Week 6

Week 6 Essay

The Mission

The Mission is a movie that is based during the 1750’s, a movie that touches on the painful history of war and revolution in South America. I choose this movie simply because I felt I needed a better understanding of how revolution and the colonialists came in contact with each other. I feel that in order to understand Latino cultures I needed to better understand the history. What I found is that I have a complete understanding now of just how the dominant Spanish Catholic culture interacted with the indigenous people of South America. I also learned that what was once meant to be a wonderful religious experience for these people turned into a war and a major distrust of colonial settlers. This movie is based on factual events, events that surrounded the Treaty of Madrid. This treaty, generated in Spain, aimed to divide these Latin lands amongst the Spanish and Portugal settlers. It seems that the church and religion ruled everything, and every decision made, however as all things do evil and corrupt bodies twisted the word of god and a negative result ensued.

In addition to seeing a clearer picture of actual intentions of the Spanish and Portuguese I learned much about the real intentions of Jesuit priests. The interactions they had with the indigenous people was beautiful. The motives they had were simply to teach and to love, and they did. Music, singing, writing, and language were just a few things they taught while living among the Indians. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit priest, has one mission in mind, to earn the trust of these people, and to show them the true ways of the church, and the pure love it has to offer.

The plot surrounds Rodrigo Mendoza a once solider and enslaver who’s only original purpose was to enslave the Indians for purpose of monetary gain amongst the colonialists. However when he kills his brother for becoming intimate with his wife he sits in prison with the realization that he isn’t a good human being. It isn’t until Father Gabriel visits him and shows him that he is worthy of better and forgiveness of god. Mendoza joins the plight of the Jesuits and eventually becomes one himself. It is then and only then that he experiences the true evil of how the Colonialists treat the Guarani people. While living with them he begins to understand they are a people of spirit, honestly, love and culture all things the settlers aimed to take away.

The movie is narrated through the eyes and voice of Altamirano, in the form of him writing a letter to the Kings back in Spain and Portugal, he is sent from overseas to decide if the missions and their land should be given to the Portuguese and where the lines should be crossed. Being a prior Jesuit himself he sees the beauty and the culture in the land and people but ultimately he orders all the Guarani to leave immediately so the Portuguese may take over. This enrages Mendoza and he vows to fight, even against the word of Father Gabriel. Father Gabriel tried to remind him that god is love and he promised his life to god, to disobey this would be to disobey god.

The dominant Catholic culture was very powerful and unwilling to see the ways of another type of people. Calling the Guarani people animals with human voices, they try to justify their reasoning for taking their land for profit. It seems they hid behind the church on many occasions, trying to state that it was god’s will. This was very confusing to the Guarani, they were in full trusting of the Jesuit priests and their way, then here come the colonialists and strip them of their land exclaiming it was god’s will. This break of trust leads to war and a fight for land.

Mendoza gives his life to protect the mission and the Guarani, in the end Father Gabriel is too killed. This movie paints a very clear picture of how the settlers of Spain and Portugal came and claimed a land that was never theirs to begin with. Their dominant ways were unwilling to live in peace and side by side with the indigenous people. In one scene a child states that she doesn’t want to be forced back into the jungle and out of the mission because the devil lives there. She was speaking of the Mercenaries and enslavers that hunted these people for profit. Mendoza started out one of these people and comes full circle in the end when he sees the true light and peacefulness of the Guarani.

In the end Altamirano writes, now your priests are dead, but truly I am dead and they live. He was stating that they live on because they were fighting for a true cause and truly for god, and for that god will allow them to live on. He felt he was dead because he knowingly supported the takeover.
This movie was a beautiful movie I was truly able to see what the Indigenous people offered to the land and to the cause of humanity. The parallel of this war and the war of civil rights is scary and real. Now understanding that this movie is simply one of hundreds of stories of war and deceit throughout the Latin American countries I have a newfound understanding of the true plight of Latin America, and the need to preserve its culture.


Online MOLAA Assignment

Art work chosen: Changing the Focus: Latin American Photography 1990-2005, the photograph #5 of the man showing his tattoos on his chest of two crosses

Critique:

1. What stands out the most when you first see it? The crosses on this young man’s chest

Explain the reason you notice the thing you mention in number 1. During our studies I have learned that religion is so present and important in Latino culture so it made me think of this

As you keep looking, what else seems important? The fact that they are placed over the area of the heart

Why does the thing you mention in number 3 seem important? Because this means love and devotion are strong when it comes to religion.

