MUJERES IN THE NEWS (2008)
"It's not just Latin dance"
by Walt Amacker - 'Richmond Times Dispatch' Staff Writer

See a rehearsal slide show>
 

LA LLORONA

 “You will know how easy it will be to die, and as easy to dream. It will be very difficult for you to believe in yourself, and even harder to love.” (XVI)

Marina to her son:

She was the Goddess of the Aztecan Empire. Right before the Spanish arrival to the New World, the Shamans of the Aztecs started to hear the horrible crying of a woman. Always at the same time, always the same image of a woman dressed in a long white gown flying with wings. She was emerging from the Texcoco Lake and she left through the mountains that surrounded The Grand Tenochititlan, the city of the Aztecs. The shamans found the premonition of the Goddess from Cihuacoatl, who announced with her desperate crying, that Montezuma’s empire will be destroyed by men who will be coming from the orient.

Her crying was an “Aaaaaaaayyyyyy, mis hihiiiiiiiiitos….(Mi Children)…” “My children...Lovely children of Anahuac, your destruction is close…” “Where will you go…where I will be able to sends you to avoid your sadness and tears…My children, your end is near you!”

The story says that (Marina) “La Llorona” was a Native princess from the Aztec’s empire who suffered the terrible slavery condition form the Spanish conquest. She was the slave and lover of Hernan Cortes, the cruel conquistador of Mexico, who she deeply loved and had two children with. Cortes always took advantage of Marina’s condition and forced her to give away her own empire. When Cortes comes back from Spain with his aristocratic wife and children, Marina felt desperate and Cortez sold her to his soldier. Marina takes her own children to the river and drowns them, but in the moment she realizes what she has done and trying to same them, she drown herself also.

Other stories say that her children are her own tribe and she cries asking them to pardon her and for her sorrows of loosing her own soul and heart.

A la Malinche (Marina) La Llorona, “You and your children will fill the rivers of indifference with your tears of sorrow and melancholy.”

ADELITA                                             (Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920)

Women were not only important as political figures and role models, but they were also successful on the battlefields. These women were called the soldaders, or soldier-woman. They were the battlefield heroes of the Mexican Revolution. Unfortunately, the names and personal information of most soldaders have been forgotten or omitted from the history books. The name of one lives on in legend, Adelita. We can no longer be sure if the stories about her were of one person, or a compilation of many women’s feats. We do not even know if a soldadera named Adelita even existed, but we can be sure that her brave feats were experienced by women all over Mexico during the revolution. Eventually, the word Adelita became a synonym for soldadera and people still remember the courage she is associated with.

DULCINEA DEL TOBOSO                             (The Muse of Don Quijote, 1605)

“She read so many novels that she lost her mind. She called herself Dulcinea del Toboso, but her real name was Aldonza Lorenzo. She believed she was a beautiful princess, but she was a poor village lady. She fantasized that she was loved by a very important knight called Don Quijote De La Mancha. She used to say that Don Quijote was traveling on very risky adventures and difficult voyages but he was coming back to marry her. Alonso Quijano, a man who was in love with her, made her believe that he was the knight, Don Quijote who would endure dangerous adventures to please her and satisfy her imagination. After he was sure he did everything she asked for, he came back to El Toboso, but Dulcinea was dead.”

This is the real life story that inspired Cervantes to create the best Spanish literacy novel of alltimes. “Don Quijote De La Mancha.” Today Dulcinea sleeps in Don Quijote’s imagination and deeply in his heart. Don Quijote’s passion for her is the pure ideal of love, of generosity and courtesy, which is the source of inspiration for his great deeds. His love for Dulcinea is the symbolic expression of the Spanish spirit.

MANUELITA SAENZ                                    “The Liberator of the Liberator”          (1797-1856)

“My country is the American continent.   I was born between the lines of the Ecuador…”

A legendary, amazing and strong woman in Latin American history. She loved deeply and lived for Simon Bolivar, the Liberator of five Nations (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia). Bolivar named her “La Coronela” (His Colonel).  She dressed with her military uniform to the disagreement of all politicians. She positioned herself on Bolivar’s right side and became his main confidant. She discussed with him the presidential rules and fought strongly for Bolivar’s ideals of independence and unification of the South American territory. She was the first woman to smoke a cigar, wear pants and ride a horse like only men could do it at her time.

SOR JUANA INES DE LA CRUZ          Juana de Asbaje y Ramirez           (1648-1695)

“Unconscious men that judge                A woman without a reason            Without knowing, you are the occasion     Of your own accusation...”                     - Fragments of the Poem: To A Rose

One of the jewel figures of the Hispanic literature. She was extremely revolutionized for her time, being able to reach the intellectual suppuration for a woman during the colonial times in Mexico.  She questioned the distance between the Divine and the human love, the celestial and the profane. Her love for literacy made her create a bibliotheca collection not known in her time, where she spent the majority of her life developing her brilliance and intellectual growth. Sor Juana Ines de La Cruz trespassed the intellectual average of a human in her time and her deep conviction and strong beliefs, took her to create numerous poem, lyrics and theater essays.

EVITA PERON                                         Eva Duarte Ibarguren (1919-1952)

 “I am a woman who belongs to the Argentinean people, a 'descamisada' to my Patria and with all my heart. I belong to the hard workers, the third age people, and the children. I belong to the suffering people, working day and night, heart to heart…”  

 Evita Peron, August 22, 1951

A passionate and legendary woman, whose beauty was superseded only by her energy and intelligence.  A devoted wife of the Argentinean president, Juan Domingo Peon.  A   victim of a cruel cancer, who died as a legendary “Saint Evita” at the age of 33.  She lived her life from extreme poverty to the glory and power of being the most powerful first lady of Argentina. She inspired many people, not only from Argentina, but the rest of the world.

Photos by Davy King