Vox Student Blog

Sexuality and Religion: Spanish conquista

Humans have always been bound by religion. It dictates the morality of a person; what is right or wrong. Hence, religion is related to every human activity, and it has been related to sexuality since humans started praying. Some religions are less strict than others, but they always have a said in a person’s sexuality; being sexual intercourse or sexual orientation prohibition. That fact was no exception in Spain during its colonization of the Americas. A visible change in sexuality culture, as well as religious culture, can be seen in the Americas during the Spanish conquista since the Spanish imposed their religious beliefs to the American natives. Native America before Spain looked very different than after its colonization. It had different more antiquated, technologies and many different religions and tribes. Hence, here only a broad aspect of native religion will be discussed. “The Spanish missionaries defined impurity, unchastity, incontinence, lust, and fornication as vices based on Catholic teachings about human sexuality and marriage” [1]. The characterization of natives by a Spanish conqueror. Although it is somehow true, his depiction does not describe the reason for them being like that. Most of the natives’ religions believed that sexuality was closely related to fertility, hence, their need to be sexually active as soon as they could. Even their depictions of sexual acts were very explicit like the Moche pottery in the Andes.

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Marriage

Many differences exist between the native’s religions and Catholicism, the main religion in Spain during the time. The native Americans just as the Spanish people did marry, several texts depict marriages among them. However, they did not believe that a man had to be married to the same woman all his life, as Catholics did, they were only compelled to keep the same wife when they have had children [2]. Although, adultery was more flexible in some tribes compared to the Spanish Catholicism and more punishable in others the same the conscious of fidelity existed in a marriage. The most punishable act of adultery was mainly to the woman and in some tribes if she had committed it with a member of another clan. The sex out of marriage was one of the most unusual sexual behaviors that the Spanish conquerors observed and made reference. However, the irony of this is unbelievable. The Spanish conquerors were committing the same sinner acts not only in the colonies but back in Spain as well. It was well known that it was common for men to have out-of-marriage relationships and mistresses. On the other hand, most of the native’s beliefs did not see anything wrong with men and woman having sex before marriage, something that the Catholic doctrine disallowed, the natives promoted it. As long as they were old enough, they would engage in sexual intercourse.

Same-Sex Relationships

The lust and the forbidden sex was not the most unusual sexual behavior observed by the Spanish, but same-sex marriage, especially between men. Several texts describe how two same-sex individuals engaged in sexual relationships as well as dressed as a person from the opposite sex [3]. “When the priests at Mission San Antonio caught two men engaging in ‘an unspeakably sinful act,’ and ‘tried to present to them the enormity of their deed,’ wrote Palou, one of the men protested that the other ‘was his wife.’” [1]. Cabeza de Vaca also expresses his disgust with the Catholic sin of same-sex intercourse in his book Chronicles of a Narvaez Expedition.

However, the natives treated homosexuality as usual in their lives and referred to them as an individual with two spirits in one body. Evidence translated by postconquest narratives shows that the Incas were a civilization that did not allow same-sex relationships. However, later evidence suggests the opposite bringing doubts in most of the theories of sexuality before the Spanish conquest especially because of the Spanish’s biased opinion catholic’s morals. For instance, Moche’s pottery depicting same-sex sexual acts.

Incest and polygamy were another behavior observed by the Spanish people. In some tribes, the natives had no problem with marrying their brothers or sisters; they “recognize in their marriages no relationship of affinity” [1]. Furthermore, it is well known that caciques and other wealthy members of the native community had multiple wives, as many as they could maintain, and many children as well.

After the Conquista

Hence, since the Spanish conquistadores main target was to convert all the natives to the Catholic religion most of these thoughts and beliefs were eradicated. For instance, during the colonization they forced the man who had many wives to choose one of them; they usually wanted the newer union because the younger woman would bear more children. However, there was also a lot of mixture between the two cultures. Sometimes women were given as gifts to Spanish conquerors or married just because they were attracted to one another [4]. One of this example is described in Cabeza de Vaca’s journal. The first target was to eliminate the nudity in their culture. Some sexuality aspects of the native Americans found their way to survive during the colonization. Another important goal was to eliminate sex before marriage, hence, the order was made from Toledo.

