La Gente Newsmagazine's El Sol, La Luna y Las Estrellas- Winter 2023: Volume 53, Issue II

Editors notE

For centuries, communities around the world have questioned humanity’s place in the universe and have pointed towards the cosmos for answers. The sun, the moon and the stars nurture this world and all of its inhabitants by providing us with the light necessary to flourish day and night and for that they have often been associated with higher beings with the knowledge and wisdom to guide us.

The sun selflessly provides food for plant life around the world and dictates the circadian rhythm of all life and without its light, all ecosystems as we know them would collapse. It burns bright and fuels our souls with hope as each time it rises in the horizon, it brings another day for us to experience the blessing of life.

The moon gives a calming presence that juxtaposes the fear imbedded into us as we step into the night and face the unknown that lurks within its shadows. It moderates our world's axis and generates a stable climate as it dictates the movement of the tides. It takes care of us through the night until we are graced by the sun once again.

The stars ornament the sky with projections of light that let us know the cosmos are vast and contain more secrets than the human brain can comprehend. Explorers have used the stars as their guide when exploring our world and timekeepers have used the stars and their constellations to keep track of calendaring time.

The sun, moon and sky have always held a deep meaning in religions around the world and continue to provide a sense of spiritual connection and understanding. As we continue to grow as people and strive to do what’s right for the greater benefit of the world, always remember that the sun, moon and stars are looking down upon us hoping we can all work as selflessly as they do.

Karim Isaac Hyderali | Editor in Chief

tablE of ContEnts

Editor’s Note

Table of Contents

Resistance and Solidarity: Reimaging Jaguar Symbolism in Latin America

by Angel Marquez

Reina del Cielo

by Andrea Alvarez

Bajo La Misma Luna

by Carol Martinez

El Sol, La Luna, y Las Estrellas en los Andes

by Renee Grange

Playlist

Curated by Chismeando con La Gente

The High Priestess

by Karim Isaac Hyderali

The guiding stars thousands of miles away by Jonathan

Mejia

Valenzuela

La Marea Verde's New Horizons: Victory after a LongLived (and Continuing)

Struggle for Abortion Rights

by Isabela Angulo Staff

Bajo La Misma Luna

by Carol Martinez

Bajo La Misma Luna is an early 2000s film that stars some of the most popular Mexican actors in the world, including; Eugenio Derbez, Kate del Castillo, Carmen Salinas, and America Fererra, to name a few. Besides a star-studded cast, the film seems to be a recognizable and relatable tearjerker with themes of sacrifice, immigration, and family.

The chance at a better life hits close to home when it comes to many first-gen kids—watching on screen how sacrifice and opportunities are not mutually exclusive in this film. With the film industry's greatest-to-ever do it Latinos on the screen, this movie was has nothing short of talent.

Most people I know have cried for hours after watching this movie for the first time and still decided to re-watch it. In a gut-wrenching and all-too-well-familiar struggle story, the main characters are Carlitos, a nine-year-old boy played by Adrian Alonso Barona, who decides to take a journey across the border to be with his mother, Rosario, played by Kate Del Castillo, who is living in Los Angeles in order to make a living and earn enough money to bring her son to the U.S. Four years apart, Carlitos is growing impatient with his mother and continues to ask her on their weekly calls when he is going to join her. After his grandmother’s death, his desire to be reunified with his mother drives him to make a choice to leave Mexico and find her himself. In this journey, he befriends a man named Enrique, played by Eugenio Derbez.

The film opens up with Carlitos as he makes his way to a payphone to wait for his mother’s weekly call. It is Carlito's ninth birthday and his mother wishes him a “Happy Birthday” all the way from Los Angeles. He is eager to join her and reminds her that she always makes the same promises to which she replies with the realities that many people experience when it comes to trying to attain their “papers”, or rather their path to citizenship and residency in the United States. Carlitos asks his mom to describe where she is and he envisions himself in the exact spot she is in, foreshadowing that Carlitos is going to try and make his way to the exact location where the payphone is, to be reunited with his mother.

I recognize the backdrop of this payphone instantly, it is my hometown of Boyle Heights, an eastside Los Angeles neighborhood. I think the backdrop setting for this movie was so intentional and even more so, it was believable. The realities of this movie are also of the population that lives in this LA neighborhood.

Throughout the film, the audience sees some examples of the realities that immigrants often face when they try to make a living in this country. In the film, there is a scene where Rosario is let go by her employer who she cleans for so she asks for her pay for the last couple of days she was working, the woman refuses to pay her despite owing Rosario for her work. When Rosario confronts her the woman then says, “What are you going to do?

Call the police? Here. I just remembered you’re an illegal arent you? Not a good idea.” This abusive power dynamic happens all the time for immigrants in the workplace, if it is not a threat to call immigration, it is the unfair and unjust treatment of workers so they feel powerless.

The film also touches on legislation that would affect the lives of immigrants in the United States. In a scene where Rosario is taking the bus with her friend to work, the radio is playing and its two men on a morning talk show discussing how the governor at the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would make it easier for immigrants to live in the U.S. The film sheds light on the reality of the reality of anti-immigrant legislation as Governor Schwarzenegger did indeed veto a bill back in 2004 that would allow immigrants to attain driver’s licenses.

