Celebration of Hispanic Culture
iiaco de Mayo
rriday, May 4, 1990
Battalion Special Section
Page 3B
Catholicism plays large role in Cinco de Mayo
Wative influences make religion unique
3y SEAN FRERKING
)f The Battalion Staff
Catholicism in Mexico is an inte-
ral part of the holiday of Cinco de
ayo, said Dr. Henry Schmidt, a
rofessor of history and author of
everal books studying Mexican cul-
ure and history.
priest at St. Mary’s church, ajso said
Our Lady of Guadelupe is a power
ful symbol in the lives of most Mexi
cans. Strieder said the Virgin ap-
E eared in a vision as a mestizo, a mix
etween a European and Indian
ue
Mexican Catholicism differs from
|:he religion in Rome and even in
Spain, he said. After 450 years of
jractice in Mexico, Schmidt said na-
[ive influences have changed Roman
Catholicism into a uniquely Mexican
religion.
Schmidt said what separates Mexi
can Catholicism from the Roman
pype is a certain mexicanidad, or
icxicanness. He said Mexico’s his
tory is the reason for the change in
the religion.
inert
After the Spainards conquered
lexico in 1521, Schmidt said mis
sionaries found it difficult to force
European Christianity on the Indi-
ins who had been made into slaves
5r indentured servants.
The Spanish soon discovered they
lad to adjust Roman Catholicism to
fit the needs and beliefs of the Indi
ans, Schmidt said.
“In part, the Spaniards did bring
about change in the religion,”
Schmidt said. “But the Indians in ef
fect demanded, and you might say,
contributed to the change in Spanish
Catholicism.”
Strieder said. “This representation
signifies the Virgin is greater than
the Aztec goddess of the moon and
the god of the sun.
“The virgin has taken the old In
dian gods’ place, but she has re
placed the pagan deities with a
stronger and deeper meaning.
“She has given their old religions
life.”
Schmidt said the “dark” Virgin
also is the one of the central themes
in mexicanidad. She is seen as a
Christian protectoress, Schmidt said,
and a very strong influence in Mexi
can nationalism.
“The virgin is the heart and the
soul of the Mexican people,”
Schmidt said.
Strieder said, like Our Lady of
Guadelupe, Mexican Catholicism is a
mix of Christianity and old Indian
religions. Christianity plays the ma
jor part, he said, but the old Indian
gods still influence the lives of many
Mexicans.
The Catholic saints assumed the
roles of the ancient Indian gods,
Strieder said, and became idols. He
said the saints christianized the old
gods but retained many of the same
pagan characteristics as the Indian
deities.
Within 50 to 100 years after the
onquistadores arrived, Schmidt
aid, the practice of l at holuism lock
n a Mexican character. Many of the
ndians’ songs and dances had be-
ome a part of the religious cele-
>ration in the Catholic church,
ichmidt said.
“X
I he (Virgin of
Guadelupe) was the perfect
image to symbolize the
birth of Mexican
Catholicism
Although many of Mexico’s 80
million people do not support the
church as strongly as they had in
earlier times, Schmidt said, Mexican
Catholicism remains a very positive
moral force in Mexico and an essen
tial part of Mexican culture.
—Father Leon Strieder,
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
“Perhaps the most significant
fyrabol of the Mexican religious
lentity,” he said, “was the re-cre-
fetion of the aztec goddess Tonatzin
nto the Virgin of Guadelupe.”
Rev. Leon Strieder,} a Catholic
enes. The mestizo Virgin was a p
feet image to symbolize the birt
Mexican Catholicism, he said.
er-
of
“The Virgin is traditionally rep
resented as standing on the moon
with sunbursts on her shoulder,”
i ; h : .. .l
Strieder said the native traditions
of Mexico are the reasons Mexican
Catholicism is still a strong part of
the community.
“They have their altracitas (little
alters) and their santitas (little saints)
in their homes,” Strieder said.
“They still believe in God and
practice this Mexican Catholicism in
their homes. It’s tradition and as you
know, tradition is very strong,”
Strieder said.
Photo by Penny DeLosSantos
Tito and Irma Quinones baptize their daughter,
Alejandra, while god parent Carolina Quinones
looks on. The baptism took place at St. Mary’s
Catholic Church. * : ,t
I
Labor.
bel
to
orm
ime almost up for amnesty applicants
emporary residents should apply now at INS office in Austin
3y VIVIAN ROJAS
Special to the Battalion
Time is running out for those who want to ap-
>ly for permanent residency under the Immigra
tion Reform and Control Act of J986.
