Category: chican@s

Saint Patrick’s Day

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San Patricio Battalion Flag

It can be argued that St Patrick’s Day is like a local holiday in my neighborhood, despite the fact there is no sizable Irish community in this area. Here in Lincoln Heights, it’s common to see people wearing shamrock paraphernalia all year round. As was recently pointed out to me, stores in Lincoln Heights will stock green colored clothing more frequently as it tends to sell more quickly than other colors. Shamrocks magically grace the walls after long weekend nights, spreading the luck of the Irish throughout our little hood.
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Happy Leap Year Day!

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As I was driving around this morning, I noticed an unusually high number of cars with their lights on. When I pointed this out to my passenger, he claimed this is a Leap Year Day tradition. He’s been known to pull my leg, so I’m asking all of you, have you heard of this practice? Any other Leap Year Day traditions I should know about?

Favorite Video of the Week: Boards of Canada

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Music is Math-Boards of Canada

There was a very brief time, a few years ago, when I felt overwhelmed by sadness and despair. Rather than try and make myself feel ‘better’ I decided to go with the flow and wallow in it. Surprisingly, wallowing in despair is much more enjoyable than faking happiness or denying such overwhelming feelings. In any case, I feel it is part of my tradition and my cultural right as a woman of Mexican descent to experience emotions in a very obvious way. Those telenovelas characters weren’t created from scratch, right? The perfect accompaniment to this bit of self indulgent dramatics was a weekend listening to Boards of Canada’s album Geogaddi while reading Chris Ware’s visually beautiful but tragic story of loneliness and alienation, Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth. Something about the combination of this music and story was just the right salve for a sadness like mine.

“Hasta Luego…”

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Jessie Tellez Garcia, 1922-2008

My grandmother, Jessie T. Garcia who I mentioned frequently on this blog and who I just recently congratulated on reaching the age of 85, passed away unexpectedly last Friday. Her heart slowed down until she was gone. Despite the pain of her last few days, she managed to keep up the sense of humor she was notorious for. I find it fitting that her goodbye to me was a small chuckle, a wry (but sweet) smile and the send off of “hasta luego!”
She took me in during my teenage years, let me be a rebel and a brat and still had grilled cheese sandwiches for me and my friends when I came home from school. As wild as I was, I think she enjoyed my crazy assortment of punk rock friends, she was very rarely judgmental. She loved company and conversation and charmed most anyone she met. She reveled in the challenge of making me clothes from random scraps of fabric and half baked designs. Our house sometimes was a mini hostel, and it never seemed to bother her. In fact, she entertained herself by playing practical jokes on our guests. Like the time the band Chumbawamba was passing through LA playing a gig at Jabberjaw. My grandma woke up to find half the band crashed out on the living room floor. I told her they were a band on tour from England. I came out of my room a little later to find her sprinkling water on them. I asked what was she doing, she replied “you said they were from England, I wanted them to feel like they were back home!” and proceeded to say “it’s raining, it’s raining!” The band didn’t forget this, and a few years later when they had their big breakout hit, Tubthumping, you know the one “I get knocked down but I get up again” they dedicated the song to her at their LA concert after hearing she recovered from a black widow bite.
I will miss her terribly.

Her memorial website:
www.chimatli.org/garcia

Stories from 3706 N Figueroa

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photos from Chavez Ravine: 1949: A Los Angeles Story

[This is a blog entry from earlier this year transferred over from myspace]

Stories from 3706 N Figueroa

A few months ago when I was working at Sandpaper, a simple but well dressed old man came in on his way home from the corner store. He immediately made an impression on me because his pants were so neatly cuffed and his hair was slicked back, Tres Flores style. He picked up a photography book off the shelf called Vatos and asked me if I had any books on Chavez Ravine. He then went on to tell me all about his idyllic childhood in Chavez Ravine and the deep connections he and his family had with their neighbors. They were more than neighbors, they were family. They shared food, watched each other’s children and lived a life apart from the rest of Los Angeles. His family was one of the last to leave and when they were finally forced out, they moved to nearby Lincoln Heights. He said he cried for two years, he missed his old neighborhood so much.
When he was older, he got into the Pachuco lifestyle. With much relish, he described Zoot Suiter fashion. The size of their pants was quite important, enough so they would measure for accuracy. His style of dress attracted the attention of cops and he was often harassed. I think he eventually ended up in jail but he didn’t elaborate on that part of his life too much. His story was undoubtedly embellished by years of nostalgia but no matter, this brief interaction transported me to another time and place. When he was done reminiscing, he left for home with his quart of milk. While I was familiar with the history of Chavez Ravine, his personal story helped me understand the lasting emotional trauma of a community eliminated by force.

Happy Birthday!

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Jessie Tellez circa 1940 (Tijuana)

Today my grandmother Jessie, born Maria de Jesus Tellez Vizcarra in Cananea, Sonora is 85 years old! A graduate of Belmont High School, first Mexican-American president of her PTA and American Legion and resident of her Rampart-Echo Park neighborhood for more than 70 years. She is the jewel of our family, beautiful, kind, thoughtful and mischievously flirty.
She managed to buy a house, take care her of her young baby and work at Bullock’s downtown while my grandfather was away during World War Two, amazing! Throughout the years, her home has been a refuge for our immediate family and those from faraway. Not judgmental about our lives and choices but supportive always. Her sense of humor has kept us all going through difficult times and she’s notorious for playing practical jokes. She’s even survived the venom of a scorpion and a black widow! How’s that for tough?
Happy Birthday Grandma!

Just Married

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Jessie and Atanasio Garcia, somewhere in Los Angeles, circa 1942

I’ve encountered a few mysteries among the many family photos my maternal grandmother has given me to keep. For instance, I’m curious about these souvenir Los Angeles snapshots. What area is this? My grandmother refuses to answer because she hates this photo and the last time I showed it to her, she insisted I tear it up. That’s her in the photo with our family patriarch, my grandfather Atanasio. They had recently married.
If anyone can identify the area, I would be most appreciative.

Halloween is never over

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OK, I know Halloween is gone and passed but if they can start Christmas early, I can make Halloween go longer! Here’s a photo of one of our Halloween yard scenes from a few years ago.
In the next few days, I’ll post more thoughts on my trip to Mexico along with photos and videos.

Chola Bracelets

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Since I was 10, I’ve been looking for chola bracelets, you know those black rubber ones that were the ultimate chola (and punk rock) fashion accessory in the 70s and 80s? Well, imagine my surprise when I spotted a colorful pack of them at Target being sold as some kind of Halloween costume. Where’s the scary chola costume to go with it?
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Gwen Stefani “borrowed” the look for many years.
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