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Liliana Carrillo
Professor
History 30
May 19, 2011 Bordering Fires
Cristina Garcia Bordering Fires The Vintage Book of Contemporary Mexican and
Chicano/a Literature is truly a work of art. The short stories that in many ways remind me of
what it is to be Mexican, Chicana, Mezitisa. The authors in this book wrote exceptional short
stories of what seems to be a little bit of every Chicano and Mexican family; form, how import it
is not to loose ones language, from experiences of border crossings, infidelities, hard working
mothers to travels to Cuernavaca. Bordering Fires truly demonstrates that Chicanos have borders
to cross each and every day.
“Chicano English” is a form of live for the Chicano in the United States, even though in
Mexico “pochos” are still viewed as traitors like la Malinche. Gloria Anzaldua How to Tame a
Wild Tongue is a remarkable story of how Mexicans/ Latinos keep their language alive unlike
other immigrant groups. As well as there are many types of dialects among the same community
like pachuco, North American English, Chicano Spanish in California and Texas. Anzaldua’s
main theme in this short essay is that keeping our Spanish alive and understanding that there are
different dialects in the Spanish/ Mexican languge. Anzaldua speaks of how parents want there
children to loose their accent, so they can get a job. Sad to say there was a generation when
parents did not teach their children to speak Spanish, because they wanted them to mainly speak
English. Anzaldua, states, “We speak a patios, a forked tongue, a variation of two languages’.”
Meaning that we ourselves develop our own way; our, own dialect to feel that we belong
amongst each other.

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Richard Rodriguez’s India short stories explain how India’s can be classified in
different races. India or being called India/o can have different meanings to different people. For
example Rodriguez in India describes that his family is of European decent and are not
considered Indios. Yet a student undergraduate told him “God, it must be cool to be related to
Aztecs.” Meaning that although a Mexican family might be of European decent, but have a
“Mexican look,” to the whole world a Mexican is a Mexican and people forget about mestizaje.
Another theme that was present in India was that of not being ignorant and that Indios are still
alive even though they might not have that certain look. Example, the Indian student who argued
with him that he did not see the Indian in his face; and, that him himself knows he is an Indio and
that they do not have the same Indio face. The student also would speak of his troubles and how
the Mexican would not understand. But many Mexicans are Indio’s due to Mestizaje. Rodriguez
used la Malinche la India, La Indian whore who betrayed Mexico for Cortez,and in the end
herself was betrayed by Cortez. Yet the Indian survived more than the Spanish.
Traveling to Cuernava expaling his advenruer to find the lost B. Traven. Rudolfo
Anaya’s B.Traven Is Alive and Well in Cuernavaca; in this story the volcano “Popo” has a story
that must be told. Him and his friend Justino go on an adventure to Popo. Justinos jefe is Don
Francisco, a man who kills many people and the steals their fortune. Don Francisco hides his
many in Pozo de Mendoza but he Francisco is cursed and he can not touch the gold because it
will disappear. Mendoza was a man who Don Francisco killed, Mendoza cursed Don Francisco.
Justino inspired authors and made them curious about the gold in Popo. Rodriguez met an old
man who he thought was B. Taven but really was not. Towards the end of his story he meets the
old man who I believe is B. Traven and explains to him that writers have a curse; the curse of

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hearing stories and then following them. B.Traven was following Justino;s story about the gold
in Popo in Cuernavaca alive and well.
Never Marry a Mexican by Sandra Cineros main theme really about the Mexican
women and the infidelities that are brought among families. She starts of by telling the live of a
Mexican family, the children raise themselves in this case the dad is lazy and the mother has two
jobs just to get by. Her mother tells her to never marry a Mexican, because frustration with her
husband. Then her mother married a white man after her father died, and she could stand that.
She then tells about her being la malince because he made other woman cry for sleeping with
their men. Towards the end she tells her student Drew about sleeping with his father but since he
was white was not allowed to marry a Mexican. This in some cases still happens the not being
able to mix into cultures due to race.
Ruben Martinez Excerpt From Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail
is an exceptional story that describes the immigrant family. From the clothing they are wearing
to their fears and the crossing over. Martinez gets every detail down to the point. Its is amazing
to even think that at one point border crossing was so easy and not such a dangerous path, unlike
today due to Pete Wilson’s hate for Mexicans/ Latinos and immigrants in general. He details the
Migrant families’ suffrage thru all the racism. And how the border is all about politics, power
and money.
Our people Mexicans, Chicanos cross borders every day not so
much to prove our selves but rather just to survive and feel like
we belong somewhere. We are Aztlan! "Por La Raza
todo, Fuera de La Raza nada"

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CITATION
Gargia. Cristina. “Bordering Fires: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Mexican and Chicano/A
Literature”