Dear Rigoberta Menchu Tum,

      I am writing to you today to give you some sense of details that have been going with art, and the power it has.  Personally I have been following Chicana/o Art because of the fact that it has an underlying message behind every stroke of color that composes the full mural, painting or poster.  The idea that art has the power to mobilize the people of a community makes me proud of having it.  I just love the fact that there have been unrecognized murals around the city of Los Angeles that make it the mural capital of the world.  I wanted to talk to you about the different concepts that we have been learning in my Chicanas and Latinas in the United States with the distinguished artist Alma Lopez.

      Alma Lopez is the artist whose beliefs are conveyed through her at; I enjoy the fact that she created La Virgen De Guadalupe and La Sirena in love through digital art making.  The concept that homosexuality has a hard time finding a place in the Latino community.  Her progressive mind set struck many; she came from a Catholic home, born in Mexico.  I can relate to her masterpiece because of the fact that I am a queer Chicano living a world where homosexuality is still stigmatized.  Alma Lopez has been encouraging us to explain to concepts that we have learned through the course, and one that I wanted to talk to you about is Land and Place.  Land and Place fuse together to become one because I am one hundred percent that every community or piece of art finds its own niche.  I have seen many murals throughout Los Angeles, and I love.  I am proud to be an “Angelino” because of the art that makes up the city beautiful.  I have made Los Angeles the land and place of my comfort; I love living and exploring the city by myself and others.  The culture that it contains makes me proud of my identity as a Chicano.

      I found a particular mural that describes the idea of Los Angeles, and its way of making it home.  Human intervention creates art, without it nothing would exist.  Art has its purpose in society, some for entertainment and others to publically express the struggles of people in society.  The city of Los Angeles showcases many murals, which makes it unique in a way that only people can relate to.  In Federico Vigil’s, “El Quinto Sol,” a mural based in Venice conveys many ideas about the city of Los Angles and other concepts that “Angelinos” live day in and out.

      Certain art contains concepts that not many can understand because of the communities that it targets.  In Federico Vigil’s “El Quinto Sol” one can see a faceless woman whose naked brown body shows the depiction of what could be the Virgin Mary.  If one looks closely one can see her bracelet and halo type ring on her head, and having the same head position of the Virgin Mary supports the idea of what it is.  The woman seems to have a child inside her womb, in other words, the future of Los Angeles has an uncertain path.  Also, one can see the freeways that separate the different neighborhoods in Los Angeles.  Freeways have always been problematic within educated Chicanos because they separate barrios, which create tension between different localities.  Then you have a reference to Michelangelo's Creation scene on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and have modern depictions of Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros.  The murals encompass Los Tres Grandes, which have been mentioned, thus influencing the muralist movement in Los Angeles.

      The mural explicitly shows the beauty of Los Angeles, one of the depictions in the murals shows a man with a brush, one can interpret it as the culture that exists in the city.  Siqueiros “Echo of Scream” is displayed in “El Quinto Sol,” what seems to be a crying baby with a hand coming out of its mouth shows the despair and violence that plagues many of the surrounding communities.  Another aspect is the lack of identity because both the woman and the man do not have a face, thus meaning that the city’s diversity does not allow for categorization of race or ethnicity. The man seems to be holding the inequalities that exist in the city; his stretched out hands have holes in the palms, showing his Jesus Christ figure when he had nails pierced during the crucifixion.  He can also represent the oppression that many “Angelinos” have live throughout the past and present. 

      Another concept that I found interest was the idea of Coatlicue State, there is a smaller concept that deals with La Facultad, it deals with the idea a person struggles with identity because of the conformity leave.  I have been a person that first struggled to accept my identity because of the fear that I was going be alienated or rejected from friends.  Even though, I am not “out” to my parents I am fully aware of who I am.  I do not need to force a decision that I do want to undertake, because I am not ready.  Anzaldua has the ability to explain in detail the underlying concepts that come with that, I saw it as my struggle with my identity and accepting.

      The problem that I am in still in the fear of doing is taking that step to finally tell my parents. I am in no hurry.  I wanted to ask you about your courage and your way of standing up to injustice.  Things do not always fall in place, and one has to understand the validity of reason that is given to an individual.  Leaders, professors, administrators, government agents and ordinary people share one characteristic; they are all humans in the end.  Change is not easy to implement because people tend to show concern and resist it because of its effects and results.  One of the hardest obstacles that I have encountered with change is coping, because I and others tend to not favor it when it directly affects us in a way that we cannot fully comprehend.  Leadership is about changing the process; it requires new adjustments to a routine that in the end might end up boring. A perfect example that occurred to me was my first year in college.  Everything in college was a new change, a new beginning that allowed me to start fresh, but I did not want to leave the techniques that I learned in high school. There were times were I wanted to lead a group by myself and not let others voice their opinion because in high school there were not that many people who wanted to share their point of views or differences.  There is an explanation to every answer including reasons behind why people resist change.

      People tend to resist change because they might feel threatened, in danger or having thoughts about failure.  Other reasons that contribute to the important phenomenon are that people might end up hurt, might break an ongoing cycle that has been going for generations or people are afraid of disputes.  Aforementioned, stating that change cannot be easily implemented because it takes an open mind and individuals to share new experiences with others.  An example of people resisting change is Proposition 8 in the ballot, which will be determined its passage by Californian voters this November.  Proposition 8 is going to eliminate the court ruled decision about homosexuals marrying or same sex gender.  People took the initiative to change it, because many believe that one should not change traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Acceptance is the key ingredient when it comes to slowly coping with change because it is difficult for an individual to show their acceptance.  As of now, there are mixed feelings about gay marriage and its acceptance as a right for homosexual couples.

      Change works both ways; it can harm or help an individual, depending on the individual.  Even though, people not might want to cope with change, it ends up happen because time beats them before they could resist it.  Time changes events, places and humans whether people like it or not.  Resistance can be viewed in a positive manner because it allows for concern people to voice their opinion.  Their opinion is highly honored because it allows people to listen and communicate with each other and be able to improvise with the group who did not like the idea of whatever they wanted to fix.  As people generate their beliefs as to how change affects them, one can accommodate them to show.

      I can honestly say that you inspire me because you have truly stood up for the rights of indigenous people.  Your sacrifice and commitment to the cause truly identifies with the concepts that I explained.  You have been trying to find a place for justice in the indigenous communities and have been struggling to find it for many years and I admire that. Change brings new ideas, beliefs and view points to the table.  It is hard for people to change because it can alter their perception or break a tradition that has been going for a long time. Once again, one that has been broken many times is homosexual marriages, the right to choose a life partner.  People need to be open minded when it comes to change because time will not stop it from imposing on people who resist.  You have paved the way for many, and I am a person that gladly and will always think about your courage and stood up for the marginalized individuals in society.

      Con Amor Y Saludos, 
 

      Adan Duarte Jr.