Month: February 2023

I have always heard this song on repeat growing up. The song is the story of a woman waiting for her lover by the pier of San Blás.  I decided to write about it today because it got stuck in my head and now I can not get it out.

Today’s song is…

En El Muelle De San Blás by Maná

English Subtitles:

Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Mexico that has had many hits within the Latin American community, especially with their creation of Oye Mi Amor. They are very popular in the Latino community and have won multiple Grammy and Latin Grammys.

Let’s look at the lyrics:

She said goodbye to her love
He left on a boat at the San Blas pier
He swore that he would return
And drenched in tears, she swore that she would wait
Thousands of moons passed
And always she was on the pier, waiting

This is the introduction that we get to Rebeca Méndez, the woman that this song is talking about. This is a real story, so this all begins in October in 1971, when she says goodbye to her lover, Manuel. Before departing, he had promised her that he would come back and marry her as soon as he came back. Unfortunately, Manuel had died, it is commonly believed that the ship had gone down and so did he.

she wore the same dress
And if he came back, he wouldn’t mistake her

She wore the same dress that he had seen her in as he sailed away in order to make sure that he would not confuse her for anybody else. Rebeca still had hope that he would come back and waited at the pier every single day.

And in her town they called her
They called her the crazy woman from the San Blás pier

Basically everyone in her town thought she was crazy, as they had already understood that Manuel was never coming back, yet she still waited for him, as though he would be able to survive for that long. She was nicknamed “la loca del muelle de San Blás” (the crazy of the pier of San Blás).

They tried to transfer her to the asylum
no one could rip her off
And they never separated her from the sea

No one could ever convince her or remove her from that pier, she was still waiting to get married to Manuel. The story ends with her passing away in 2012, never being able to marry, not even being able to see him or hear him again. She was cremated and (as many of you can guess) her ashes were thrown into the water at the pier of San Blás. The people in that town did it to honor her and her commitment and loyalty to her lover. I think this is kind of funny especially since the townsfolk were talking about her and calling her crazy. Now, this way she will never be separated from the ocean and rest in the same place as Manuel, wherever he may be.

Citations:

Arellano, Pavel. “Rebeca Méndez: La Historia De La Mujer Que Inspiró a Maná En La Composición De La Canción ‘En El Muelle De San Blas.’” Prensa Libre, 6 July 2022, https://www.prensalibre.com/vida/escenario/rebeca-mendez-la-historia-de-la-mujer-que-inspiro-a-mana-en-la-composicion-de-la-cancion-en-el-muelle-de-san-blas/.

Higueruela, Por Gustavo. “El Muelle De San Blas Al Que Cantaba Maná Existe. y Es Un Paraíso.” Esquire, 8 June 2021, https://www.esquire.com/es/viajes/g36544599/muelle-de-san-blas-mana-donde-esta/.

Michoacán, Redacción / Primera Hora. “Muere Rebeca, LA ‘Loca’ Del Muelle De San Blas.” Primera Hora Michoacán, 6 Feb. 2018, http://www.primerahoramichoacan.com/nacional/muere-rebeca-la-loca-del-muelle-san-blas.html.

Pino, Andrea M. Rosa Del. “La Tr.” ELMUNDO, El Mundo, 28 May 2019, https://www.elmundo.es/loc/celebrities/2019/05/28/5cecf7f4fc6c83a22e8b4602.html.

I first heard this song from my Heritage teacher as an introduction to the injustices that people face in Latin America. This song is specifically about how you are treated because you are a woman.

Today’s song is…

Si Me Matan by Silvana Estrada

English Subtitles:

Silvana Estrada produces alternative or indie music that tells stories and brings to life through her poetic verses and vocals. Although she has been making music for a few years, she is starting to get more recognition as she releases more music.

Let’s look at the lyrics:

If they kill me
When they find me
That they always say, that they always say
That I was a singer

Essentially what she’s saying here is that when she dies she does not want to be remembered as another victim of anger and hate. Instead, she wants to be remembered for what she did, making music and singing it. When women die at the hands of machismo and lack of control, the news or other media outlets only talk bout how they were murdered, the cause, the location, etc. It is important to recognize these women for who they were, it humanizes them and brings more attention to the issue since it could be anybody’s friend or family member.

Living dreams that like all, I grew up with fear
And even so
I went out alone to see stars

I am sure that the majority of women can relate to this, the fact that they all grow up in fear of something bad happening to them or their loved ones. There is no guarantee that they can be safe at anytime of the day, and yet Silvana Estrada tells the audience that she goes out alone regardless. There is no need to stay inside because she could be assaulted at anytime, so she would rather live life her own way.

If they kill me
If they find me

When women are murdered, they will most likely be hidden and disposed of; never giving the families any sort of closure. She is saying that if she is killed, it is likely that they would not even find her body.

So much has been taken from us
They took away our fear
Let hope remain

IMPUNITY+SILENCE+INDIFFERENCE=FEMICIDE

She is saying that despite all this and what the men and government has done to keep women powerless and subject to abuse, women are so used to this fear that it now feels freeing. Now that they know what to expect, they can live life the way they want it and continue fighting for their rights.

Sister, I love you

I just thought that it is important to mention that Estrada feels that all women are sisters and that they should remind each other of their importance since they can forget at times.

Citations:

Janetsky, Megan. “Violence against Women up amid Latin America Covid-19 Lockdowns.” Coronavirus Pandemic | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 20 Apr. 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/4/20/violence-against-women-up-amid-latin-america-covid-19-lockdowns.

Latin America Reports. “Mexico Rattled by Increasing Violence against Women.” Latin America Reports, 21 Apr. 2022, https://latinamericareports.com/mexico-rattled-by-increasing-violence-against-women/6448/.

