Como agua para

chocolate
Like Water for
Chocolate [1992]
Northern Mexico 1895-1930s
 One of mexico’s
“greatest hits”
Based on a novel written by Laura Esquivel in 1989.

As I mentioned in the blog, it’s an example of

Magic Realism, which is…..

The novel is structured with recipes

intercalated. I can’t guarantee the
same results as you’ll see in the film!
Borderlands
A brief history of texas
Mid-1519 --
Sailing from a
base in Jamaica,
Alonso Alvarez de
Pineda, a Spanish
adventurer, was
the first known
European to
explore and map
the Texas
coastline.
18 February 1685 -- Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle
established Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay, and thus formed
the basis for France's claim to Texas. Two years later, LaSalle
was murdered by his own men.

22 April 1689 -- Mexican explorer Alonso de Leon reached Fort

St. Louis, and found it abandoned, during an expedition planned
to reestablish Spanish presence in Texas.

1716-1789 -- Throughout the 18th century, Spain established

Catholic missions in Texas, and along with the missions, the
towns of San Antonio, Goliad and Nacogdoches.

8 August 1812 -- About 130-men strong, the Gutierrez-Magee

Expedition crossed the Sabine from Louisiana in a rebel
movement against Spanish rule in Texas.
3 January 1823 -- Stephen F. Austin received a grant from the Mexican
government and began colonization in the region of the Brazos River.

Mid-1824 -- The Constitution of 1824 gave Mexico a republican form of

government. It failed, however, to define the rights of the states within
the republic, including Texas.
 Oh, the irony…
6 April 1830--
So….Texas was settled by illegal
Relations
immigrants…..from the US!
between the
Texans and
Mexico reached a
new low when
Mexico forbid
further
emigration into
Texas by settlers
from the United
States.
 2 March 1836 --
The Texas
Declaration of
Independence
was signed by
2 October 1835 -- members of the
Texans repulsed a Convention of
detachment of 1836. An ad
Mexican cavalry interim
at the Battle of government was
Gonzales. The formed for the
revolution began. newly created
21 April 1836 --
Republic of Texas.
Texans under
Sam Houston
routed the
Mexican forces of
Santa Anna at the
Battle of San
Jacinto. Thus,
independence
was won in one of
 Border crossings

The film takes place in Ciudad Acuña,

Piedras Negras [Mexico] and Eagle Pass,
Texas.

Many of the characters are

bilingual, or at least capable in
both languages.
 class structure

Public education became

mandatory through 6th grade in
1917. Prior to that, the Catholic
church had controlled much of
the education system, and
attendance was neither
mandatory nor universal.
Social classes were determined
by both race and economics.
But the more European one
was, the higher the social
status tended to be.

Domestic help was not limited

to the upper class, and still
isn’t. Many households from
the lower middle class and up
have servants—a cook,
someone who cleans, washes
clothes, helps out in general.
 gender relations

Not much had changed since our last

glimpse at women’s lives, in the
1600s!

Women married and

had kids, joined a
religious order, or
became a prostitute [or
was considered one…]

The strong,
The family structure that we’ll see domineering women
tonight—the youngest daughter that we’ll see conforms
doesn’t marry—is NOT a Mexican to many Latin
tradition. stereotypes of
matriarchal societies.
 Las adelitas y las
revolucionarias
These were female soldiers during the
Revolution who accompanied their
spouses/partners, cooked, got ready the clothes,
rifles and whatever else needed to be prepared,
spied when possible , acted as nurses,
messengers, and more.

Some rose to a position of

command within the ranks of the
Revolution.

They’ve been romanticized over the last 100 years of Mexican history,
folklore and popular culture. Reality was much harsher—the women were
barely educated and didn’t have the right to vote in the new society they
 Gertrudis’ father

s described as “the mulatto” [and serves as an explaination for

sense of rhythm and dancing skills…]

Mexico does not have a large Black

community. He may have been from the
Veracruz area, which does.

He also may have been part of a group that

migrated to Northern Mexico from Alabama in
the late 1800s.
 Stock characters
We’ve already seen some this
semester—the 2 cops in El Barón
del Terror [one serious, one not]
Tonight we’ll see the priest
with somewhat dubious
behavior, the wise old
indigenous woman, the
nasty gossip [also present in
the Barón, in the crowd at
the burning at the stake
scene]. Plus lots of men with
large mustaches, big
sombreros and bullets slung
across their chests.
 hennig brandt
Brandt first isolated
phosphorus as an element in
1669. It was soon touted as
an aphrodisiac, and as cure
for many human illnesses
[especially mental].
Later it was branded “the
devil’s element” and was
thought to have caused
more curses than cures.
The phosphorus match
was nicknamed “the
lucifer”. Murders,
suicides and accidental
poisonings resulted
from its use, and it was
eventually outlawed.
 roscÓn de reyes

A bread that is traditionally served on

the eve of / day of 6 January, el día de
los Reyes Magos [3 Kings or Wise Men]
or the Epiphany.

Inside of the roscón are

baked a ceramic figure of a
baby, and a bean.
Whoever finds the baby is
crowned king or queen, and
is supposed to be
guaranteed good luck.
Whoever finds the bean
pays for the roscón.
Traditions differ between
countries but the idea is
the same.
 music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeNX4bLixV0&feature=
“Jesusita en Chihuahua”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AFfxQpr2r0
“Ojos de juventud”
 what to watch for and
think about
the truth—how did
different characters
interpret it or present
it? Men- Who needs them?

What happened in
the gap years
between 1910 and
1934?

Next week: