Celebrate With Me!
Hispanic Month!
“Some day you will look back at your struggling days and feel proud of what you have achieved.”
― Avijeet Das
Hispanic Heritage Month! Is it me, or does anyone else find it interesting that Hispanic Heritage Month spans across two months? (September 15th to October 15th). After a bit of research, here’s a quick history lesson.
Blue section is what used to be “New Spain.”
In the late 1700s to early 1800s, “Mexico” (New Spain) encompassed Texas, California, New Mexico, Arizona and all of Central America—except Panama—along with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Since many members of the Hispanic community living in the US come from all these countries, this is why it was decided to start Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15th. This was the night father Dolores Hidalgo gave “El Grito de la Indepencia” (The Cry for Independence) and the battle for such began.
Being Hispanic myself, this gives me the perfect excuse to share with you some of the neat & curious little treasures that adorn our humble abode—which of course are of Mexican origin, arriba!
Barro Negro (Black Clay) mainly produced in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Let’s start with this little Barro Negro (Black Clay) candle holder, made in Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is very well-known for their works with Barro Negro. It’s polished absences of color makes Barro Negro crafts very alluring and captivating.
Chaquira necklace made by Huicholes.
Next I’d like to share some of my wife’s Chaquira jewelry. Chaquira are small synthetic and brightly colored beads used for all types of crafts and jewelry. Huicholes (indigenous people that live in central northwest Mexico) are known for their beautiful and detailed work with Chaquira beads. My wife purchased this beautiful necklace on one of her many trips to Mexico.
A pair of Pirinolas. Ready for a game!
Now something for the kiddos, and yes, this even includes those of us who are still kids at heart! Hehe! La Pirinola consists of what I would describe as an octagonal spinning top. Each side of the octagon has a small message: put 1, put 2, put 3, take 1, take 2, take 3, take all, everyone puts. You can play with beans, rice, rocks, or whatever you feel like using as your tokens. One person spins the top using the handle on top, and whatever the message shows at the top when it lands, that’s what you do. The next person, then spins it and repeats the process, and so on and so forth, until there’s only one person standing.
Porcelain bottle of Clase Azul Tequila.
And of course, we can’t close this out without speaking about one of Mexico’s greatest contributions to the world, TEQUILA! Haha! It always amazes me the extent to which Tequila makers will go, to create some of the most delicious bottles. Here’s a Clase Azul tequila bottle. I just love the simplistic, yet very traditional design.
Are there any neat little treasures in your home of Hispanic decent that you would like to share with us? I’d love to see and hear about them!
As always, thank you for stopping by. Your time is precious and I appreciate you spending it here. If you haven’t already, make sure you don’t miss any new posts by signing up below. Take care of yourselves and see you back here in two weeks!