Family and sacrifice are a constant theme in this film, showing just how far people are willing to go to ensure their families will have a better life. In Rosario’s case, she made her way to the U.S. to provide for her son. She sacrificed being with her child for the last four years in order to earn money for his livelihood but also earn money to hire a lawyer for her case. The film touches on scenes where Rosario addresses the fact that she had been scammed by previous “lawyers” and had to start saving all over again. Rosario’s friend sees her struggle and encourages her to get close to the security guard, Paco, who also lives in their neighborhood and is seen on their way to work every day. Paco has a crush on Rosario but her main focus is going to work as she wants to be reunited with Carlitos as soon as she can, even if she knows it will take a while to earn enough money. One night Paco offers to drive Rosario home and he offers to marry her as he has his “papers” in order, he tells her that it could expedite bringing her son to the U.S. Rosario is visibly emotional and decides to leave the car. Here, the audience understands that while Rosario is deeply hurt by not being able to see her son, she was not going to marry a man she thinks of as a friend and has no romantic feelings for. Rosario’s sacrifices for her son go beyond working jobs with unjust

employers, it is how she is willing to put her chance at happiness on the back burner in order to provide the best for her son.

— Bajo La Misma Luna hits close to home because of the intense and emotional realities portrayed within the film. Almost two decades after its release this movie still portrays the realities within multiple storylines of the constant fear of being caught in the pursuit of a better life. With the backdrop of opportunity taking place in the U.S. and, more so, the majority Latinx community that is Eastside Los Angeles, this film delivers precision, truth, and real-world experiences.

Movie cover by Creando Films

Reina del Cielo

By Andrea Alvarez

La Basilica de Guadalupe is visited by millions of devout Roman Catholics each year, many of which embark on a sacred pilgrimage to visit the church each December 12th; the Day of the Virgen de Guadalupe. While most Catholic saints have a special day of celebration throughout the Gregorian calendar year, the Virgen de Guadalupe is one of the most celebrated, especially among Mexican Guadalupanos. “The Mother of the Pueblo’’ and the “Queen of the Heavens,” are just some of the many titles given to her by the Latine Catholic community. These titles allude to both the religious and cultural importance that the Virgen de Guadalupe holds, oftentimes even overshadowing other prominent Catholic/Christian figures like the Virgin Mary. In order to understand the Virgen de Guadalupe’s cultural significance, it is important to examine her origin and the syncretism between indigenous religious beliefs and Spanish Catholicism that allowed her to emerge as “La Madre de todos Los Mexicanos” during the Spanish colonial period. In an effort to exert religious control and indoctrinate indigenous groups during the Spanish colonial period, Spanish missionaries strategically built their churches over established indigenous temples. Building Catholic churches to praise Catholic religious figures in sites that indigenous people of Mexico considered sacred, allowed the Spanish to figuratively and literally bury indigenous religions and forcibly establish Catholicism as the dominant religion in colonial Mexico. One of these former indigenous sacred sites is the Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Cerro de Tepeyac is recognized as the place where the Virgen de Guadalupe made her appearances in front of an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego; these stories were first documented in the Nahuatl book “Nican Mopohua” by Antonio Valeriano. However, before the

Cerro de Tepeyac was recognized as the sacred site of the Virgen de Guadalupe’s apparitions, it was a temple dedicated to the Aztec mother goddess Coatlicue, also known as Tonantzin.

Just as the Virgen de Guadalupe is recognized as the mother of Jesus Christ, Coatlicue-Tonantzin was the mother of the Aztec Sun and war god, Huitzilopochtli. Moreover, just like Coatlicue, the Virgen de Guadalupe is indigenous and not European like all other Catholic saints of the time. Her race furthers her adoration amongst the Mexican Catholic community as she is regarded as the mother figure of the country. In addition, the colorsof the Virgin’s green cape and red dress were also symbolic for the Aztecs; red is the color of life while green signifies eternity and fertility. Thus, religious syncretism contributed to the Spanish priests’ goal of converting indigenous people in Mexico to Catholicism, and her continued popularity today can be traced back to this history.

Present day, the Virgen de Guadalupe has continued to serve as a guiding light for Catholics in Mexico and Latin America throughout centuries. She served as the symbol of the Mexican Independence Movement of 1810 and her image was also present during the Farmer Workers Movement in the 1960s along with the rest of the Movement. In the words of Dolores

Huerta, the Virgen de Guadalupe continues to be a symbol of “faith, hope, and leadership” in the Latine Catholic community as well as a cultural icon in Mexico. While many report Catholicism will continue to decline in the coming decades, the Virgen de Guadalupe’s popularity and cultural significance is likely to continue, despite her ties to Catholicism. While many may not consider themselves Catholic, their faith in the Virgen de Guadalupe will be present as they regard themselves “Guadalupanos.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249873/nearly-2-two-million-pilgrims-visited-the-shrine-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-in-mexicocity

2 Claudia Zarate, “La Virgen de Guadalupe, la “madre de Todos los Mexicanos,” NewsWest9, https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/local/ la-virgen-de-guadalupe-la-madre-de-todos-los-mexicanos/513-c63eb40a-038b-46ad-a142-90891094b987

3 David Carrasco, Religions of Mesoamerica (Waveland Press, 2014), Pages 11-26.

4 “Nican Mopohua,” The New York Public Library, https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/belief/item/5559

5 “ Tonantzin… the deity behind “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” The Yucatan Times, https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2021/12/tonantzin-the-deity-behind-our-lady-of-guadalupe/

6 Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz. “Fluidez y transformación: religión, arte y género en las fronteras de norte y sudamérica”. Revista Brasileira de la Literatura Comparada, vol. 5, no. 5, 2017, pp. 113-124.

7 “Color Meanings and Symbolizm in Mexican Culture,” Color Meanings, https://www.color-meanings.com/color-meanings-symbolism-mexican-culture/

Visual by Melissa Morales

1 David Ramos, “Nearly 2 million pilgrims visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico in Mexico City,” Catholic News Agency,

Resistance and Solidarity: Reimaging Jaguar Symbolism in Latin America

By Angel Marquez

Visual by Esiselda Jimena Linares

Throughout history, the literature world has been heavily influenced by the western world and from this has appropriated multiple stoic feline characteristics from the animal kingdom. This has been done as a way to superimpose the view that like a feline, humans ferociously navigate a world of predators in search for dominance. Aside from its naturalized desire to fulfill capitalist archetypes, feline characteristics have manifested themselves as symbols. The jaguar in particular has been used to represent comfort and resilience for many indigenous cultures throughout Latin America.

