Codex Carmen Lomas Garza

In the book Carmen Lomas Garza, chapter four, called “A Chicana Reconquista”, describes the powerful reappropriation of ionic persons and symbols within the Chicano culture to fit our needs as a community. When artists reconquer the portrayal of the struggles of their indigenous ancestors, “They become… cultural mediators. The line between pre-Columbian peoples and Chicanos is thereby re-inscribed, and the gaps in our collective memory are filled” (p.). Carmen did so by  reintroducing the history of Natives and Chicano peoples through her two series: Codex Lomas Garza and Homenaje a Tenochtitlan. The most empowering image portrayed in this chapter was the 1992 watercolor cover of Codex Lomas Garza. The cover includes a Mexican chameleon surrounded by red and black ribbons tied into bows at the corners. The author describes the chameleon as a symbol of “self-preservation” through its ability to change colors and compares it to the Chicano community (p.63). I also believe that it was set as a cover because it is like a recipe book. It holds the secret to cultural preservation and is bound by red and black colored bows because they are colors used in Mexico to symbolize la lucha. Chicanos are enduring a fight to preserve ourselves and our culture, but first we must realize the core of our cultures.