20/01/2021
chapter \ people
story \ división del norte
Today, Mexican immigrants leave home from the North in search of safety and economic opportunity. The North has always been a land of migrants: those arriving and those who leave everything they know behind, always under the watchful eye of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Toribio Romo. Contrary to the rest of the country, in the North we eat tortillas made from flour instead of corn--a testament to our proud Spanish heritage. We listen to polkas and ranchera music, and nearly a century ago anyone walking through our towns and cities would hear a vast and endless array of languages: Chinese, Russian, German, Italian, English, and Arabic--in addition to Spanish and a number of indigenous languages. Indeed, Mexico’s northern culture is the product of a truly unique phenomenon. Moving beyond Mexico and the United States, Mexico’s cultura norteña constantly synthesizes and transcends cultural nationalism and nationalist culture. The result: a truly regional and quintessentially transnational culture with its own language, identity, and customs. The product of global migration, the North has become a cultural laboratory of constant creativity that looks to redefine the essence of lo mexicano and push it in new directions.
photo \ Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata in Mexico City
full story at exodvs.com