Amazonic Trapeze:

In the case of the studies of flora and fauna in the Amazonic Trapeze, the jaguar has been named the main actor in advancing developmental efforts in its worldview, ritual, social and economical sectors in society. For indigenous communities like the Ticunas, Cocamas, Yucunas, Macunas, and Ocainas, native to surrounding areas of the Amazonic Trapeze: Santa Sofía, El Progreso, Zaragoza, and the cities of Leticia, the jaguar plays an important ecological role in natural ecosystems. In the ecological sense, Jaguars are seen as species of quality control that regulate the habitat that they live in via their control (and balance) of the food chain.

Apart from their key role in sustaining social and natural ecosystems, jaguars were considered symbols of war, using their strength and power

and imposing those characteristics onto their war heroes. Most importantly, “[k]ings were often given names incorporating the world balam, which they viewed as their companions in the spiritual world and protector of the royal household”. Rulers as well as war warriors wore jaguar garments to invigorate their strength and courage during war. However since fur was highly valued, this privilege was privatized to rulers of the empires.

Colombia:

In the mythologies of the Kogi, an indigenous tribe located at the north mountain range in the city of Santa Marta, Colombia, the jaguar occupies a larger role in the origins of human existence. In many of the recorded manifestations of the jaguar, its main societal occupations lie in their role as a chaman, to which they were able to create rituals, war, and maintained a valued rulership in the mountains. Additionally, as chamanes, jaguars serve as guardians, healers, medics, and (spiritual) guides.

Due to the role that jaguars had as healers and spiritual guides, many of the reputations that were harbored in colonial times were negative, as they were condemned to be acts of witchery and diabolic. This narrative caused many jaguar-related practices and representations to be coded and occult to preserve them through materialization in ceramics, rocks, musical instruments, and rituals.

2 BELTRÁN, Catalina. En búsqueda del jaguar: Representaciones y narraciones en el trapecio amazónico. 2013 [Fecha consulta: 25 de Octubre 2022].

3 Balam translates to Jaguars in the Mayan language, this practice is associated with the symbol of Jaguars as guardians and providers of cornfields and villages.

4 “Balam: Jaguars in Guatemala.” Hachette Book Group, 20 Dec. 2018, https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/travel/outdoors/balam-jaguars-in-guatemala/#:~:text=Jaguars%20were%20a%20symbol%20of,protectors%20of%20the%20royal%20household. Accessed 26 October 2022

5 Ocarinas is a flute made from ceramics. Traditionally, this musical instrument has 12 holes around its ceramic body.

6 Cristina Gómez Garcia-Reyes and Esteban Payán Garrido. “Iconografías y representaciones del jaguar en Colombia: de la permanencia simbólica a la

1 The Amazonic Trapeze is situated at the farther south side of the Amazonian river, residing under Colombia. This south corner extends itself in the peninsula between Brazil and Peru.

In the musical realm in Colombia, jaguar iconography was present across the pre-hispanic world. Instruments like the ocarinas were made from snails, sea shells and rocks; which were also considered markers of power and richness due to the highly specialized value of production. Additionally, these instruments were utilized during war times, as they channeled power and strength.

While anthropological scholarship has merely scratched the surface in the pursuit of reimagining ancestral knowledge, the jaguar is positioned as a transhistorical celestial body. A body that reconstructs animal-human cultural exchange within unmarked spatial bounds. This flexibility and connectivity across Latin America that the jaguar offers, importantly highlights the significance of upholding and commemorating tribal knowledge that pushes against western perceptions. Intercultural exchange in Latin America thus becomes a gateway to solidarity that transcends spatial boundaries. They do this as we question capitalistic and imperial agendas that capitalize and simultaneously distort valued ancestral cosmovisions. With the ferocity and strength that the jaguar offers, Latin American activist groups have channeled the rage of the jaguar as a means of resistance against oppressive

western agendas. Similarly, the jaguar as a cultural symbol in Latin America connects people across boundaries, and thus solidarity is established. This creates refuge and a community that has shared values for ancestral ontologies.

2 BELTRÁN, Catalina. En búsqueda del jaguar: Representaciones y narraciones en el trapecio amazónico. 2013 [Fecha consulta: 25 de Octubre 2022].

3 Balam translates to Jaguars in the Mayan language, this practice is associated with the symbol of Jaguars as guardians and providers of cornfields and villages.

4 “Balam: Jaguars in Guatemala.” Hachette Book Group, 20 Dec. 2018, https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/travel/outdoors/balam-jaguars-in-guatemala/#:~:text=Jaguars%20were%20a%20symbol%20of,protectors%20of%20the%20royal%20household. Accessed 26 October 2022

5 Ocarinas is a flute made from ceramics. Traditionally, this musical instrument has 12 holes around its ceramic body.

6 Cristina Gómez Garcia-Reyes and Esteban Payán Garrido. “Iconografías y representaciones del jaguar en Colombia: de la permanencia simbólica a la conservación biológica”. Antípoda. Revista de Antropología y Arqueología. Accessed 26 October 2022.

1 The Amazonic Trapeze is situated at the farther south side of the Amazonian river, residing under Colombia. This south corner extends itself in the peninsula between Brazil and Peru.

