Human Concerns: Book Authored by Former Parishioner: "Celebramos/We Celebrate"
By Nicole Sault & Helen Drachkovitch
In writing the book we wanted to create a way to learn Spanish and English while discovering the history of customs readers may already know, but not the origins of these customs. Too often these traditions are explained as coming from Spain or other European countries, while ignoring the older Indigenous practices. I am an anthropologist and the other coauthor is my mother, a retired kindergarten teacher who used Spanish in the classroom to encourage the children of migrant farmworkers and temporary workers in Mountain View.
It explores the Indigenous origins of six Mexican traditions that are commonly celebrated in Mexico and the U.S. The glossary includes words whose origins come from Náhuatl, Maya, Zapotec, Purépecha, Taíno, Aymara and Quechua. The book also comes with audio versions in both Spanish and English, read by native speakers of each language.
This book is one of the publications of an authors collective that supports independent bookstores. The books are not available on Amazon for this reason, which is explained on the web site for Borderland North, the umbrella organization.
We want to cross walls and build bridges with this book through exploring and appreciating the cultural traditions of Mexico.
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Celebramos / We Celebrate:
Seis Tradiciones de México / Six Traditions from Mexico