Sunday, July 20, 2008

Week 5 Project 5c

1. MoLAA is a museum located in Los Angeles, CA., that features Latin American artists. The museum was founded because at that time, there was no other museum that focused only on those artists. Most of the artists that have art on display are well known and are still alive today. The museum offers many educational programs and special events (e.g. Latin Dance Classes).
I believe that with the knowledge that I gained this semester, I can better appreciate the art. I now understand the trials and tribulations that this culture had to go through and why they want to preserve their lifestyles. I can now understand the uniqueness of the art.


Rodolfo Morales
De mantelos largos
Dressed to the Nines, 1994

2. Rodolfo Morales' artwork relates to the topics we studied this summer because most of his artwork depicts indigenous people of Latin America. In week 3 of our studies, we all had to choose a native culture to research. Morales' art is a visual depiction of the life of these people we studies. Another important aspect of his work is that he usually draws women in rural areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodolfo_Morales

Artwork title: De mantelos largos, Dressed to the Nines, 1994

Location: http://www.molaa.com/n_exhibitions_permanent_collection.html

Connection: I came across this piece of work while exploring the MoLAA website. This piece of work relates to my study of humanities because it gives you a look into the lives of native women of Latin America.

Observation: The subject of this work is two women. In the painting, other than the women, there is a building (possibly a Cathedral), two angels, and a pair of hands. The work is made of paint. The artist uses many bright colors and a sort of fantasy-like type of drawing.

Interpretation: What I think this painting is saying is that no matter what happens in life, God (the church being used as an example of God) is always there for His people.

Judgement: I chose this piece of art because the angels caught my eye. I love artwork with angels in it. I feel that this piece of work has a strong message about religion and the church. I feel this way because I know that the Latin Culture is big into religion (every area has their own beliefs) and it would make sense that a religous painting would come from Latin America.

Questioning: I know that this artist draws native women, but I would like to know what the extra set of hands represents.

Week 5 Project 5b


1. Death of Hidalgo
3. This is a piece of a mural at the Government Palace of Chihuahua. It is at his memorial. I came across this piece of work while searching for stuff on Father Hidalgo of Mexico. This connects to my studies because Hidalgo did many great things for the Independence Period; our current area of study.
Observation: The subject of the artwork is Father Hidalgo of Mexico. In this painting, I see Hidalgo being executed with others and there are the fires of hell. He is not putting up a fight and actually looks peaceful. The artwork is done with paint and the artist used deep colors, perhaps portraying the sorrow.
Interpretation: This artwork shows the sorrows that Hidalgo and his followers went through and how it is an honor to die for something you believe in.
Judgement: The reason that I chose this piece of art was because the intensity of it drew me to it. I feel that this painting is a powerful representation of how precious freedom is. Hidalgo was killed for his work for independence, and he will be remembered forever for that.
Questioning: I know that the center person is Hidalgo, but I would love to know who the other people in the painting are.

Week 5 Project 5a

Independence Period (around the early 19th century)
Most of Latin America gained its independence by 1825. They were following the examples of the United States and France Revolutions. Latin American Independence helped create a new Latin American ruling class. Though independent, the United States and Europe still had great influence on Latin America. It is only in recent times that they took input from the native people of the area. Latin America became a "Western" influenced culture. The new political and economic ideals made an even bigger gap between the classes. The elite class ruled most of the land. This led to a large society of peasant workers. This all led to more Caudillos, military chiefs, controlling Latin America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Latin_America

3. Father Hidalgo of Mexico

4. I chose this person because I have heard of Father Hidalgo before and I wanted to learn more about him. I wanted to know what he did in Latin American history that made him so well known.

5.
a. In 1810, Father Hidalgo of Mexico led the New Spain people in an uprising against the country of Spain. This led to the formation of Mexico which Father Hidalgo is considered the "Father of the Country".

b. Father Hidalgo was a priest in a small town called Dolores. This is where he organized meetings and taught farmers how to work the land.

c. Hidalgo's ideals were liberal in nature and led him to join a group of people that were against Spanish Dominance. His banner was an image of the Virgin Guadalupe.