El Sol, La Luna, y Las Estrellas en los Andes

By Renee Grange

The Andes mountains, which span Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina, are home to vibrant Andean communities with rich cultural festivals. Many of these festivals celebrate the Pacha Mama, or the Andean Mother Earth, and express gratitude for the environment and its fertility. These celebrations represent an important part of Andean identity and worldview, that centers around community and care for the earth.1

Inti Raymi / La Fiesta del Sol

Inti Raymi or La Fiesta del Sol, is originally an Incan festival, believed to have been initiated in 1430 by Pachacútec, an Incan Emperor who expanded the Incan Empire to Cusco.2 In establishing this yearly festival, Pachacútec aimed to show gratitude for important figures of Incan culture, including, the Pacha Mama, and Inti, the god of the sun. Although the main focus of Inti Raymi was to honor these important Incan

figures, Pachacútec also felt that the festival would help him establish control over the Incas’ newly acquired territorio cuzqueño.³

Inti Raymi came to be one of the most prominent celebrations of Incan times, but upon the arrival of Spanish colonists, the festival was classified as pagan and subsequently banned.4 Despite this, Andean communities sustained the tradition by continuing their celebrations in private. This persistence led the Spanish to accept Inti Raymi to some degree, although they attempted to Christianize the festival by merging it with the celebration of Corpus Christi, a Catholic celebration that occurs around the same time of year. Upon the arrival of Spanish colonialism in the Andes, the blending of Indigenous and Catholic traditions became common, and can be noted in other Andean celebrations.

Today, around the time of the winter solstice (late June), Inti Raymi and Corpus Christi are

1 Instituto Cultural Pachayachachiq, “¿Qué es la Cosmovisión Andina.” Rumbos. August 1, 2020. https://www.rumbosdelperu.com/cultura/08-01-2020/que-es-la-cosmovision-andina/.

2 “Pachacutec, the Inca Emperor.” Machu Picchu Gateway, accessed November 14, 2022. https://www.machupicchu.org/pachacutec_the_inca_emperor. htm.

3 Joselyn Anabel Pérez Salazar, “La Festividad del Inti Raymi y La Identidad en la Comunidad Indígena la Calera en Cotacachi.” Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Facultad de Ciencias Humana y de la Educación Carrera de Turismo y Hotelería. 2021:18 https://repositorio.uta.edu.ec/handle/123456789/33510.

4 Ibid.

celebrated alongside each other in Andean communities, such as in Cusco, Peru and Cuenca, Ecuador.5 In smaller Andean communities, locals mix Catholic and Andean traditions in their Inti Raymi celebrations, but some key features include: la Toma de la Plaza, dancing, rituals, and traditional clothing.6 La Toma de la Plaza, or the “taking of the square” is a particularly significant aspect of modern-day Inti Raymi celebrations, as it symbolizes Indigenous resistance against colonialism, as Indigenous people take ownership over the public square, which is a symbol of power.7

Kolla Raymi / La Fiesta de la Luna

Kolla Raymi or La Fiesta de la Luna is another important festival in modern Andean tradition, especially in the Ecuadorian Andes. Kolla Raymi’s origins can be traced back to pre-Incan times, as the Cañari people who resided in what is now known Ecuadorian Andes, may have celebrated it.8 Although it is unclear if the festival is of Cañari or Incan origin, the focus on celebrating the moon aligns with the fact that Cañari society was matriarchal and followed a lunisolar calendar.9

Kolla Raymi is celebrated at the September equinox, which marks the start of a new agricultural season and, along with Inti Raymi, is a part of the four Andean celebrations of equinoxes and solstices that occur throughout the year.10

Mercedes Sisa, the vice president of the Federación Indígena y Campesina de Imbabura, describes that the festival is a time to ask the Pacha Mama for permission to begin the new agricultural season.11 Others state that it is a time to celebrate the work that has gone into preparing the land and celebrate “Mama Killa” (Madre Luna/Mother Moon) such that she will allow for good harvests.12 In addition to the significance of the festival in terms of agriculture, Sisa and others describe that the festival is a time to honor Indigenous women, as the Killa Mama is a representation of fertility.13 For Sisa, and likely many others, the festival also serves as a way to stay connected to her roots by honoring her ancestors and keeping traditions alive.14

Qoyllur rit’i / The Lord of the Snow Star

Qoyllur rit’i, or the Lord of the Snow Star, is a three day pilgrimage that takes place in Sinakara, a sacred peak of the Andes mountains. Although the festival is believed to have originated in precolonial times, modern celebrations represent the blending of Indigenous Andean and Catholic traditions. In pre-colonial times, this festival celebrated the “reemergence of the constellation Pleiades in the sky.”15 From the Catholic perspective, Qoyllur rit’i celebrates a miracle where—in summary—a somewhat mysterious child disappeared and left a tayanka bush, which is a

⁵ Ibid, 18-19; “Inti Raymi, ceremonia andina celebrada en honor al Sol,” Cuenca Alcaldía, June 21, 2022, https://cultura.cuenca.gob.ec/noticia/inti-raymi-ceremonia-andina-celebrada-en-honor-al-sol/#:~:text=Cuenca%2C%2021%20de%20junio%20de%202022&text=Los%20actuales%20pobladores%20de%20los,sobre%20todo%20en%20nuestra%20regi%C3%B3n; José Luis Rosales, “Así se celebra el Inti Raymi en las provincias de la Sierra,” El Comercio, June 19, 2017, https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ecuador/celebracion-intiraymi-sierra-sol-cosecha.html. ⁶ Ibid.

7 Pablo Dávalos, “Fiesta y poder: El ritual de la “Toma” en el Movimiento Indígena,” Publicación mensual del Instituto Científico de Culturas Indígenas Año 3, No. 23 (2001), http://icci.nativeweb.org/boletin/23/davalos.html.