Amnesty applicants who obtained their tempo
rary resident Status between December 1987 and
May 1988 can still apply for permanent resident
status if they act now.
The Rev. Moses Herrera, a founder of Julia
Grimaldo Herrera Amnesty Services, said tem
porary residents must take the next step in the
amnesty process.
month temporary status, the residents will lose
their status, Herrera said. This will make them
ineligible for permanent residency.
In the first phase of the amnesty program,
many services offered assistance to aliens who
wanted to apply for temporary residency, Her
rera said. Many of these services were not certi
fied by the Immigration and Naturalization Serv
ice (INS), he said.
If temporary residents fail to apply for perma-
ent residence within a year following their 18-
As a result, after receiving payment for assist
ing the alien with the temporary residency pa
perwork, these services closed their doors and
the alien was left unaware of the next steps in the
legalization process, Herrera said.
Due to these fraudulent immigration agencies,
INS designated two groups that could offer these
services: lawyers and “Qualified Designated Enti
ties” (QDEs), he said.
Julia Grimaldo Herrera Amnesty Services ob
tained QDE status in June of 1987.
“This means we have a contract with the INS
to do this type of work,” Herrera said.
Herrera said those who want to apply for per
manent residency under the amnesty program
must submit an application, three photographs
and an $80 money order to the district INS of
fice. In this area that would be the Austin office,
Herrera said.
The applicant must also fulfill an educational
requirement, he said.
To assist the temporary resident, Herrera Am
nesty Services offers legal and translation serv
ices. A ride service to the INS office and other
services are offered as well, Herrera said. For
more information call 775-8980.
&M participates in project, recruits
inority students to graduate school
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yYVONNESALCE
pedal to the Battalion
Recruitment of minority students
to graduate school has become a na-
fll tionwide project, and Texas A&M
rTniversity is striving to do its part.
|; Despite the all around low num-
edek 0 f Hispanics in graduate school,
equiS Texas A&M is doing much better
IpH than other universities, said Dr.
jluiwrence F. Guseman, Jr., Director
of Graduate Studies.
prime candidates for graduate
school, Guseman said. A list of
names is compiled and distributed to
other universities involved with
“Project 1000,” he added.
A second program, The Western
Name Exchange, is comprised of 49
universities predominately along the
West Coast.
University of Houston, University
of Texas and Baylor University all
dents,” Guseman said.
Guseman, who completed his un
dergraduate and Masters degree at
Texas A&M, said money should not
be a problem for minorities consid
ering graduate school.
“Money is not the reason,” Guse
man said. “There are fellowships
and assistantships available.” Texas
A&M offers a Minority Merit Schol
arship for up to $10,200 a year.
Is to
I Last fall, figures showed that of
,, t jhe 6,872 students attending Texas
Wit" A&M graduate program, 291 were
has Hispanic, 143 African-American
sareij and 4,587 were Anglo.
.jjteiii “People just aren’t going to grad-
“ uate school,” Guseman said. “They
| would much rather work.”
p Guseman said part of the reason
JW^ for the low numbers of Hispanics is
tisin? that emphasis on graduate school is
imaf low.
Hgifli “We are trying to get more stu-
We are trying to get more students, particularly
minorities, interested in graduate school.”
—Lawrence F. Guseman,
Director of Graduate Studies
ignff ^ ents > particularly minorities, inter
ested in graduate school,” he said.
ie In order to accomplish this task,
the Office of Graduate Studies par-
om ticipate in two nationwide recruit-
[ Bnent projects.
; The first, “Project 1000” began
ihbout three years ago, Guseman
■said.
^ t Jl “It’s goal is to get 1000 Hispanics
du
graduate school each year,” he
Questionnaires are sent out to
dispanic students with exceptional
frade point ratios and who may be
participate in the name exchange.
“We use The W'estern Name Ex
change as a recruiting device,” Guse
man said. Texas A&M began the
Western Name Exchange last
spring.
On the state level, Texas A&M
and other universities throughout
Texas participate in Graduate Pro
fessor School Days.
“Here is where the initial contact
is made,” Guseman said. General in
formation and brochures about
graduate programs at Texas A&M
are distributed, he said.