“Toledo ordered that evangelized natives caught cohabiting outside church-sanctioned wedlock receive 100 lashes of the whip ‘to persuade these Indians to remove themselves from this custom so detrimental and pernicious.'”

Rick Vecchio – Los Angeles Times

And the most important tradition they had to eliminate was same-sex relationships. Those who committed this catholic sin were cruelly punished especially during the Inquisition era around 1569 when homosexuals were burned at the stake in Peru. Even though some of this effort to eradicate and turn natives into Catholics and change their sexual beliefs were successful, some of these traditions still live today. For instance, the two-spirits belief, the same-sex relationship between the natives, was one that did not perish. It was even used in an appealing for same-sex rights in the United States [3]. Also, the thought that sex is only allowed in marriage and that women must remain celibate are slowly being eliminated in our society.

One can help it but to find irony in this subject. Today, in the modern world, many years after the Spanish colonized and turned most of the Americas to religions that mainly come from Catholicism, the papers have become. Today, the Americas, primarily Hispanic America, it is profoundly conservative with the sexuality doctrines. Most people living in these countries do not allow their daughters to have sex before marriage. They forbid same-sex relations as well as heavily punish the woman who commits adultery. On the other hand, Europe, mainly Spain, are impressively open-minded. Although conservative people exist, most of the youth support homosexuality and even same-sex marriage. The majority do not support that relationships have to be monogamous and allow sex before marriage.

[1] Q. D. Newell, “‘The Indians Generally Love their Wives and Children’: Native American Marriage and Sexual Practices in Missions San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San JosÉ,” vol. 91, no. 1, pp. 60–82, 2005 [Online].

[2] J. S. Jacobi, “TWO SPIRITS, TWO ERAS, SAME SEX: FOR A TRADITIONALIST PERSPECTIVE ON NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBAL SAME-SEX MARRIAGE POLICY,” vol. 39, pp. 823–851, Jul. 2006.

[3] A. N. Cabeza de Vaca, Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition. Stilwell: Neeland Media LLC, 2013 [Online].

[4] A. Lavrin, Sexuality in Colonial Spanish America. academia.edu: academia.edu, 2010, pp. 135–152.

[5] R. Vecchio, “Erotic ceramics reveal dirty little secret; Explicit depiction of sexuality was common in Peru, as was free love until suppressed by the Spanish. Pottery is popular in museums,” Los Angeles Times, p. A11, 07-Mar-2004.

Impacting Generations: Nicolas de Condorcet by Fabian Rodriguez

Introduction

The purpose of this project is to go back in time and explore the life of one of the most important figures in the fight towards social reforms and gender equality. I will be exploring Condorcet’s early life experiences and how they shaped him to become such a radical thinker for his time, and even today, for his views on women’s rights. By exploring big ideas like gender, race, women’s right and perfection, I will be able to discover how Condorcet’s contributions to society so many years ago has affected my personal and social life today.  I based my research on this figure, since as a man I have been impacted by strong women such as my mother and sister, throughout my entire life. I saw this as an opportunity to appreciate Condorcet’s contribution to society and how he helped my mom and my sister have a voice that can be heard.  

Early life of a revolutionary thinker: Nicolas de Condorcet

Named Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, but known as Nicolas de Condorcet, Nicolas was born in 1743 in a small town in France called Ribemont (1). His father was killed, in battle, shortly after his birth (2). Nicolas de Condorcet, was born from the ancient family of Caritat, who took their title from Condorcet, a town in Dauphiné (3). After the death of Nicolas’ father, his mother assigned him for protection to the virgin, where he wore white dresses until the unconventionally late age of eight (4). At the instigation of his paternal uncle, the orthodox-leaning bishop of Lisieux, Condorcet began his formal education at age nine (4). In his scholar years, he went to the Jesuit college in Reims and to the College of Navarre in Paris, where he excelled as a mathematician (3). He wrote papers on different subjects like mathematics after he became a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1769 (3). French philosopher and mathematician of the Enlightenment and advocate of educational reform and women’s rights (3). At only 21 years of age, his work on integral calculus, was praised by the Royal Academy of Science earning him the recognition by many as one of the top Europeans mathematicians of his time (4). In 1777, he was appointed secretary and spokesman of the French Academy of Science (2).  Another remarkable highlight in the life of Condorcet was his biography of a biography of Voltaire, and his mentorship of Auguste Comte accredited as the father of Sociology and with whom he had similar ideals regarding the progressive interpretation of history (1)

