Mita Cuaron

I enjoyed the presentation on Mita Cuaron, and learning of her involvement through the Chicano movement in 1968, while being a student at Garfield High School. Having both of her parents also being active in social and union protest activities during the Movimiento was fascinating. Learning she is a nurse and artist was gratifying because that demonstrates women can manage to multitask more than one career. It was interesting how Cuaron being born in East LA, and with the original image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, was able to create new images of the Virgen as the one illustrated in class (The Watermelon Virgin). When I first seen the image, I was a bit confused because I always thought the symbol of a watermelon was more leaning towards stereotypes that negatively depicted African Americans. Our classmate gave a great explanation on the usage of the watermelon through this specific art piece and how it represents Mexican national identity as its red, white and green colors resonance the colors of the Mexican flag and how the fruit is also a symbol for life and fertility, emphasizing the Virgin's role as mother and woman.