Candelaria
Candelaria left her hometown of San Pablo Tijaltepec, in the Mixteca, to go to the United States, looking for the economic means to sustain her three daughters. She left after the death of her husband in the United States in 2005, where he was working illegally.
Bravely she tells that she was not afraid. Candelaria crossed without papers to California where she worked in the harvest of oranges, peaches and cherries. She was away for six months sending periodically money for her daughters that where left in the care of their paternal grandparents.
On her return, she found that her in-laws did not want to return her daughters to her. They said that she had abandoned them and that she no longer was part of the family. Not only did they keep her daughters, they also kept her house and all her savings. Candelaria fought very long and hard to recover her daughters. She placed a lawsuit before the authorities and with the counseling of the town’s teacher; she was able to recover two of her daughters. The eldest stayed with her grandparents as a servant. Her grandparents convinced her not to return with her mother.
In the interview, Candelaria did not talk much about this because she did not want to relive those moments. The details of the story where given by Marina Cruz, a close friend of the family, and friend of the town’s teacher that helped Candelaria in the recovery of her daughters. Candelaria today lives with her parents, siblings and cousins. On the day of the dead she decided to make an altar for her deceased husband. She calmly and well mannered, stayed quietly besides her husband’s tomb, enduring swearing and rudeness behavior from her husband’s family.
Candelaria is not looking for vengeance but lives in profound sadness because her oldest daughter does not want to be with her. She does not want to go any where in fear of loosing her two remaining daughters.
April 2009
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Candelaria |
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Ethnic dress