Transcript: *translated from spanish to english 

Marleny (interviewer):  I am here with my mother Esmeralda Casarrubias who identifies herself as a proud Mexican and has agreed to answer a few questions for me. 

Me: Are you ready Mom? 

Mom (interviewee): I hope to be 

Me:  First question: Where were you born and raised? 

Mom: I was born and raised in Guerrero, Mexico, in a very humble town with my parents and siblings.

Me: Tell me about your childhood memories? What do you remember doing when you were a kid?

Mom: The best memories were from when I was a girl. Before we played airplanes, spinning tops, dice, yo-yos, rope, those were games where the mentality was healthier, we were more innocent. The games were based more on chatting and communication. Today’s generation, there is no communication between friends, now everything is pure internet, pure facetime. Before you would meet a stranger on the street and you would immediately invite them to play with you and  become friends, and every day the circle would get even bigger. It’s crazy to believe that now even virtual friends exist. I had created the best childhood memories back in the 90s, a time where nature was taken advantage of, the park was a kid’s best friend,  unlike nowadays, where technology has become and taken over a kid’s overall social life. 

Me: What traditions were practiced back in Mexico? 

Mom: Traditions including gastronomy change in Mexico seasonally, starting in December, Christmas dates that are the posadas, town fairs. In December it is customary to eat romeritos, pozole, tamales, ponche, atoles. Another tradition is the celebration of the Day of the Dead which is celebrated in October, where offerings are made for people who have passed  away in your family. It’s like a family reunion, except dead ancestors are the guests of honor. Day of the Dead is a joyful time that helps people remember the deceased and celebrate their memory.  February 2nd we celebrate the patron saint festivities, various celebrations of the saints, such as Candlemas Day (feast of the representation of Jesus Christ.) In Mexico, Día de Los Reyes (known elsewhere as Epiphany) is celebrated on January 6 to honor the Three Wise Men. It is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter for the Three Kings telling them how good they have been all year and what toys they would like to receive. The most traditional food in Mexico regardless of events and traditions will always be tacos, mole, tamales and posole.

Marleny: What were the typical jobs and most seen jobs in your town? 

Mom: Since we came from a small  town with  limited to no job opportunities, the typical work was the field, the planting, and the harvest where everything that one ate was planted such as corn, red tomatoes, chilies, lettuce, what was harvested the most in our town, the most popular was corn. The most seen jobs were also bricklayers and women housewives. Women were dedicated solely to the home. Luckily the modern generations don’t struggle as much as we did. The greatest professions were seen only in the city. In this era, everyone has the freedom to choose between several good careers, get good jobs and travel the world, something that was not seen in our town. Due to lack of money, there were few of us who would continue studying.

Me: what was your form of communication back then? 

Mom: Before they communicated with pure letters, you wrote your letter on paper and sent it by mail. Everything was in writing. Now you of this generation have the privilege of having so much modern technology that everything can be done through a phone and computer. Telephones did not reach our town. Only the rich in the city had the power to buy phones in our time.

Me: What was machismo (masculinity acts) like before as opposed to today?

Mom: Before, machismo was that if you got married, women had the obligation to stay at home and it was the man who had to provide. The man was not in charge of anything, just giving money if he wanted and the mother had to worry about the rest. Women had to cover themselves completely to obey and respect their husbands. Everything a woman did depended on what your husband felt comfortable and believed was right. women in my time did not have as many rights, they did not have a voice.Now, thank God, there is gender equality, something that did not exist before. Women are now independent, have a voice and they have rights, they have more freedom. Nowadays, careers are divided equally, where both genders have the same opportunity of embracing their skills.  

Me: Any extra advice? 

Mom: I would sincerely like you to follow the beautiful traditions that I have taught you and pass them on to your children, and your children to their children, and keep the typical traditions of Mexico alive forever. Mexican culture  and every other culture is the most beautiful thing there is that makes one unique, traditions must continue to be maintained between generations and continue building healthy chains. Modern thoughts can create new traditions, such as music, clothing, food, tradition will always exist.