Mata, Karla

Hello everyone! My name is Karla Mata and I am currently a fourth year double majoring in Spanish Community and Culture as well as Chican@ Studies. I am originally from Ontario, California and have lived there pretty much my entire life. As a Chican@ Studies major, I have taken several classes which focus on Chican@ history, culture, and even identity. This particular class interested me because the majority of the previous classes I had taken before this course were centered on the political aspect of Chican@ Studies; however, I thought this class would give me the opportunity to   to explore a different and  more artistic approach of Chican@ culture as a whole. Some of my previous classes touched upon Chican@ art, more specifically murals and paintings. Personally I was very fascinated by some of the art pieces and the manner in which artists express themselves about political and social issues, the confusion Chican@s encounter when it comes to identity, and simply everyday life experiences. I decided to take this class because I because I thought it would give me the opportunity to learn more about the art that I had only touched upon in previous classes.

I grew up in a Catholic household where the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe was present not only in church, but also in my family household. During my childhood, I visited Mexico very often and the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe seemed to be very important and symbolic within Mexican culture. Her image is painted on street walls, printed on clothing, stamped on cars, and is present in many other ways. I remember growing up praying to her image and visiting her in many different churches. She is known as "La Morenita" and is the motherly figure to many Mexican Catholics. Historically, the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe has played a key role in spiritual and religious lives of many. Today, there is even a show called "La Rosa de Guadalupe," which primarily focuses on the milagros that she grants for those who truly believe in her.