My Grandmother, Camerina Velez Padilla (Interview)

I decied to sit down with my grandmother and explained to her that I would be interviewing her for my project. My grandmother Camerina Velez Padilla born in a small "Pueblo" as we call it in Mexico, or a town, which is Lagunillas, Michoacan Mexico on July 26, 1934. Her parents went by the name of Domingo Velez, my great grandfather and Loreto Padilla, my great grandmother. When she was growing up she lived on a "Rancho", a ranch, with her other 8 siblings: Zara, Catalina, Lucia, Gracia, ofelia, Gavino, Alfonso, Catarino. She helped her mother maintain and keep the ranch clean and functioning as she described to me that being her everyday routine after school. She helped milk the cows, feed the chickens, gather the eggs, etc. Since my Grandmother lived out in the country she had to take the bus al the way into town to go and come back from school. She only attend school up to the thrid grade where she left school becasue her parents couldn't support her anymore and she had to help out on the ranch with her family. When I asked her about how it was living on a ranch and what there was around, she told me that she loved living on the ranch with her family and that if she still could she wouldn't think of it twice, well back in the day she didnt drive or not even have any transportation so there wasn't much around. She said the closest store was and hour and a half away from where they lived, so either they waited for the bus to come by at 8 am, 12 pm, 5 pm, and 8 pm to come and go into town. When she was 14, she met my grandfather Agapito Munoz and one year later when she turned 15 they married and moved to Mexico City, Mexico. Here in Mexico City my grandmother and grandfather raised their 11 children, here was where all my aunts and uncles including my father went to school. Through out my grandmothers life she told me that the most difficult situation that she had to overcome was when her husband died at the age of 50. This she said was the most tragic situation that has happened to her. Raising 11 children by herself without her husband she said was the most difficult problme she had, but yet she made it work out somehow. Today my grandmother is 77 and is currently living in Mexico City, and very healthy. This interview really opened up my eyes to the stories and the life of my family of which i never knew and i am very thankful that I still have the chance to talk to my grandmother about her past because now I will be able to pass that on to my children and all throughout my family.

Making a food, Flan

Las Pyramides de Teotihuacan en Mexico (The Pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico)

I can honestly say that I am one of the very fortunate and few people in the world that can say I have visited the Teotihuacan Pyramids of Mexico. This national and can maybe even  be considered a global or world wide historic site is the preservation of the great pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico that were built by the Aztec Empire long ago, the city is thought to have been established around 100 BC. The city may have lasted until sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries, and to this present day still exist and have been kept in the most preserved conditon. This site is said to be historic due to the fact that here in Teotihuacan was where the Aztec Empire and along with the Mayans basically lived and based their entire lifestyles around this "city" of pyramids that they had so how "built" themselves and was considering one of the most advanced civilizations of the current time in both the America's and  in the world. Which has lead many scientist and archivist to question this strange phenomenom. On this national site there are no plaques, the only standing structures are the amazing pyramids that stand as tall as an 8 story building. Although there is being as much done to keep and preserve the pyramids in the best quality as possible, there are some rules that must be followed in order to help preserve these extraordinary structures. For example, there are signs that say to keep off certain pyramids or structures because they are deterioring and falling apart, so in order to prevent this they do have rules ot abide by. Here at the Teotihuacan Pyramids of Mexico there is one partticular reason as to why people from all over the country and the world come to Mexcio to see these incredible pyramids for themselves. The main reason many come to see these pyramids is to witness and walk up "la Pyramide del Sol" or "The Pyramid of the Sun". This pyramid is at about the  equivalent of a 9 to 10 story building, and once you are at the top of the pyramid you are supposed to set you hands on the power source of the sun that gives energy to the pyramid and also fills you body with new and helthy energy, whiping out all of the bad energy that is in your body. I speak from experience, I actually had the chance to climb this enourmous pyramid and set my hands on the source of the pyramid to be "filled with new energy".