illustrator: Enrique O. Sanchez
Lee & Low,
1993
grades 2-4
Maya
In the
Guatemalan countryside, a grandmother teaches her young granddaughter to weave
on a backstrap loom. “Pull back hard,” Abuela says, “make it jolt, so the
threads stay close, like family.” As her abuela and Esperanza weave fabric to
sell in Guatemala City, Abuela worries because more and more marketable goods
are being machine made, and Esperanza worries that customers will be frightened
of Abuela because of her prominent facial birthmark and the rumors that she is
a witch.
So
Abuela pretends to be a woman in mourning. Wrapping “a long black shawl around
her shoulders and across her face so that only her eyes appeared to the world,”
she walks behind her granddaughter, pretending not to know her. Alone,
Esperanza struggles to set up her wares, and many customers stop to admire the
large and elaborate tapestry they have made. Soon, everything has been sold,
Abuela shows up and takes off her scarf, and the two board the bus together for
the ride home.
This
story leaves one wondering what its lesson is. If it’s to show how a child is
taught to be self-reliant, it doesn’t work: A Mayan grandma would not leave a
young child alone, in a crowded marketplace, bartering and taking money. If
it’s to show that looks are not important, then why is Abuela ashamed of her
birthmark? In Mayan society, a birthmark can sometimes be an omen, but
generally it would be accepted for what it is. And if some people think that
grandma is a witch, they would be respectful of her. Fixation on unblemished
beauty just doesn’t cut it in Guatemala where people who work in sweatshops
have accidents, people working in the country get bitten by snakes and insects,
and many people get maimed and killed by the death squads. So this birthmark
thing appears to be a device to drive the story, which it doesn’t.
Although
Sanchez’s vibrant acrylic-on-canvas paintings show real people and reflect the
colors and patterns of Mayan textile art, I would rather have seen a warm story
of a little girl learning to weave from her grandmother, without all the angst
and drama.
Note
about words: Although the text is English, it’s understood that the people are
speaking either Spanish or a Mayan language or a mixture of both. But just
inserting a couple of Spanish words is confusing. For instance, Esperanza might
say, “yes, Grandma” or “sí, Abuelita,” but she wouldn’t say, “yes, Abuela.”
People live in homes, not huts; the word “hut” refers to a crude or makeshift
dwelling, and its use here is demeaning. And is it really necessary to describe
Abuela as having “wrinkled old hands”? Not recommended.
—Judy
Zalazar Drummond
(published 4/6/13)
(published 4/6/13)
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