symbols

In the 1960's, the march let by the UFW from Delano to Sacramento, California, which included, among others, hundreds of raza (Mexican people), and had in from, the Virgin of Guadalupe, was more than just a simple protest march. Because of its diversity of people and its nonviolent nature, the march carried with it an underlying desire, apart from its funtion in a grape boycott, of unity and solidarity. This may be seen in the marchers having carried a banner of the virgen in front.

In that march mexican and other people used the symbol of Guadalupe virgin because it is not only something religious, it is an important symbol of the Mexican Heritage. Guadalupe, the brown virgin, is the poetic expression that represents the faith, love and power of a culture, which survives despide the fact that it has been influenced by various cultures. The Virgin of Guadalupe is also the patron saint of the Americas thus, it is a symbol of unity among all its peoples.

Symbols for latin people, Mexican-Americans or Chicanos, is the most important representation of their feelings. Symbols can describe beliefs and customs. In other words, the symbol can describe the preshispanic and spiritual identity. "The Mexican American has a very personal relationship with God, and He has often put His aesthetic sensibilities in the arts and crafts to work in other to express that relationship."1 The mistical Latino heritage is expressed in pictures, art, beliefs, supertitions, myths, etc.

La raza literally means "the race", but the phrase is used as "my people". "La raza is, al least, partially a reaction to the pressure toward assimilation that steams from dissatisfaccion with the social order of stream main American society and results in a refusal to be absorbed."2 La raza is another important symbol for the grape boycott. It is an expression of pride for being a member of this particular group of people, who fight together for the same cause. La raza expresses the special feeling of identity and union with the prehispanic times when the indigenous kingdoms -Aztec, Mixtec, Toltec, etc. of the Americas were powerful and wise. The symbols of the big march of Delano -raza and Virgin of Guadalupe, were mixed with an important representation of la raza in the first Mexican-American leader, Cesar Chavez.

Cesar Chavez was not a traditional social worker type. He was a real leader that tried to organize la raza. He motivated theraza to talk about their situation and their necessities with nonviolent tactics, which he took from Ghandi and other big men. "Cesar was influenced by Father Donals McDonnell. They talked about farm workes and strikes. Cesar began reading about St. Francis and Ghandu and nonviolence."3 Perhaps that movement was influenced by the union of black movement with other minorities, which permitted the change in this country.

Chavez was a symbol of unity and direction in this culture, as was Emiliano Zapata or Benito Juarez. He also exalted the values of the raza that includes all Mexican and Mexican Americans.

Raza, virgin of Guadalupe and Cesar Chavez are symbols of a race that was conquered for the last five centuries. Those ideas and symbols represent people searching their values, personalities and identities; it encompass all the complexity of their history. Even though the march of Delano carried with it an underlying desire, apart from its funtion in the grape boycott, it represents unity and solidarity of la raza.

Bibliography

1 and 2- Trejo Arnulfo, "The Chicanos", The University of Arizona Press, Arizona, 1979, P24, p2
3 Szatwics Bob, "Cesar Chavez", 2244 Local Report, March-April, 1998, p3