Sheneika Falloon
West Virginia University Masters of Science in Industrial Relations
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Culture and Literature

Studying about Hispanic culture and literature has left a great impression upon me and helped me to feel confident about my travels to the city of Guanajuato. What my studies did not prepare me for was the overwhelming feelings I experienced when I saw and experienced the things I have previously learned about. Two particular experiences I was extremely excited about was our visit to the town of Valencia and to the Diego Rivera museum.

In order to visit Valencia we had to take a local bus which to my surprise only cost four pesos, which is roughly the equivalent to forty US cents. Upon our arrival we could not stop but notice a beautiful and impressive building which is El Templo de San Cayetano de Valencia. This church reflected the importance of the Catholic Church in Mexican culture and history. Like many of the other Catholic churches within this city it was built during the colonial reign of the Spaniards and was the center of the town. What was most impressive about the structure was the architectural details both outside and inside. Upon entering the church you immediately notice a beautiful and unique altar made of gold which extends from the floor to the ceiling. To my surprise there were not only one but three altars in total that shared these same characteristics. These altars were adorned with figures of the Virgin Mary and many other saints. The church was not only decorated with figures of saints but also with several large paintings that depicted the life of Jesus. While looking at these paintings I noticed that they where all painted during the late 19th century by the same individual. These paintings were very simple and contrasted the elaborate decorations and structures.

The church of Valencia was mainly constructed because of the mines. Mining was and still is a contributing aspect to Mexico’s economy. While in Valencia we were able to visit a mine which reflects the exploitation of the natives, the use of religion to enslave the natives, and the economic wealth Mexico once had. The silver and gold mines are a reflection of the exploitation of the natives because they were forced to work in the mines beginning at the age of 15 and decreased their life expectancy to 25 years old. Along with their shortened life expectancy rate, they were only paid 50 pesos ($5) a day. After questioning why the workers did not revolt because of their poor conditions, Victor, our guide, explained that religion played an important role as to why they continued to work. Since the Spaniards were strong advocates for the conversion of the natives to Catholicism, the natives became very religious and thought that revolting would not be pleasing in the eyes of God.

Another important aspect of Mexican history and culture is art. One of Mexico’s most affluent and well known artist is Diego Rivera. He was born in the city of Guanajuato, which today is the home of the Diego Rivera Museum. This museum is actually the house in which he was raised as a child and houses a lot of his art work along with art work of other contemporary artists. Rivera’s paintings are known for his portrayal of the Mexican culture and identity. This experience seemed surreal because I never imaged that I would be able to see the actually paintings that Rivera himself imaged and developed into masterpieces.