Wanting to share a small topic, I have found myself having to start with a little history. Ya, you know what that means...
Where does a girl begin to explain the thick culture that has permeated every molecule of her life and the lives of all of her family's ancestors. I was raised in a predominantly Mexican household with strong Spanish and European ties. My grandmother's French father left France as a teenager to scope out a different land before sending for his family. He ended up in Mexico and he and my great grandmother known as, Nana Emilia went on to have many children, one of them being my gorgeous grandmother, Josephina Velderrainne (below). (Click on any images throughout post to enlarge.)
My sis and I adore her more than words. She is funny and magical, inventive and child-like, all at once. She is a woman who cooks on a wood-burning stove, yet has more city style vivaciousness wrapped up in her quaintness than anyone I know. She has stories that you would not believe. Maybe it is because she had huge youthful life experiences. Including boarding a train alone at 8 years old to go live for a while with her father in L.A. where he had gone to find his lifes work. Nana Emilia lived to be a very very old lady, in Mexico, in a house on a hill, in a district where witches, curanderas, and fortune-teller gypsys still thrive, only now it is really scary there.
My Grandma Josephina, married my Grandpa Pedro and they had 5 kids. One being a girly, proper, fantasy loving, fair little girl named Yvonne. My mom. A wonderful fantastic dreamy lady. I won't go into my dad's details, but they are simliar, minus the French guy. Dad is wonderful too, married to my mom for like a 100 years, but this could go on forever so I'll stop there.
Growing up in a little southwest village at the Mexican border meant that almost everyone who had settled there, the kids you went to school with, etc. had a similiar family history. And, let me just say, most of the Mexicans I grew up with were refined people, many of them were of varied (European/Greek even Lebanese) decent. You can imagine my shock when I went off to college and got freaky reactions when I would say proudly, I am Mexican. ZOIKS!!! (Ps: I am not into the word Hispanic. Don't ask why, it just freaks me out for no reason. Maybe because it has the word "panic" in it, says Kandeedo Bandeedo) The world I grew up in was something noone outside of our culture could understand, it was lovely. Saying I was Mexican to some of the kids at that American university automatically made them equate me to their housekeeper or better yet, the guy who made their burritos. Boy, would they be shocked to hear the amazing stories those people had to share and the quality of person in those hard workers.
Still, I had it easy, I was fair skinned and wore my hair light, and we had lived in California off and on for 12 years, so my siblings and I were very Americanized. Sadly, I do not have a sexy Salma Hayek or Penelope Cruz accent... Actually most Mexicans themselves were shocked to hear me even speak Spanish. The following happened many many times...A person criticizing me in Spanish, thinking I couldn't understand them, and me answering in Spanish. What fun, a good laugh for me in the end!!!
The point of my story is that growing up with said ethnic background thriving in my town meant that everyone I knew was generally the same religion and celebrated all the same holidays. Everyone went to mass, everyone had the same family quirks and traditions. And, let me just say, it was very very common to walk into someone's house and find a giant alter with Mary and Jesus and saints. Or better yet, you would go to hang your coat in a closet at a friends house and you would be greeted by a giant glowing Virgin de Guadalupe. (I have one of these next to my shoes in my closet, funny, it is now a "hot style item." Good for the Virgin, thumbs up.)
Sidenote: Sunday fun was going to the Catholic church on the hill with all of your friends for 5 o'clock mass and then out for taquitos in Mexico and cruising in my white rabbit convertible. I wish I still had that car, so sad. Sunday Curfew was 11p.m. It was an early curfew compared to the Friday and Saturday night discoteque curfew of 2a.m., 3a.m. if you were lucky. Then again, you didn't leave the house until 10:30 p.m., hence the time allowance. If you were late, you'd say 5 Santo Ramonato prayers to make sure you didn't get in trouble, Holy Toledo Bandido, it really worked!!!
