Last month on my January photo contribution, I made
reference to the woman in this photograph “mi hermanita” and wrote about the
cultural similarities and differences we share. We are both Latin American
women. She is from Ecuador. I am from Puerto Rico. Yet we speak different languages.
I speak Spanish. She speaks
Quechua. I am more contemporary in
my attire and lifestyle. She is
more traditional. We do share a common factor –we are both of Hispanic origin.
Although we share a Latin American background, our culture,
traditions, rituals and languages differ.
As bi-cultural Latin
Americans, we may feel united as Latinos, but we enjoy holding onto the
heritage of our country of origin.
The amount of history and culture associated with each Latin American
country is so vast and representative of who we are as a people, our values,
and identity, that it feels good to say I am Puerto Rican, Mexican, Ecuadorian,
etc. It’s fun to share
our culture with others and we always appreciate when people acknowledge and
respect the differences that exist among our Latin American “hermanos y
hermanas”.
I hope my photographs convey some of these differences while
revealing the uniqueness and individuality of the culture.
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