March 05, 2016
As the Cuernavaca ECS prepares for its travel to Mexico, we acknowledged old Mexican legends that has been known for centuries. It was really fascinating to see that every culture has a story of creation, and lessons to teach to their children. The stories were beautiful, and it was no surprise they survived over a hundred of years! One well-known tale throughout Mexico, and even in Santa Fe, is the story of La Llorona. La Llorona was a beautiful woman who was married and had two children. Some say she was jealous, others say her husband had multiple affairs, but it all lead to her pushing her children into the water in frustration. She regrets it later, and from then on she haunts long bodies of water and cries for her children. We loved this story and made the connection that it is like America’s “Boogieman.”
The other tale was about a young boy in a village painting the sky with magical paint brushes he gets. When he finishes his canvas, he forgets the brushes, making the magical brushes turn into a common flower in Southern Colorado, Indian Paintbrush. The story was so imaginative while learning that if you help people, like the little boy did for his village, you will find what you’re looking for and will be rewarded.
After learning legends, we learned some new songs such as La Cucaracha! We annotated spanish music and found its meaning. Most songs were about the Revolution and fighting in battle. Some were sad, explaining to the women known as “Las Adelitas” not to cry if the men die in war. Others were more peaceful and explained to not cry when they died, because they fought bravely. The songs were sad, but you can also make a connection that many cultures around the world admire people fighting bravely in battle. Music is a language anyone can understand, and what brings people together. The music about the Revolution, you can feel the sadness but you can also feel that there is hope and strength, and that is all in the lyrics!
Overall another day went by of fun learning and our Spanish skills improving, making us even more prepared for adventure!