8 https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7560/709287-004/html (book)

9 Robert Bradley, “Killa Raymi celebration attracts thousands of indigenous to Cuenca to honor Pacha Mama,” CuencaHighLife, September 24, 2019, https://cuencahighlife.com/killa-raymi-celebration-attracts-thousands-of-indigenous-to-cuenca-to-honor-pacha-mama/.

10 “Kolla raymi, una festividad que se conecta con el ciclo de la luna,” El Comercio, September 13, 2019, https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/intercultural/kolla-raymi-festividad-ciclo-luna.html.

11 Ibid.

12 Robert Bradley, “Killa Raymi celebration attracts thousands of indigenous to Cuenca to honor Pacha Mama,” CuencaHighLife, September 24, 2019, https://cuencahighlife.com/killa-raymi-celebration-attracts-thousands-of-indigenous-to-cuenca-to-honor-pacha-mama/.

13 “Kolla raymi, una festividad”; Robert Bradley, “Killa Raymi celebration”

14 “Kolla raymi, una festividad.”

15 Gabriela García Calderón Orbe, “Climate Change Threatens Qoyllur Riti, a Festival That Mixes Catholic and Indigenous Beliefs in Peru,” Translated

Visual by Haven Jovel Morales

figure of the crucified Christ, in his place and an image of Christ on the rock he was standing on. To commemorate this event, a chapel, the Temple of the Lord of Qoyllur rit’i was built around this rock and the site became a holy place.16

Today, Qoyllur rit’i brings hundreds of thousands of Quecha and Aymara people, as well as other Peruvians and tourists to Sinakara every May/ June.17 Upon arrival, pilgrims are met with hundreds of vendors selling food, drink, and religious products18 The next morning, pilgrims greet the sun, a tradition that likely has Incan origin, and begin “unending dances,” processions, and pilgrimage, stopping along the way to take part in rituals associated with specific locations. One of the core traditions of the festival is when the ukukus, or the “spiritual mediators between humans and the sacred world of the high mountain peaks,” climb up the mountain to collect some snow. During this ritual, ukukus dress in traditional clothing that mimics the appearance of an Andean bear, emphasizing the Indigenous influence of the festival’s traditions.

Through understanding these celebrations, we can begin to understand the relationship Indigenous Andean people had with the sun, the moon, and the stars, as well as how Spanish colonialism impacted Indigenous practices. Today, Indigenous Andean communities continue to keep these festivals alive as a way to honor their ancestors and the world around them.

16 Raúl Montero Quispe, "Qoyllur rit’i: The Lord of the Snow Star," Constellation, MAVCOR Journal 5, no. 2 (2021), doi: 10.22332/mav. con.2021.1

17 Gabriela Garcia Calderón Orbe, “Climate Change Threatens”; Raúl Montero Quispe, "Qoyllur rit’i: The Lord of the Snow Star.”

18 Raúl Montero Quispe, "Qoyllur rit’i: The Lord of the Snow Star.”

Playlist

Inspired by our title. Featuring songs such as...

la luna enamorada

Kali Uchis

Sunlight your grandparents

Over the Moon the marias

The Boat I Row

Tame Impala

Catch out the other songs featured in the playlist by scanning the QR code!

thE high PriEstEss

by Karim Isaac Hyderali

I met an old woman deep within the forest

No need for names, refer to her as The High Priestess

She said she knows everything about me; future, past and present

She knows of all my joys and all that I resent

She knows how my body and mind have been thirsting as of recent

My life’s been a constant state of mysterious tension

She told me sit down son it’s time for a lesson

Asked me if I believe there’s more to the cosmos

I said, to be honest ma’am I’m not sure

What she did next made me fall through the floor

Pulled out a deck of cards and said take a leap of faith, I know you want more

Chanted a few mysterious words

The cards lifted themselves off the table

Spun around in the air until I saw him

King of Cups looked me right through the eyes and he stared deep into my soul

Handed me a cup of his deadly juice, and before I knew it I was under his spell

Swallowed by his darkness, my own personal cell

His clones surrounded me and they began to yell

Pissed about how we use him to escape our own personal hells

He asked who are you kidding? You try to hide yet it brings out the worst in yourselves

Go ahead and take a sip boy, see how it works out for yourself

One drink to feel my magic, one drink is enough for you to handle? Sure

Two drinks to bring out your inner whore, do you

even want to do this? Go ahead beg for more

Three drinks don’t be shy now, come on and calm your nerves

Four drinks now you’re in my personal army’s reserves

Five drinks to rid your senses, that’s right rid the pain

Six drinks now you get angry and violent, come on question your self worth

Seven drinks for you to spread my gospel, everyone you love can chug my brew

Too scared to face your emotions? Go ahead take another round

Too scared to face reality? Chug another cup down For generations I’ve plagued your people, for they have misused my gifts

Unable to find a balance, you’re better off walking off a cliff

Suddenly the darkness faded, The High Priestess asked me how I felt

I took a second to collect my thoughts and before I could answer, the cards spun around

The room was filled with fire and beams of light, never had my eyes encountered something so bright

He said he’s been called many names but I can call him Huitzilopochtli

My people used to be filled with love and fear at the sound of his name

He said he was essential to our survival, but we have been led astray

He said if I please him I could draw his strength in my time of need

But that my selfishness contrasted with the sun’s natural selflessness

The sun feels the need to provide for all of mankind

But here I am contributing to the idea that the greatest enemy of man is man himself

I’ve casted a shadow on my own happiness by being caught up in my insecure view of manliness

Expecting too much of myself and those around me

Sucking out the joy of the youth from an early age like they did mine when I was young

New flesh and blood meet the world getting burnt by the fire of their parent’s failures

Bring order to your world with no clue how, defend your family, danger must not be allowed

They look at the amount of fire burning away at your soul and say they’re proud

Pressure leaves them as pessimists from the start yet overly enthusiastic to leave a mark

He said chasing the strength of the sun will leave you consumed by the dark

The beams of light rearranged and one positioned itself right through my heart

Suddenly the beams of light turned solid and shattered like glass

The high priestess looked me in the eyes

She said fire is just as capable of construction as it is destruction

You are just a man you are not divine, you were meant to learn by trial and error by design

Once again the cards spun around and mist began to fill the room and my eyes saw someone new

She ascended down from the moon onto the shore greeted by a dog and a wolf

They both growled at me as I approached

She said they could smell my fear and anxiety and asked me why I was afraid

Are you afraid of nature when it’s tamed or are you afraid of it when it’s wild?