6. works cited
http://www.vivahidalgo.com/
This is credible because it is a documentary website that is all about his life. They have done their research.
http://www.inside-mexico.com/laentrevista2.htm
This is also a credible source because its information corresponds to info on other websites.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Week 4 Project 4c

1.Culture
According to Wikipedia, culture "refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance." This means that every group of people in the world has different beliefs, dances, music, art, and life. The things that these people do is what makes up their culture. Culture is passed down through generations, and the new generation is trusted in keeping their culture alive and thriving. Culture ties into the subject of missions and colonization because there is a clash of cultures when these things happen. Many times, one culture is forced to let go of their culture and embrace a new one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture

2. Jessica 4a
From Jessica I learned that California's 18th mission was the largest mission. It was called San Luis Rey de Francia (a.k.a. "The King of the Missions"). It was named after King Louis IX. In the garden, there was springs that ran through the mouths of gargoyles and the Indians did their laundry there. This relates to Freire because to the Spaniard, Missions were seen as a place of education. They felt that they were educating the savages, and that was good to them. This relates to the region we are studying because during that time, California was still a part of Latin America.

Stephanie 3a
For Stephanie, I learned about the Pipil peoples. The Pipil live in western El Salvador and Honduras. They speak a dialect of Nauhatl called Pipil. There are about 200,000 Pipil left and the language has pretty much died because it was banned in 1930. Their mythology is very influenced by the Maya and they are pantheistic. They also practiced human sacrifice. The Pipil people were an agricultural culture. Freire can be related to this because it shows how education is influenced by those other cultures around you. For example, the Pipil people had similar mythology to the Maya because they interacted with them. This relates to the region we are studying because the Pipil people live in Latin America.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Week 4 Project 4b


1. Conquest of Latin America


3. I came across this piece of artwork while researching for project 4a. This relates to our studies because it gives us a visual of what was happening during the era we ace currently studying.

Observation: The subject of the artwork in the Spanish Conquistadors and the Native Peoples of Latin America. The painting depicts a battle between the two groups over colonization. It looks like the artwork is made of paint.

Interpretation: I noticed that the Spaniards are very colorful and the natives are very plain. Perhaps this is a way of showing that the the Spaniards were bringing truth, and the natives were heathens.

Judgement: I chose this piece of artwork because it jumped out at me while I was researching. I feel that this painting is saying many things in a simple way. It shows the clash of culture, greed of land, and the difference of religious beliefs.

Questions: I know that this piece of artwork is done by a Spaniard (you can tell because you are on the same side of the painting as the Spaniards), but I would love to know where he stands on the event taking place.

Week 4 project 4a

2. The Conquest/Colonial era

The Conquest/Colonial era is from 1492-1810. This time period is known for shaping Latin America into what it is today. During this time, the native peoples were wiped out. One of the main reasons for this is because of diseases like smallpox. Also during this time, the culture was banned. The new Spanish control kept a tight reign on what could be kept and what could not. The last reason this is considered a shaping time is because the Spanish rewrote the native history. The Spaniards were not able to read what was recorded, so the redid it themselves.
5. Junipero Serra of Mallorca

I chose to research Junipero Serra because when I was watching the videos for the assignment, his story peaked my interest. I used a video and a print source. On the video, you can see pictures of missions and hear the history of Junipero Serra. On the printed site, there is a history of Serra and info about the missions.

6. 3 Facts on Junipero Serra of Mallorca

1. Father Junipero Serra founded the first missions in California. The goal of the missionaries was to convert the heathens of the new world to Christianity. The Missionaries from Mallorca were well noted for their success.
2. Serra was inspired by many saints including, St. Xavier of India, St. Francis Solono of Peru, and St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis of Assisi was a prime example for Serra in his belief of humble simplicity and caring for those in need.
3. Junipero Serra came to California at 56 years of age. He was an asthmatic and had an issue with chronic leg soreness the last 15 years of his life. Even though these things plagued him, he still walked thousands of miles, rode on the back of mules, and sailed thousands of miles to spread what he believed.

