Chicana Sexuality And Gender By Debra J. Blake

‘I’ve always been aware that there is a greater power than the conscious I. That power is my inner self, the entity that is the sum total of all my reincarnations, the godwoman in me I call Antigua, mi Diosa,the divine within, Coatlicue-Cihuacoatl-Tlazolteotl-Tontantzin-Coatlalopeuh-Guadalupe-they are one…I will overcome the tradition of silence’ (Blake 97). 

 In the section, “Boderlands/La Frontera: Gloria Anzaldúa” found in chapter two, I stumble through this quote while Anzaldúa presented a collective memory to reconstruct the Chicana History, through the memory of her grandmother and Mexican female symbols. I read the passage two or three times, since something about it made me feel so drawn into it. In this passage, Anzaldúa is reclaiming her multiple identities and as she does so, she is able to regain her sexuality as a female. I felt that the most impactful part of this passage is when she states, “I will overcome the tradition of silence,” because this section literally reflects back to the entire book of refiguring cultural symbols. Meaning that Blake’s purpose is to refigure four most common cultural symbols: La Malinche, La Virgen de Guadalupe, the Mexica Goddesses, and La Llorona. These religious, historical, and mythical symbols are refigured in order to shift from a negative connotation to a more positive one. The whole idea is to deconstruct those violent and submissive messages that have been given to these cultural figures throughout time. But to also exemplify the true struggles that women of color, lesbians, gays, etc. have gone through. As the book develops, the reader learns how the refiguring of these symbols provide an empowerment to Chicanas and U.S. Mexicanas. Therefore, when I read how Anzaldúa will overcome the tradition of silence, simply reminded me of how women have come a long way, but have accomplished a lot. Not only that, but the idea that the refiguring of these symbols have allowed women to utilize them as a concept of strength, rather than a vulnerability. This also reminded me of many women who have not yet been able to overcome the tradition of silence and how they are still under the umbrella of those oppressive messages behind La Malinche or the “pure” Virgen de Guadalupe. I felt that Anzaldúa’s passage was so powerful that it also made me think about another Chicano course I took last quarter with Professor Alvarado-Oliva. In her class, we covered women’s silence too and how indigenous women in Mexico and Central America have remained silence about their Indigeneity; due to the fear of being discriminated for identifying as indigenous. Due to this I admire many women, like Professor Lopez, which Blake talks about her refiguring of the Virgen de Guadalupe, for being brave enough to go against the stream in order to overcome her silence. Not only that, but I’m sure that these type of positive actions allows many Chicanas and U.S. Mexicanas to regain their identity and sexuality.