Morland, Sarah. “In Mexico, Lack of Resources Aggravates Impunity in Gender Crimes.” bdnews24.Com, https://bdnews24.com/society/iaq3dryhe6.

Skyatnightmag. “Is Every Star We See in the Milky Way?” BBC Sky at Night Magazine, BBC Sky at Night Magazine, 17 Feb. 2022, https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/stars-in-milky-way/.

Young, Emily. “Silvana Estrada Delivers ‘Marchita’ to the Sonic Cathedral.” WNXP 91.1 FM, 26 Apr. 2022, https://wnxp.org/silvana-estrada-delivers-marchita-to-the-sonic-cathedral/.

My father first introduced me to this song when I was six and I told him that someone called me a “dirty fucking beaner”. Although we are not Mexican, this song has hit home for so many Latinos that end up experiencing racism and xenophobia in the United States.

Today’s song is…

Frijolero by Molotov

English Subtitles:

This song had been Molotov’s greatest hit and has launched them to fame and success. Molotov specializes in rock, more specifically, Latinamerican rock. This genre is famous for being censored due to the immense criticization towards the government and society.

Let’s look at the lyrics:

I am fed up
With people putting a sombrero on me
So listen when I tell you
Don’t call me a beaner

Everybody knows that Mexican people are largely stereotyped with the Mexican sombrero; many times people wear it as a joke or costume for Halloween. What this line also means is that he is tired of all the negative stereotypes that white Americans put on Mexicans because this causes unnecessary hate and violence towards them for just existing.

We never inflate our currency
by going to war with other countries

Here Molotov is criticizing the way that America has been able to inflate their currency, by going to war and involving themselves in other countries. This is not always a bad thing, a main example that they kept in mind while writing this verse is that during World War Two, America had an immense contribution in terms of how the war ended. However there is no doubt that the US currency was the only stable one after the war. It is also important to note that the US gives weapons to countries in the Middle East, without any regard towards the people that live there and are suffering the consequences of their own greed.

Even though we’re portrayed
as sellers
of the drugs we plant
you are the consumers

Many Americans criticize Mexicans, or Latinos in general, over the fact that they grow the plants that turn into drugs, but here Molotov points out that the biggest consumer of these drugs are the Americans themselves. Everybody knows that the only way that these drugs are able to go through into the US is through the border. Meaning… that some members of the border patrol are in on these drug operations, so the blame cannot go solely onto Latinos.

If not for Santa Ana, just to let you know
That where your feet are planted would be Mexico

A huge piece of land on the West side in America used to belong to Mexico. The Santa Ana that they are referring to is the traitor that is responsible for handing over this land to the US, as seen in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.  Mexico’s influence over this land still remains to this day, as seen in city names such as Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mesa, Arizona.

Citations:

Loesche, Dyfed, and Felix Richter. “Infographic: U.S. Arms Transfers to Rivaling Middle Eastern Allies.” Statista Infographics, 15 June 2017, https://www.statista.com/chart/9833/american-arms-exports-to-middle-eastern-countries/.

“Mexican Marijuana Farmers See Profits Tumble as U.S. Loosens Laws.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2015, https://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-mexico-marijuana-20151230-story.html.

projects, Contributors to Wikimedia. “Files.” Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 6 June 2022, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Files.

“The State of California.” FIELDGUIDES OUTDOOR EDUCATION, https://www.fieldguides.org/fieldguides-blog/the-state-of-california.

 

 

In honor of my previous blog subject, I decided that I would introduce a song that spoke about the immigration experience from a Central American.

Today’s song is…

Tres Veces Mojado by Los Tigres del Norte

English Subtitles:

Los Tigres del Norte is a Mexican banda, whose genre is música norteña, but in English it is referred to as regional mexican. The song is about the experience of immigrating to the United States as a Salvadoran; hence the title: “Three Times A Wetback”.

Let’s look at the lyrics:

There are three borders that I had to cross
I went through three countries undocumented
Three times I had to risk my life
That’s why they say I’m three times a wetback

So from the beginning of the song we know that this is from the point of view of a Salvadoran, who needs to cross three borders: Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States. In all countries, immigrants risk everything they have three times. They hike over mountains, walk across deserts, and swim across bodies of water in every territory, all the while with the hope of not being caught and needing to start all the way from the beginning.

The same language and the color I reflected
How is it possible that they call me a foreigner?

Although one could argue that all of Latin America is made up of Latinos, that is not the way that they view it in Latin America. The term “Latino” is not commonly used because everyone identifies with the country that they are from; therefore are treated differently in every country based on their motherland. Just because you are Latino, it does not give you a pass to go through a country undocumented, so many run the risk of being caught and deported back before even seeing the US border.

For Arizona they told me, I would cross
And that I would throw myself through the middle of the desert
Luckily a Mexican that they called Juan
Gave me his hand and for this I did not die

I honestly thought that this was a nice lyrics to show Mexican and Salvadoran solidarity and unity. Anyone who is familiar with Latin American culture knows that Salvadorans and Mexicans do not get along (mainly due to gangs rivalries and negative stigma against Central Americans). There are many times that immigrants (like my father) told stories about how some people would be left behind if they could not keep up, but it was very rare that another immigrant would come across and help them out.

Citations

“In El Salvador, Children Flee Gangs and Violence.” Thestar.com, 8 Dec. 2014, https://projects.thestar.com/news/world/2014/11/14/in_el_salvador_children_flee_gangs_and_violence.html.

Thompson, Ginger. “Desperation on Unforgiving Arizona-Mexico Border.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 May 2006, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21border.html.

“Tres Veces Mojado.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 19 Oct. 1989, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380769/.