French Revolution: role of a radical thinker

Nicolas de Condorcet was very supportive of the French Revolution, since he saw this as the perfect time to strive for social reform (3). He helped draft the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the citizen (2). Condorcet was elected into the National Legislative Assembly in 1971, where he advocated to end the privileges of the monarchy, and proposed reforms for state education in France (4). However, he unsuccessfully tried to have girls educated alongside boys in colleges and universities, since he stated that gender has nothing to do with intellectual differences, the lack of educational opportunities is what affects women (4). 

Race

Race is still a very delicate topic in today’s society. Nicolas had a huge impact in the abolitionist movement in France through his work “Reflections on Black Slavery” and later by being the president of the Society of the Friends of Blacks (4). I decided to relate how equality of race has affected me as an immigrant of a different ethnicity. It is very hard to live in a place where you are looked down upon and feel like you don’t fit in. Even though, I still go through these uncomfortable situations, I feel like the battle of Nicolas against racism and slavery really made it much simpler. 

Women’s rights

“The rights of men stem exclusively from the fact that they are sentient beings, capable of acquiring moral ideas and of reasoning upon them. Since women have the same qualities, they necessarily also have the same rights. Either no member of the human race has any true rights, or else they all have the same ones; and anyone who votes against the rights of another, whatever his religion, color or sex, automatically forfeits his own.”

Nicolas de Condorcet discussed the fact that the obstacles that women face in society are based on their lack of education and opportunity just because of their sex. Furthermore, he states the equality of not just women compared to men but also racial and religious equality and how by putting someone’s right over others just based on these simple things as gender, race, or religious affiliation you are basically relinquishing your own rights. 

Condorcet’s battle against the oppression of women has really impacted me in a profound way. I was raised in an environment where my mom was a role model for me. She was able to become a doctor and I can’t stop thinking about the fact that she was able to achieve her dream due to the sacrifice of figures like Nicolas de Condorcet. The fact that I have the opportunity to be sitting next to my sister, studying in a university working to achieve a better version of ourselves each day. It is shocking to me to think about how the work of someone more than 300 years ago has allowed my mom and my sister to have a voice and important place in society. 

Perfection

One of Condorcet’s major focus was humankind strive for perfection; and we can see that in his work titled Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind, where he listed nine stages that the human race has gone through and states that the following step is going to be perfection. Even though, a perfect human race cannot be truly achieved, I believe that Condorcet’s ideals towards the better of humanity has helped me personally by inspiring me to become a better person every day, and by becoming a more capable member of society I can have a more direct impact in my surroundings. 

Reflection: How Condorcet’s life impacted mine

As I was doing this project, I found it very hard to connect my personal life to the work of another person that lived over 300 years ago. However, after some hours of research and an open mind, I was able to create a bond and a sense of appreciation for the sacrifice and the contributions Nicolas de Condorcet made to society. As I sat here reflecting how Condorcet’s life impacted mine I can honestly say that the first and most important thing that comes to mind is the fact that I get to sit next to my sister in a classroom where she has the same opportunities as me and where her voice matters as much as mine. I will forever be in debt to people that spend their lives in search of a more inclusive and “perfect” world like Nicolas de Condorcet did. 

