Considering my Family Origins: A Spark to Start the Fire of Discovery

Regarding my family origins, I only have a rough idea. I know, somewhat, the parts of Mexico my grandparents and great-grandparents originate from. As far as I know, there is not much of a historical record I can attest to, so I must rely on word of mouth.

On my paternal side, my grandfather is a first-generation American born. His parents were born in Mexico and immigrated to California in the early 1900s (if I had to take a guess, I would say, around the 1920s). My grandfather was the second born out of four children. He grew up around the area where three Los Angeles areas meet: Central Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and the Gateway Cities.

On my maternal side, my mother was born in Central Mexico, in the state of Zacatecas. My grandfather has lived in my mother’s hometown for the entirety of his life, but my grandmother did not. According to my mom, my grandma came from a village called Piedra Gorda, which was not too far from her hometown, anyway.

All of this brings me to understand my identity as Mexican American. But that is not what I am interested in. What I would love to know is what the personal stories of my family are. It would be so enriching to know the childhood my parents had, the trials and tribulations my grandparents went through, and the experiences my tíos and tías had.

I want to write and document my family history. I would hate to have the memory of my family forgotten. Especially if there is an opportunity for me to honor them. Speaking with living relatives who know their stories well is the least amount of work I can do. But considering all the projects I am already working on, I hope I can find time to document them sooner rather than later.

As stated in a blog post before, I know I cannot be indigenous—I think my family, and myself included, have become too far detached from our ancestral land. Although, I also hope I do not have a direct connection to Mestizo ideologies, and have their influence twisted through my roots. Considering how my mother and I are the lightest in our family, I can bet that might not be the case.

Hopefully, if given the permission, maybe I can share the stories here. Not only will I preserve the memory of my family, but I could also share our culture, our struggles, and our success.

I categorize my outfit for this post as Streetwear, because my pants hang loosely over my hips, and my form-fitting top has a side-release buckle as an accent. I paired my pants with a black belt with silver accents and black Vans.