Monterrey & African Legacy

Hi Alicia and Welester and Ranchos Group,

I was just in Monterrey,as part of the Chicago educators and Mexican Fine
Arts Museum delegation dedicating an exhibit to Monterrey's exhibit on our
African legacy. Please check this out Welester while the exhibit is still there
(right across the street from the state capitol building). It is beautiful
and very enlightening, particularly for those of us with limited information
of our African legacy in Mexico.

I have shared many of my resources with my district's curriculum director.
However, Joseph, I have two CD's about this (African legacy in Mexico), plus
an enormous amount of wonderful photos I took. Please let me know how I can
share with the group. The CD's have music and voice to them...I have some
beautiful photos of Santiago...I believe another member of the group mentioned
they have family from there. In addition, I was fortunate enough to speak
personally with Santiago's historian..anyone with questions, let me know.

Perhaps one of the nicest things I got to do was to interview an elder from
this side of the family in Monterrery- I learned some additional information
that would normally not be shared...additionally, I got a photo of my great
great aunt whose last name was Elizondo Elizondo - she was not only beautiful,
but I was amazed how much our gene pool skips first generation and resembles
2nd and 3rd generation. I was able to take a photo of the painting...

Also, I attended my mom's funeral shortly after I returned from Mexico.
There were originally 10 siblings, now there is only one. This is the reason
why I was unable to contact the group earlier. My mother and an aunt are the
last of the Luna/Herrera's 2nd generation that came from my grandparents
(Manuel Luna Herrera and Norberta Herrera Luna were the 1st generation) that were
born in the Tlaltenango, Zacatecas. I took pictures of the family during
this occasion, I can certainly forward them to the group as well. Perhaps one of
you might look one of us?

Alicia, you ask why there may be so much interest and formalized groups of
us researchers in the United States. I think the reasons vary - but I suspect
many of us still have one foot in Mexico (even if we were never there)
because of the stories we heard as young ones or because of the discrimination we
felt in this country. I also think that many people in Mexico "saben las
movidas", and don't necessarily rely on formalized groups to share information.
But like many of this group, I feel it is important to share, because we all
share a similar disenfranchised past. Connecting the dots makes us all feel
part of a family, and hence part of a larger group such as nuestros ranchos.

Happy New Year everyone. Hope your Christmas was filled with wonderful
memories and a shared family past.

Esperanza
Chicagoland area