You seem like you’re unaware of what it is you’re scared of, just like a child

I can see deep within your soul there’s a lot to you that you don’t like to show

Everyone told you parts of yourself were wrong so you refused to let those branches grow

Visual by Melissa Morales

So you keep it all locked away in the deepest parts of your mind

Chained up like an animal hidden in the dark so you can make everyone blind

Come on say it now your secrets make you feel like an abomination

You fear that your uncertainty surrounding these illusions will bring devastation to your life

You have been deceived to not take on your true natural self

Caught in the crossroad of being a villain in heaven but a saint in hell

You’ve let this world shape you in a way that deviates too far from your natural state

You’ve allowed yourself to become tamed

And because of this you’ve become obedient to the rules of masters you cannot name

But I guess that’s for the best?

The darkest parts of your mind keep you up as you gaze into the night

Your hidden self is responsible for that hollow feeling buried within your chest

The most tamed parts of your spirit allow for you to be accepted by their light

You stay up overwhelmed with stress, until you find your balance there’ll be no rest

As she came closer flowers began to sprout out of the ground at her feet

She told me she knows there’s so much to me others never get to see

The feeling and pressure of shame will suffocate you and bury you alive

The plants began to wrap themselves around my limbs

They propped me up between two towers and she said that I know who I am deep within

The plants began to squeeze me tight and soon I couldn’t see any light or hear any sound

That was until I heard a shuffle and the cards cut me out

They spun around once again as I fell back to the

shore and saw the sky covered in stars

Another woman stood in front of me but this time, she was nude

She was pouring water onto the ground and back into its source

As I approached her she told me she must continue nourishing the Earth

She sat me down and explained how you must take care of yourself if you ever hope to heal

Suffering is a part of life and you must keep your spirit alive in order to differentiate what is and isn’t real

The power of the stars is hidden away and your relationship with the Earth is how you break the seal

I am the calm and I am the storm, I am duality in its physical form

Nourish your body and your surroundings in order to prevent your soul from drowning

Drowning in despair because you fear being vulnerable with one another

You fear opening up and being perceived by your brothers, sisters and lovers

But you cannot fool me with this facade I can see past this image you’re insecure about your flaws

I can see the hopelessness in your eyes and how hopeful you are when you speak your lies

But I am not here to punish you, I’m here to help you reflect

Reflect on all it is about yourself you desire to reject

It’s all a part of you that you just can’t shut out

You’re scared of being judged and being labeled weird is something you fear

Let’s be honest you haven’t been living your truth so you came to the high priestess asking what to do

But you didn’t expect to be sent upon this journey, did you expect her to be nice and not unleash her fury?

Suddenly all the stars in the sky began to burn more and more bright

They descended down and we were encapsulated by specs of light

They spun and spun until the lady of the stars told me I guess we’re done

She wished me well and said she hopes I find the strength to pull my mind out of it’s cell

Slowly the specs started to resemble the cards that sent me on this wild quest

A sinking feeling hit my chest as the cards began to ascend and terrifying silhouettes began closing in

I read about these creatures once before they go by cherubim or tetramorph

With the head of a man, lion, eagle and ox

They demanded that whatever I planned on doing with the queen I must be stopped

I looked around dazed and confused and they said any disobedience will not be excused

That I shall get on one knee to treat the queen of the world with proper respect

She came in dancing all around the sky, her beauty was one that could soothe the eyes

She covered herself by wearing a sash and twirled two staffs with elegance and class

As she moved she was followed by a wreath

Her beauty was so stunning that when she approached me I suddenly forgot how to breathe

She told me she has traveled across the galaxy trying to become fulfilled

But that just like me nothing was ever enough

She wanted more and more and wasn’t afraid to get rough

She said she’d take what’s hers until she felt fulfilled and had the respect of earth, heaven and hell

And that if I met with the high priestess it meant I sought to reach that caliber

She was right I had a vision that one day I would

Visual by Haven Jovel Morales

have her bravery, wisdom, success and power

I had everyone else fooled but she saw right through my lies

I wanted to be a legend among men because legends never die

I seeked to immortalize myself just as she had done

But she assured me that she will always remain number one

The physical embodiment of the world and all it has to offer

That she is a goddess above all else and the high priestess acknowledges this

She said the heavens is somewhere I don’t quite belong and that I’m incomplete

That I was a fool if I knew enough about her to find the high priestess and still compete

She said my aspirations were a devastation on all that I met and that I was a burden, never a threat

I detested this and soon I met one of the cherubs fist, he told me to stay in line

I sat there and laughed, how full of myself was I that I thought I could be meant to shine?