“More than half the trips of this
nature are predominately aimed at
African-American and Hispanic stu-
Yet, there are other reasons why
minorities are not considering fur
ther education.
“Primarily the interest is not the
re,” Guseman said. “Students usually
go into their primary job. This is
true for minorities and non-minori-
courses, like math and science, ht the
high school level, it will be harder to
fill in the gaps,” Guseman said.
Guseman said to wait six or seven
years before considering graduate
school.
“We’re seeing a lot of older people
coming back to get advanced de
grees,” he said.
Guseman advises undergraduate
students to start thinking about
graduate school in their junior year.
He said students should think
strongly about taking the GRE in the
fall of their senior year.
Most universities will look at a stu
dent’s last 60 hours for determining
their GPA, Guseman said.
The Texas A&M University grad
uate program requests the appli
cant’s GPR over the last two years,
GRE scores and three letters of rec
ommendation.
Finally, when choosing a graduate
school, Guseman said students
should talk to people in their depart
ment.
tites.”
Guseman said students often find
themselves academically unpre
pared when they begin their under
graduate career.
“They haven’t kept their options
open,” Guseman said. Sometimes
students prefer to take the easy
courses in high school instead of
preparing themselves for the future.
“If you don’t take those difficult
“Talk to someone who knows
your ability and knows what you can
and cannot do,” Guseman said.
A key question to ask a potential
university, he said, is where do your
students get jobs after graduate
school?
“I don’t thipk undergraduate stu
dents should stay at Texas A&M,”
Guseman said. “We don’t usually
hire our own graduates. If you con
tinue to ‘academic inbreed’ you can’t
get any new blood.”
Publisher shares experiences
Former student
gives helpful hints
By FRANCES ALONZO
Special to the Battalion
Move over Henry Cisneros.
You aren’t the only Hispanic Ag
gie to make it big.
Gerald Garcia, Class of ’66, has
opened doors and kicked down
barriers for future Hispanic jour
nalists to build on the foundation
he has created.
Garcia is the first Hispanic
newspaper publisher in the coun
try and is the chair of the Task
Force on Minorities in the News
paper Business. Currently Garcia
Geraldo Garcia, class of ‘66, is
the founder and president of the
NAHJ.
is the editor and publisher of the
Knoxville, Term. Journal.
Garcia is the first minority
newspaper publisher to head the
Task Force. He also served as
founding president of the Na
tional Association of Hispanic
Journalists in 1984.
Formerly a vice president of
the Gannett West Newspaper
Group, Garcia began his career in
1965 as a reporter and sports edi
tor for the Brenham Banner
Press.
Garcia worked as a reporter
for the Bryan/College Station Ea
gle and i etui tied 20 years later to
become the president and pub
lisher in 1985.
Born in Beeville in 1943, Gar
cia said that his first major at
Texas A&M was petroleum engi
neering, not journalism.
Because many oil fields were
near his hometown, Garcia
planned to work the fields, be a
supervisor and make good
money. Yet like other students,
his perspective changed in col-
lege.
With the expansion of his fu
ture came the unspoken expecta
tion that many Hispanics share,
to ultimately take care of their
parents in their retirement years.
“The only cause and motiva
tion of Spanish-speaking persons
of my generation was to get a
good education, go back home,
live in the same neighborhood
with a better lifestyle and ultima
tely to take care of (their) parents
in their retirement years,” Garcia
said.
He said he uses his education,
motivation and experience to in
form minority youth about the
opportunities in the newspaper
industry.
When visiting with students,
Garcia said he offers advice to
help students achieve their own
success.
Garcia advises students to be
patient and study. He said stu
dents should grow up at a slow
pace and should enjoy themselves
in their college years.
In order to move up the lad
der, it’s necessary to meet what’s
expected of you and to do your
work correctly the first time, Gar
cia said.
“You are not going to be the
editor of the first newspaper you
go work for,” he said. “You have
to pay your dues and start at the
bottom. All of this requires pa
tience. You can’t reach your ulti
mate goal in a short period of
time.”
Garcia said it is important to be
an activist in your work, your so
cial life and to get involved with
your family. He said that it is nec
essary to improve yourself
through taking on new assign
ments.
1 his doesn't mean you have to
be the first one to do it, just to be
better,” he said. “Not in the
phony competitive sense, but in
improving yourself to be better
See Garcia/Page 4B