7. Works Cited
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXdGy1WtQ_4
This is a credible site because it gives facts that could be found in any history book on missions.
http://www.catholic-church.org/serra-beth/serra-4.htm
I believe that this site is credible because this club is made to get info on this subject.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Week 3 Project 3c

Paulo Freire helped 300 sugarcane workers to read and write. This was a huge thing for these people and their country. Because they were now able to read, they could now vote (you could only vote if you could read). Being able to vote meant that you had a part in changing your country. This meant that you could make a better life for yourself in the long run. Paulo Freire also took his beliefs into other countries because he saw that his country was not the only one suffering.

Paulo Freire believed that there was strength in numbers. He believed that people should work together rather than fighting one another. During the 1970's he traveled the world lecturing about his ideas. He has even been invited to Harvard University to speak. He has become highly influential around the world.

Paulo Freire ideas relate to this class in many ways. For one, we are furthering our education by taking this class. That was one of Freire's central beliefs. He believed that education was power. Another reason he relates is because we are studying Latin America and he did many great things there. He influnced what we can currently study.

3b


A) Guaraní Fanciful Fish
C) I chose to write about a piece of art that I found. I came across this carving while searching for something to write about for this assignment. I saw this an was intrigued. This relates to my study of Humanities because is shows the culture of the Guaraní people and mow much they respected nature.
Observation:
In the artwork I see a depiction of land an sea acording to the Guaraní worldview. The subject is a fish and also the land that the Guaraní live on. This carving is made out of a piece of wood. The artist ised the technique of carving. There is no color other than the natural color of the wood. The artist chose to make the artpiece in the shape a fish.
Interpretation:
It is showing that the earth is important and that everything is connected to one another. I say this because the carving is made inside the fish. It shows that the fish can not live without the land, and the land can not live without the fish. They need each other.
Judgement:
I chose this piece of artwork because there was something about it and its simplicity that intrigued me. I feel that even though this art is simple to look at, its deeper meaning is quite complex. It shows how much the Guaraní people appreciate the earth. It gives you a little insight into their worldview.
Questions:
I know that the Guaraní people lovesd the earth, but I would love to know what it was exactly that inspired the artist to make this carving.
I also know that the Guaraní people had no written language, so I'm wondering if the fish has a significant meaning to the Guaraní people.

Week 3 Project 3a

Pre-Columbian
The Pre-Columbian era is the time in history before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents. It is technically refering to the time before Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Pre-Columbian is also used when talking about the great indigenous civilizations of the Americas, such as those of Mesoamerica (the Aztec and Maya) and the Andes (Inca, Moche, Chibcha, Cañaris).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Columbian

Topic: Guaraní, see
Visiting an Indian Guarani Village- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV9XUw8N8a0
Wikipedia, Guaraní- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%AD

5. The reason that I chose the Guaraní is because I have never heard of this culture before and I love learning about new cultures.
The first source is a video clip. On this video, you will get a first hand account of what a common day Guaraní village looks like and what the people do. It has a examples of traditional dance and of common household doings.
The second source is a Wikipedia history of the Guaraní people. It explains who they are, their language, where they live, and how their lives were interrupted by missionaries.

6.
Fact 1: The Guaraní people speak a language called Guaraní. This language was only oral. There was no written words. The language is still a national language of Paraguay (the other being Spanish) and is widely spoken by the Paraguay people.

Fact 2: Before coming in contact with Europeans, the Guaraní people called themselves, Abá, meaning "men" or "people". The europeans used the name Guaraní for those that converted and called those who would not convert Cayua or Caingua.

Fact 3: Early villages were communal homes of 10 to 15 families. These groups were chosen by common interest and dialect. It was estimated that there were about 400,000 Guaraní before the Europeans arrived. The Guaraní people practiced a form of animistic pantheism and their mythology is still widespread in rural Paraguay today.

7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaran%C3%AD
This source is credible, I believe, because it is and encyclopedia website. Yes, anyone can change the info, but that means anyone can correct the information too.