The object that I chose is a Chinelo, which is a costumed dancer dressed in a vary colorful and exaggerated way. They wear long and detailed dresses, a mask with a defined bered, gloves and a big hat. The Chinelos descend from Mexico specifically in Morelos which is where my mother comes from. She was told by her grandmother that these costumes were meant to mock Europeans for being so high class and expecting Mexicans to be like them, Europeanized. This goes back to I believe the nineteenth century, which was during the French Intervention. Although the Chinelos are no longer seen that way but rather a way of entertainment as they are celebrated in carnivals or family parties and events. My mother was always exposed to these dancers ever since she was little. For my mother this is part of her, she grew up watching these dancers and learning the dance as she grew older. When my mother migrated here she mentioned to me that she was actually scared she was going to lose that part of her here in the U.S. She thought she would never come across that part of her culture again. She was saddened to no longer connect to her family through that way of entertainment as they were now separated through a border. Eventually she found the Chinelos again through friends.Although the immigrated to the U.S my mother did not lose a part of herself after all.  

– Soreilly Armenta

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant