Greetings friends, family and followers of Augsburg College´s the Center for Global Education and of our “Migration & Globalization: Engaging Our Communities” spring 2011 program! We are at the beginning of Week #3 and we can hardly believe it. So far the students have done scavenger hunts through the city, surveys of Cuernavaca´s extensive and impressive markets, have begun to hear personal stories of migration and have gotten introductions to Mexican and Pre-Hispanic history as well as contemporary politics and economic systems. Although the days are sometimes long, everyone has been critically engaged in the issues and working quite well as the living/learning community we strive to create. Our energy levels are up and we are so excited to see what the rest of the semester will bring!
Now let me give you a glimpse into a “normal” day here at CGE México…
Today, after Spanish class bright and early, we went with Professor Ann Lutterman-Aguilar to the Palacio de Cortés where we looked at a mural by famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. Rivera´s mural, “La conquista y revolución,” depicts, as the title implies, the Spanish Conquest of Mexico´s indigenous peoples as well as the Mexican Revolution beginning in 1910, which sought to overthrow the oligarchy and history of oppression that the Conquest started in 1519. Having three weeks behind them here in México, it was wonderful to see the students put to work the knowledge they have already acquired in analyzing the work – Bravo to them! As we have talked about as a group, in order to understand contemporary Mexican issues – particularly Migration and Globalization – it is crucial to understand Mexican history and how Mexicans view that history as a part of their everyday lives. The idea of “lucha” (struggle) – for freedom, for your family, for your land, for survival – is not a new concept in Mexican lives and is very much based in the histories Rivera touches on in this mural. In this way, it is so important that many MG students are studying both Mexican history as well as Mexican politics in order to understand the complexity of these issues as well as the ways they are interconnected.
Well, that´s all for now. I hope you are all well and continue to stay tuned for our weekly updates. Look for our reflections and our growth as the semester goes on!
-Anna Loizeaux (Intern - Graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center´s Class of 2010)
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