils, condemned five hundred years ago to disappear because they have no place in the present or in the future?”
I think we know that the answer to the question is a resounding, “No,” and Gout’s Piñata is a welcome piece of fiction that reminds us, in an unexpected way, to always remember our past because the consequences for not doing so can be devastating.