Sadly, the town I grew up in was really good at breeding really over the top gossipy people. Most kids leave the town never wanting to come back, and being so paranoid about their privacy that they end up in a strange country place holed up in their studio, peeking through tiny windows, freaking out if they so much as hear a human sound, who is it? How did they find me... hee hee.
In the world I grew up in you would never be surprised to see a huge painting of Jesus or Retablos, or Milagros all over someone's house. No biggy.
It wasn't until I moved to Tucson that I had someone over to dinner that they were offended at all my crosses and religious icons. I was shocked, my guests thought it was vulgar. I was floored. Now I am more knowledgable about respecting other people's beliefs and people respecting mine. I have had many wordly experiences that have changed my life. The way I see it, I am very accepting of all of people's beliefs and I do not impose mine on anyone ever. I embrace many ideas about religion and am not afraid to learn.
Almost all of my friends are a different religion and I do not have any issues whatsoever with this. I adore religious antiquities and am an avid collector. If you have never been to the Southwest, be prepared to see many churches and religious antiquities stores, from New Mexico to Arizona. I found a great example on-line called, yep, you guessed it, Southwest Antiques.
Most of the stores people seek out in the area carry heavy duty beautiful antique religious items, from Catholic to Buddhist, to everywhere in between. They are almost used like decorator items here. No, not almost, they are. In the Phoenix Home and Garden magazine you will see Spanish Colonial Art shops over and over. They are everywhere, and they are highly sought after by locals and tourists alike.
Arizona is filled with churches and missions, very very interesting places and anyone can visit. Two of my favorites are the San Xavier Mission and the Tumacaori Mission. Tubac is a little village 3 minutes from Tumacaori, with amazing shops and restaurants. Quite the Saturday fun excursion.
If you are ever in Tucson make sure you visit the San Xavier Mission. It was restored a few years back and quite a wonderful place. You can get the whole Mexican Southwest Religious experience in one visit. Plus, some really amazing Indian fry bread.. Yummy!
I hope you are not annoyed at my tale. I think religion is such a tender subject. Let me tell you how I am. Mr. Lovee is my favorite in the planet. We share seperate beliefs, he is Jewish, and we respect eachother completely. I have friends who are no religion, and Mr. Lovee actually embraces "Nature" more than any religion. (When I took the picture below at Mr. Lovee's, I said, "Wow, look this is a perfect example of our lives." From our beliefs, to the desert, to Spanish furniture that I tweaked with paint, to the guitar I decoupaged for Mr. Lovee's birthday our first year we met. The guitar contains images that make up his world, being a Blues Upright Bassist and all...)
It is wonderful to have an open mind. I adore learning about things, a favorite book that I gave away and had to re-buy is below. If you can not find it, go on Ebay. I think it is out of print.
All of that said, I would like to share some of my collections with you. I think Maryam, of Maryam in Marrakesh, said she shared a love of collecting religious icons also. What do you think Maryam? I would love to see your collection also. I will go into this another time, but, Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is huge here too, with all the skeleton people and such. People spend weeks preparing for the parade, puppet making and costume making that would impress anyone.
Now, for the end of the "True winner of the longest post ever," Some of my collections:
And a few special items I have transported to my loftish space/studio. The Talavera Pot is a very common thing you will find here. The colors are captivating....
So, Goodbye for now from this hidden enchanted place in the desert. I hope you will come back and see me after this Super Duper long post. I will be creating for the next few days, and I have been trying to figure out how to share this with you without totally freaking you out! XXO, Vanessa
Ps: If you ever come here, I will make sure to get you some of this very powerful Virgin de Guadalupe Bathroom Spray, hee hee hee!!! If you ever are here, go to Food City on the South side. Be careful though. They have awesome funny religious things...
Oh Pss:
Thank you Thank you Thank you Miss Tiffany!!!! I won her name contest and I received an amazing package! I adore these little love boxes!!! What an amazing gal, taking the time to send this to little old me!!!
I was touched at the detail!!! How lucky am I?? Thank you again Tiffany!!!! And, the smell, it smells like a sweets shop!!!!
