Quotes: Gloria Anzaldua's article, "La conciencia de la mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness"

Just what did she inherit from her ancestors? This weight on her back – which is the baggage from the Indian mother, which the baggage from the Spanish father, which the baggage from the Anglo (Anzaldua, 381).

I think that this quote highlights one of the main points that Anzaldua makes in the article which is the inherent cultural struggle and frustration of the mestiza. Being of mixed ethnic origins, the mestiza is stuck in between cultural boundaries where it is difficult to gain acceptance. This is especially challenging when the separate cultural origins conflict one another such as an oppressive majority versus an oppressed minority group. To whom does one relate to? It must be difficult to find acceptance when substituted to all these different cultural and societal pressures.

“Indigenous like corn, like corn, the mestiza is a product of crossbreeding, designed for preservation under a variety of condition. Like an ear of corn---a female seed-bearing organ---the mestiza is tenacious, tightly wrapped in the husk of her culture” (Anzaldua, 380).

Anzaldua uses simple example of corn as a metaphor for the life of a mestiza woman. Like the crossbreeding of corn, the cross cultural ancestry of a mestiza can help her survive. While it comes with its down sides, being born of multiple backgrounds can have an advantage. The mestiza has a foot and hand in separate worlds. Not being entirely accepted by one group, you must grab hold onto the pieces of culture that you do have access to in order to create a self-identity. With this you can create your own sub-culture that doesn’t reject, but accepts others. When your cultural identity is rooted from several diverse places, I would assume that you would be more malleable and willing to accept people of dissimilar origins. This creates a social niche from which the mestiza can find strength in and ultimately survive.

While goods on the U.S. side have become 10, 100, 1000 times more expensive for Mexican buyers, goods on the Mexican side have become 10, 100, 1000 times cheaper for Americans (Anzaldua, 388).

Here, Anzaldua describes the economic dichotomy of the United States and Mexico. This shines light on one of the factors that can create a difficult situation for a people to survive in culturally and economically. Earlier, Anzaldua describes the negative effect that the devaluating of the Mexican Peso had on a particular area in Mexico on the people. Anzaldua describes that she still sees this particular area to be still struggling under the economic conditions. Raw materials and other resources have become increasingly expensive for Mexican residents to buy while it has become cheaper for the Americans to buy goods. This leads to the creation of further pressures against a society that can be reflected in the way that the society treats certain individuals such as the mestiza.

For men like my father, being “macho” meant being strong enough to protect and support my mother and us, yet being able to show love (Anzaldua, 382).

I find this quote to be personally interesting. I understand that in this section of the text Anzaldua is explaining the creation of the more modern concept of machismo by the Anglo population and comparing it to previous forms, but I am unsure if she is accepting of the older form or not. From the words she uses, it can be inferred that there is at least a small level of acceptance of the older ideas of machismo. Even though the man was encouraged to show more emotional affections, he was still viewed as the leader. It is HIS job to support and protect the women and children. This form is not all too helpful to the independence of the female. Perhaps Anzaldua is conveying a preference of the older version to the new one that may create even more oppressive forces. What do you, my classmates, think?