She looked me in my eyes and told me that it’s now my time

As I laid there suffering defeat, she told me if I were to die I should do so proudly on my feet

I stood up and realized I was second to her now

That she only wished death upon me because despite what she said, she feared I could take her crown

As the cards spun around I hid my smile

The air began to smell putrid and vile

Darkness began to eat away at every bit of light

On a decaying horse came the wicked knight

He told me there was nowhere to run and that death comes for us all

In order for there to be new beginnings then chapters of this world have to meet their ending This world is meant to transform, you were just

Visual by Melissa Morales

mistaken thinking you were the transition

To reach the top you attempted to purge yourself until there was no genuine human being left

You believed you were perfect so you stepped to the queen of the world and all that exists

You erased your genuine self to be what you perceived others believed to be flawless

You were not reborn but rather restarted, an artificial person made on a blank slate fueled by self hate

Your intentions were impure and that’s why you could’t step to her

You didn’t want the world to become a better place, you wanted to become the standard everyone chased

I took a second to look around and saw the river of styx pass me by

I saw my reflection and for once I saw myself and began to cry

All that I had done had been in vain, even reaching the ethereal plane

I have to face all the dark that I once chose

Every selfish decision I made at every crossroad

I thought I was going to reach the light and for once I genuinely felt good

I was no longer numb and thought I could really change the world this time

But the greed for the queen’s power was my selfish crime

Now I stand here at the riverbed of despair in an endless night

No more goals or anything to achieve

There’s quite no reason for me to go on

The knight came right by my side and said his boss is here to set me free

Death spares no one, I felt her scythe cut right through me

Felt the voices in my head finally feel at peace

But I didn’t cry, if this is really death then there’s no reason to be sad

I won’t miss the life I had

If this is who I spent my life becoming then I’d rather be dead

My body laid at the high priestess feet, she buried me and no one bothered to try and find me

I spent my time with my heart locked inside but death finally set me free

She said her name was the Lady Saint of Death

La Santa Muerte made me realize death isn’t so bad

Taken away for getting too close to the light

The darkness consumed me and took me out of the fight

A broken man who couldn’t face himself or his self righteousness, now stuck in a state of idleness

For decades, my ego slowly died until I was an empty shell with nothing left inside

No more voices in my head

No more hanging onto my sanity by a thread

For centuries I had sat in the darkness, finally at peace until she came and said had an offer for me

My new purpose was given to me, to work as death’s disciple

Sorting all fallen souls and punishing those foolish enough to believe they can be a deities equal or rival

See I was brought here in this position for the same reason as you, for being a prideful egotistical fool

THE GUIDING STARS THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY

by Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia

I arrived in Paris late at night from a long layover in Ireland, anxious and excited for the next months coming. It was the first time that I would be away from home and everything I had known my entire life. For the first few days, the novelty and excitement of being in a different country with a different culture and language carried me, but once I began to adjust and settle into a routine, I began to miss home, my friends, my family and my culture.

While Paris is a very multicultural city with people from all over the world in its boundaries, there aren’t a lot of Latines there, especially not Central Americans such as myself. There are a couple of Latine communities here and there such as Argentines or Chileans, but us Latines are not a monolith, and I could only relate to those communities that were present so much. Granted, I was only in Paris for four months and didn’t have the time to find the smaller communities of Latines that I’m sure existed. However, it was still a relatively difficult time of being limited in my own cultural identity.

Most of us don’t think about it in the United States, but we’re privileged as Latinos in the sense that in places such as California, there’s an abundance of products that remind us of our roots and home. The sprawling businesses of mercados, restaurants,

panaderias and many more which constantly tie us to our homelands are everywhere. You could also quite literally survive with just Spanish if you wanted to in California, especially in Los Angeles. That was very much absent in Paris and that absence of latinidad was disheartening.

Fortunately, I found solace in two main things; my friends and food. Many of the friends I made were also Latin American, and speaking to them in Spanish whenever I could really helped me acclimate and make a community for myself far away. Spanish was a way of keeping my culture alive within myself and my other friends. Most of them were exchange students as well, many from the United States with a similar struggle to mine: How to preserve our cultures in a country where we don’t have nearly as much space as we do in the United States or in our own home countries. Some of my closest friends were Salvadoran, Panamanian, Columbian, Brazilian and more. Being with those who relate to me and understood my struggles of cultural isolation really carried me during my time.

The second pillar of my time in Paris and to keep my cultural identity was food. I was never the best at cooking and only recently got into it, but it absolutely made me feel more at ease and at home. For the first time in my life, I made Guatemalan foods I grew up with and ate them while also sharing them with my community of friends both latin american and not. I was also fortunate that there were some Latino Markets (that was how they were called) which were small stores, unlike the sprawling supermercados in the United States that basically teleport you back to the homeland. However, these stores had products from everywhere in Latin America, including Guatemala. I found frijoles Durcal, which as any good Guatemalan knows, are a staple at home. I also found Maseca flour, which I used to make tortillas with and even queso fresco, which was the cherry on top for recreating a quintessential Guatemalan meal, the traditional desayuno. Another staple food of ours, the plantain or el platano in Spanish, wasn’t as hard to find thanks to its relevance in a larger community present in France, the African communities. I went to an open air market one day before class in one

of the arrondissements known to have African markets, where I found them at one shack of the many present. With those, I was also able to make rellenitos, one of our signature desserts in Guatemala. The day I made those, I sent a picture to my dad back in the U.S. and he commented on how I was making France a bit more Guatemalan.

While I found comfort in bringing part of my culture to France, I also entered a position of deep reflection. For the first time in my life, I became an immigrant, just like how my parents did when they migrated to the United States. I began to understand my family’s struggles in a different way I never did before, and I don’t think I would have ever gotten it if I didn’t experience it myself. Struggling to communicate with locals in an unfamiliar language to me and getting used to a culture far removed from my own made me realize just how daunting it can be.

