The Miners' Lament: A Story of Latina Activists in the Empire Zinc Mine Strike
Thick unshed tears blocked Ana Maria’s throat She reached out one hand and traced the engraving on the cross TERESA ANA CARRANZA GARCIA NOSOTROS TE AMAMOS SIEMPRE 1919 1950 The wood was warm from the sun but lifeless Ana Maria strummed the vihuela again She felt closest to Mamá when she was playing the instrument that Mamá had given her
Ana Maria had wanted to perform Mexican ballads since she was five years old She and her parents had been visiting Mamá’s parents in Ciudad Juárez Mexico Abuelo and his band were onstage Grandpa singing and playing the guitarrón Ana Maria was nestled on Papá’s lap her legs moving in time to the beat When the song ended Ana Maria slid off Papá’s lap and shouted When I grow up I’m going to be a corridista like Abuelo Everyone laughed She hid her face in Papá’s chest Why are they laughing at me she asked They laugh because you are so little and have such big dreams Mamá said And they laugh Papá added because you are a girl and only boys can grow up to be corridistos Later that night Ana Maria asked Abuelo if it was true that only boys could sing corridos Ah niña Abuelo said the stage is no place for a woman You’ll marry and have babies and take care of your husband But what will I do with my stories she asked 9
What stories All the stories in my head Abuelo’s old brow wrinkled Write them down But they want to be sung Sing me one he commanded Her childish voice filled the room I’m going to sing a song About my gatito Ramón His fur is jet black and he is very fat Because he hunts the ratón Abuelo clapped and his deep laugh filled Ana Maria with a warm glow But then he told her that corridos were not just made-up stories They were history They were songs about the struggles of the Mexican people and mexican mexican heroes who fought for justice Someday Abuelo said she would have a brother If she wrote corridos about important important things her brother would sing these songs onstage Ana Maria had thought about this She wanted to perform perform corridos not just compose them Still she wrote her songs down Over the years she filled a dozen notebooks with songs for a little brother who never came 10
But Mamá had encouraged Ana Maria to do more than just write songs Mamá gave Ana Maria the vihuela and told her that if being a corridista was her dream she should never give it up Since then Ana Maria had been writing songs and playing them on her vihuela for anyone who would listen But since Mamá’s death music had abandoned her Just then a flash of yellow blue and black caught Ana Maria’s eye She looked up to see a swallowtail butterfly flit around Mamá’s cross The insect settled beside the epitaph epitaph Nosotros te amamos siempre We will always love you The words entered Ana Maria’s mind so suddenly that she gasped Grabbing her notebook and pencil she began to write Amigos vengan a escuchar mi historia de aflicción Ante ustedes he sido enviado Para compartir esta historia sobre personas sencillas Aquí está su lamento 11