How has contrast been used? In the second picture it appears to be a shield and sword on his arm (tattoo again), this would directly contrast the love and heart

What leads your eye around from place to place? See Connections The two have direct meaning because in order to be who they want they need to be willing to fight for it at least that is what I perceive from it.

What tells you about the style used by this artist? Black and white is simple but without color it focuses on the real meaning of the picture

What seems to be hiding in this composition? The faces of the people

Why do you think this was partially hidden? The faces weren’t necessary because it is a people, a culture not a particular face

Imagine the feelings and meanings this artwork represents? Feelings are feeling of deeply rooted religious ties, Meanings are an undying dedication to fighting for respect and understanding


What titles could you give this artwork? The work of God


What other things interest you about this artwork? I would have liked to have known more about the artist that took the pictures and try to decipher his or her true meaning.




Week 6 Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the Treaty of Madrid?
A. A plan to travel to Latin America
B. The signing of a law that redefined the divisions of land in South America**
C. The war between Spain and Portugal
D. A plan of how to defeat the Guarani people
E. Division of plantations

2. What was a Jesuit Priest?
A. A person who lived in Spain
B. A way of the Guarani people
C. Men who followed the catholic order**
D. A person who fought in war
E. None of these

3. What was the mission of Jesuits?
A. To claim land that was rightfully theirs
B. To bring Christianity, civilization, education, love and trust**
C. To teach English to the indigenous people
D. To Build missions for money
E. None of these

4. What was the motive of Don Cabesa?
A. To work at one and be peaceful
B. To achieve ownership of the missions**
C. To enter the ministry
D. To bring peace to the Guarani
E. To settle in Mexico


5. At first Rodrigo Mendoza was a mercenary and slaver, what did he do?
A. Hunt and enslave Guarani people**
B. Travel back and forth to Spain and South America
C. Teach indigenous people how to speak
D. Lived in Madrid
E. None of these


6. What is One hundred Years of Solitude?
A. A book about war
B. A factual story of love and fear
C. National myths about a family of Macondo***
D. A story about a prisoner
E. None of these

7. What country does this book surround historically?
A. Columbia***
B. Argentina
C. Mexico
D. Spain
E. Brazil

8. When was One Hundred years of Solitude published?
A. 1925
B. 1967**
C. 1952
D. 1976
E. 1944


9. How was magical realism used in this book?
A. Ghosts visit characters and dreams happen in the story**
B. The family has magical powers
C. They live in a magic house
D. They can see the future
E. None of these

10. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, how many generations are present in the Buendia family?
A. 3
B. 4
C. 7**
D. 5
E. 2



Classmates Week 5 Questions:

1.) What country does the movie take place in?a.Guatemala *b.Mexicoc.Uruguayd.Chilee.Ecuador



1. Children of immigrants are known as:a) 3rd Generationb) 1st Generationc) 2nd Generation*d) No Generatione) Kids

4.) How did Enrique and Rose finally cross the boarder?a. Through and under ground railroadb. Through the grape vinec. Hopped over the fenced. Swam across a rivere. Through a sewer tunnel*

4. First and second generation populations of the U.S. as of the 2003 Census is at______ and climbing.a. 12%b. 24%*c. 29%d. 34%e. 42%

10. What color is used for symbolism a lot throughout the movie?
A. Red
B. Blue
C. Purple
D. White*
E. Yellow

7. At the beginning of the 20th Century, like now, immigrants went to areas where:a. there was a lot of moneyb. housing was inexpensivec. demand for their labor was concentrated*d. they could grow their own foode. people spoke their native language


8. Who Directed "El Norte"A. Francis Ford CoppolaB. Gregory Nava *C. Jose MadrigalD. Pedro AstacioE. Quinten Tarantino

4. Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbaut did a study on:a)geographyb)spring breakc)first generation peopled)second generation children***e)third generation people

10. How many indigenous dialects are spoken in Guatemala today?
a. 5
b. 13
c. 17
d. 20
e. 22*

4. Today, how many Americans under age 18 are immigrants or children of immigrants in the US?
almost 1 in 4*
half of this population
2 in 12
more than 75%
less than 10%




Dialogue Sample:

When I was doing research on the history of Latin America I found that so many similarities in all the different wars within the different countries. As well as the research of the book One Hundred Years of Solitude, once again Spanish rule and the fight were dominant in Columbia. It seems to me that within each country there were wars, and independence periods. It made me think how such a beautiful land could be so mistreated, which included the beautiful culture and ways of the people. The land was big enough to share and war was never necessary.