References

1. Beck, D. (n.d.). EMECC Early Modern Forum 1450 – 1850. Retrieved April 04, 2019, from https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/ecc/emforum/projects/brieflives/nicolas_de_condorcet/
2. Smith, P. (2013, March 20). The Marquis de Condorcet: 1. Life and Times. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMjW1dNwXLU
3. Acton, H. B. (2019, March 25). Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas-de-Caritat-marquis-de-Condorcet
4. Landes, J. (2016, January 20). The History of Feminism: Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/histfem-condorcet/
5. Nicolas de Condorcet Quotes (Author of Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind). (n.d.). Retrieved April 09, 2019, from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5820660.Nicolas_de_Condorcet
6. Race Versus Stereotypes, Which One Is The Real Problem? (2014, September 07). Retrieved from https://thenotsoobvious.com/2014/09/07/race-versus-stereotypes-which-one-is-the-real-problem/
7. Smith, P. (2013, May 21). Condorcet: 3.1. The Rights of Women (part 1). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsDI-Td9PMw
8. Aubin, M. (2019, March 12). Nicolas de Condorcet, a scientist serving the public interest. Retrieved from https://blog.open-agora.com/en/nicolas-de-condorcet-2/
9. The Myth of Perfectionism; How to Stop Being Your Worst Critic. (2017, October 25). Retrieved from http://mayowaoluyede.com/the-myth-of-perfection/
10. (10)Condorcet. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.emaze.com/@AQOQCZZL
11. The First Essay on the Political Rights of Women by Nicolas de Condorcet. (2011, March 24). Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20990730-the-first-essay-on-the-political-rights-of-women

Equality in Death: The Life of Joseph-Ignace Guillotine

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Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was born on March 28, 1738 in Saintes, located in southern France– he was an aries. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin always excelled within his studies in Reims, France; he was interested in the arts and for a brief period of time, he became literature professor at the University of Bordeaux. Despite his success, Guillotin left for Paris and soon became an established physician, one of the best in the city. He was instrumental in the beginnings of the French Revolution as a chosen representative in the Estates General. One of the more outspoken members, Guillotin advocated for an equal representation of all of the classes and more non-nobility citizens in the Estates General, one of its undeniable flaws. He even supported women’s rights to be represented amongst the Estates General, something very uncommon during this time. Dr. Guillotin was a very outspoken and intelligent man. In a culture where almost everything is predetermined based on your social status and there is not much freedom to use other skills in a professional field, a literature major and professor moved forward towards an intricate field: medicine. Even in today’s “progressive” society, this is not common in France nor is it often even imagined by those lucky enough to continue their education, yet Dr. Guillotin accomplished this feat and much more. Not only did he then become an established doctor, but he also never gave up his literature background; by using his foundations as a scholar and writer, he became an active politician fighting for human rights- something that once was the core value of the Revolution, but became twisted along the way.

Despite his infamous killing machine, the guillotine, Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was a capital punishment abolitionist; he was staunchly against any practices revolving around executions. He believed that all of the current killings were unnecessarily cruel and was simply sorted based on your class in society. Whenever people of the lower, working classes were sentenced to death, they would often be: hung, which could take hours if improperly executed, quartered, painfully ripped apart by horses running in different directions, or even sentenced to the breaking wheel, where one’s bones would be broken and then bludgeoned or stoned to death. Wealthier or upper classes, would be privileged with the opportunity to be beheaded, however, this too had many issues. Each family or individual would have to hire their own executioner, with some being swifter and “better” than others. Otherwise, those families on the lower tier of the upper class would often risk hiring executioners who may have dull blades or simply would not complete the job in one swing; nonetheless, it always depended upon how much money you were willing to spend, even on your death bed.

These injustices, along with his personal experience as a doctor, pushed Guillotin to advocate against the death penalty, often writing many pamphlets criticizing against it. However, as time elapsed and the gruesome executions continued to occur, Guillotin realized that he should switch his focus to solving the most immediate concern: the way in which people are being tortured to death. This concern is what led him to propose to the National Assembly a law that would make the guillotine the official instrument of capital punishment, until its abolition in 1981. He oversaw the development of the first prototype and advocated for its use within the Assembly, that led to its successful use. Many critique Dr. Guillotin for the contradictions between his actions and his morals, and label him as a hypocrite for going against one of his fundamental beliefs against capital punishment. However, I fully disagree with these critiques of his character. Rather than being a hypocrite, Dr. Guillotin was an actor of change. The only reason why he chose to oversee the development of this machine was because he recognized that at this specific point in time, despite all of his efforts, he was not going to be able to prevent death nor would he be able to prevent capital punishment. Injustices were still occurring based on social class, people were still being tortured to death so he needed to make a decision, a change. He was an intelligent person and considering the political and societal environment at the time, this was the only solution to prevent unnecessarily cruel deaths.

