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Blood relatives

Latinos, Native Americans share common heritage, culture

What is a Mexican? Do Mexicans consider themselves Native American?

"We are the product of invasion and rape," declares Valley artist Zarco Guerrero. "We were born mestizo, raised by our Indian mothers and rejected by our Spanish fathers."

For Guerrero, the word emphasizes his Indian heritage. Guerrero, an influential force and pioneer in the Valley’s art scene, founded Xicanindio Artes, Inc., a non-profit, multidisciplinary arts organization in 1975 to promote indigenous arts and culture via community-based arts projects. Both Latino and Native American artists participate in the organization’s visual and performing arts programs.

"As Latinos, we are rediscovering our Indian heritage and culture. My bi-cultural situation is an asset, not a dilemma," he says.

And what about Latinos who refuse to acknowledge their indigenous roots?

"We [the Latino community] are as ignorant as anyone else," says Guerrero.

He blames the Spanish conquest, the missionization of indigenous peoples, and the legacy of colonization for this lack of cultural unity.

"We have had to deny our Indian roots for 500 years. It has not stopped. It is still perpetuated by mainstream American and Mexican culture."

The Latino community’s history and culture is a rich amalgamation of tradition, ritual and ideas and bears striking similarities to the Native American community.

"We have many commonalities that go far back in history and far back in traditions," says artist and community member Marco Albarrán, "Corn, colors, spiritual connections, architecture, the sun, the moon, mother earth. All peoples of the world have this connection. We just need to look for it."

Perhaps the best example of the beginnings of our centuries-old relationship is reflected in the archaeological record of the Hohokam, the prehistoric people residing in south central Arizona and northern Mexico between A.D.1 and A.D. 1450. Archaeologists have unearthed a variety of Hohokam items with roots in Mesoamerica: corn (maize), beans, squash, bottle gourds and grain amaranth.

The Hohokam’s ties to this cultural region, especially Mexico, extended to trade networks to Mexico that yielded pottery, pyrite mirrors, obsidian, copper bells and precious Macaw and parrot feathers for ceremonial use. Similarities in pottery, basketry and textile production are also found between the Hohokam and Mexico.

Today, shared characteristics, priorities and beliefs between both cultures are easily visible. A close and connected familia and strong relationships with extended family play pivotal roles among Latino and Native American communities.

SIMILAR CELEBRATIONS

Celebrating rites of passage is also central in each culture. Wendy Weston, Director of American Indian Relations at the Heard Museum, compares the quinceañera with the kinaaldá, the Navajo coming-of-age ceremony.

"In a quinceañera, all of the family members work to present the young woman to the world. Many tasks have to be completed and there is great time and financial outlay by family members," says Weston. "In the kinaaldá, the family works together to ensure that the young woman is presented to the Holy Ones and the world in a proper manner. This will guarantee that the Navajo tradition and lifeways will carry on."

While each ceremony is dramatically different, both represent an initiation into womanhood.

Although Americanization has impacted centuries-old cultural traditions, both communities are dedicated to keeping the past alive.

"I see more young people wanting to go through these ceremonies and taking them seriously as they realize that the future does lie in their hands and hearts," says Weston.

Artists, advocates and organizations are committed as well to highlighting the traditions of both groups, while abolishing the misconceptions about indigenous art and the relationships between indigenous peoples. While many are receptive to the idea of interconnectedness, others are not as open-minded.

Weston describes the public’s response when the Heard Museum decided to include non-Native artists in recent shows as well as in its annual Spanish Market:

"When we explained the similar indigenous roots concept, most accepted that. Many non-Native people were concerned because they could not put us all into the neat little boxes the American education system says that we belong in. They said things like, ‘Why are you showing Mexican art? It is not Indian.’ When it was explained to them, many still had reservations about why the Latino or Chicano experience is like ours. But we still keep working at it."

Guerrero points out: "We are all related to each other. We are from the land. Our ancestors’ bones are buried on both sides of the border."