Like the stars and moon in a dark night, my culture guided me during a time where I was in the unknown. I was able to come back home with a new perspective of the world, and not only began to appreciate my culture a lot more, but also understand my family more, who, like many other children of immigrants, are the sun in their lives. Because they give us life and warmth, they are our sun and keep us going. We all have different stars in our lives and they always shine most when we need them.

Photo credits: " Eiffel marvel free photo by smasquelet" Freeimages.com

La Marea Verde's New Horizons: Victory after a Long-Lived (and Continuing)

Struggle for Abortion Rights

By Isabela Angulo

In the last couple of years, a beautiful green wave has run its course through much of Latin America; including Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. This wave is known as La Marea Verde, or Green Wave in Spanish. It comes in the form of tens of thousands of women and abortion rights activists, all wearing green scarves, bandanas, clothing, and more to stand in solidarity with one another in the fight against the criminalization of abortion. The use of green as the embodiment of the struggle for abortion rights originated from Argentina in 2003. The idea comes from Marta Alanis, the founder of Catholic’s for the Right to Decide. She was inspired by the Madres de Plaza de Mayo, who protested on the streets of Buenos Aires, wearing white bandanas in the 1970s. These women, mostly mothers and grandmothers, aimed to fight against and raise awareness of the disappearances of their children during the “Dirty War.” From its beginnings in 2003, the movement to decriminalize abortion spread throughout Latin America. Women’s rights activists are seen wearing green in Chile, Brazil, Peru, among other countries, all aiming to fight for access to safe and legal abortions within their countries.

This sea of green often clashes against the Pro-Life countermovement, who use the color blue for their cause. Much of the resistance to the abortion rights movement comes from religious conviction and the large populations of practicing people within each country. According to the Pew Research Center “nearly 40% of the world’s Catholic population” is located in Latin America, meaning that a majority of the population of Latin America is Catholic. Additionally, Evangelical and Protestant populations have experienced a significant amount of growth over the past couple of years. No matter the denomination or religious affiliation, these institutions often preach against abortion. Being among the most trusted institutions in their respective countries, their churches hold a lot of influence on the beliefs, actions, and social norms of the general population. An article published by the George Washington University Law School stated that “Latin-America is strongly influenced by their Catholic roots, which is largely reflected in their stricter abortion laws.” Because of these roots, success seemed like a long shot, but La Marea Verde did not give up. Year after year, they continued to rally support and organize demonstrations in favor of legalizing

abortion. Even after the defeat of a bill that would decriminalize abortion in Argentina, their hopes were not squandered. Committed to the cause, they fought on. It was two years later that La Marea Verde experienced their first major victory when the government of Argentina legalized abortion. The next year, Mexico’s Supreme Court determined abortion to be a right and then Colombia’s highest court did the same in February of 2022.

Maria Antonieta Alcalde who is the director of Ipas in Central America and Mexico—an organization dedicated to expanding access to abortion with

multiple international locations—revealed what she believes are some of the factors to the success of the movement in these areas. In an interview with NPR, she applauded La Marea Verde for their ambitious mobilization of thousands of people, especially the younger generations, throughout Central and South America. She noted the inclusivity of the movement. She stated to her interviewer, “The green movement is a very inclusive movement because you don’t have to be part of a political party, you don’t have to be part of a specific organization, you don’t have to donate. You just have to be out there, to wear your

Visual by Esiselda Linares

green scarf and to help women to have access to information about safe and legal abortion.” Alicia Yamin, the Senior Fellow for Global Health and Rights at Harvard Law School pointed out that the movement opened up to include LGBTQ+, labor, and other movements as well, allowing them to garner more and more support. La Marea Verde is not isolated to just one country as people across regions have supported and learned from each other. She also pointed out that the legal norms of the countries legalizing abortion differ from those who are not, or those who may be reversing legalization. In countries like Argentina, the fight is more “a matter of equality of gender equality and democratic inclusion and of the right to health.” Some suggest that their success can be partly attributed to the nation becoming more secular as time progresses or simply the end of the stigma that surrounds abortion. While surveys do show that nearly 20% of Argentina’s population report being “practicing Catholics”, Argentina is an outlier in comparison to other Latin American countries. Other research suggests that Catholics in the region are becoming less conservative when it comes to social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, possibly explaining the shift in societal sentiment concerning these matters. However, this relaxation of traditional beliefs is also a major reason why Catholics are turning to Protestantism, making this line of reasoning unclear. No matter the rationale behind their triumphs, La Marea Verde still has a ways to go. Some countries in Latin America continue to have severe laws restricting the right and access to abortion. Some restrict abortion to extreme cases, like that of rape or medical emergency, and others make it illegal no matter the circumstance. Nonetheless, La Marea Verde will continue to roll in these places. Recently, La Marea Verde has hit the United States, particularly after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. After the U.S’ Supreme Court’s decision, activists

took to the streets in protests, many of them wearing green, just like their counterparts in Latin America. Activists from Argentina showed their support by protesting in front of the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires days after the ruling, a sign of unity, solidarity, and hope that the United States pro-choice movement is not isolated just to one country.

As a young Latin-American woman myself, I hope to see the continuation of this fight (and plan to participate in it myself). I stand amazed and incredibly proud of La Marea Verde and the persistent work that they do. I hope that the movement here in the United States can learn from their strength, endurance, and unrelenting spirit and continue to ride that powerful green wave into the uphill battle that is to come.

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Karim Isaac Hyderali

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Laysha Macedo

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Copy Editor

Laysha Macedo

Spanish Content Editor

Jonathan Valenzuela Mejia

Visuals & Layout Editor

Haven Jovel Morales

Staff Writers

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Isabela Angulo

Renée Grange

Carol Martinez

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Esiselda Linares

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Cover work by Haven Jovel Morales