After its invention, the guillotine soon became the favorite object of the National Assembly and its successors soon after. During its height in the Reign of Terror under Maximilien Robespierre, between 1793-1794, almost 2,600 people had been sentenced to execution. By 1799, it was an upwards count of over 15,000 who had been beheaded. The guillotine did not discriminate between class, as was Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin’s main purpose, it claimed the lives of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as well as common thieves and those who were “against the state.” Also, during Nazi Germany, Hitler was reported for using the guillotine and killed around 16,500 people by decapitation.

Despite this widely used machine, Dr. Guillotin did not want to be associated with it nor did he ever wish for his name to be used in connection with the machine because, as previously mentioned, he was a staunch capital punishment abolitionist. Moreover, he only aimed to invent this device to provide equality in death for all French citizens; he did not believe that they should be subjected to cruel and unnecessarily violent deaths. The guillotine was never intended to be such a public nor entertaining event. He wished that it would take place in a private center, however, he was horrified by the increasing fanfare and bloodlust for dire entertainment amongst his fellow citizens. It is easy to see why he and his family petitioned the French government to change the name of the machine; after they were rejected, they decided to change their family name altogether.

Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was an active advocate for human rights in France and was one of the leaders in advocating for structural change. In his Petition of the Citizens Living in Paris, this pamphlet argued for the humane and egalitarian executions as well as an equal representation within the Estates-General for all citizens. Once elected as a representative within the National Assembly, he was able to pass a law that required all sentences of death to be carried out by his machine. During a follow up speech in 1789 defending his machine, he has been quoted as saying, “Now with my machine I take off your head in the twinkling of an eye, and you never feel it.” Many critics soon shamed his words and ridiculed him and his speech in various periodicals, nonetheless, he stayed dedicated to getting his plan approved and passed into law.

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin struggled with the legality of the death penalty. While morally he knew that he could not stand behind or support capital punishment, within his government, he struggled to defend against it. This same fight is one that is held all over the world in the current international system. As of 2017, there are about 142 countries around the world that have abolished the death penalty and many more that have not used it within the past 10 years or allow the penalty in extraneous circumstances. Nonetheless, in the United States, the death penalty is legal in 30 states, including Florida. As a prospective criminal attorney with hopes of living and working within Florida, this same battle is a reality that I may face. Whether I will be on the prosecution or the defense is still a mystery, however, I will be faced with the same dilemma: how does one justify capital punishment? This is something that I have and will continue to struggle with as I move throughout my law career. Thankfully, in part to Dr. Guillotin, society does not have to face the torturous deaths that were rampant during these times. However, despite the newfound “equality in death,” the death penalty is still an extreme and permanent punishment. Death cases do carry a heavy toll on one’s heart because an actual life is on the line, whether or not you are on opposing sides of the bench, the fate of an entire person’s life rests in your hands. While I am against the death penalty, as I do not feel it is within mankind’s authority to end a person’s life, because the method is egalitarian and not painful, it does make the extreme decision to do so a lighter burden to many. Nevertheless, the law does not entirely reflect nor does it care about “feelings.” It also would be wrong to deny that in extreme cases, the thought of capital punishment would be so heinous; for example, it would seem almost crazy that people would be against Ted Bundy getting the death penalty. But still, should humans be the ones to decide on life and when to end it? This is still something that I struggle with and will continue to do so throughout my entire career. Nonetheless, these discussions should occur within our society and should reflect the beliefs of all of the citizens. Dr. Guillotin’s arguments have helped to propel the fight to abolish capital punishment all over the world.

Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin lived a life dedicated to trying to achieve equal rights for all people, regardless of social or economic class. Though his machine helped to define a Reign of Terror, he did not advocate for any of the senseless killings to occur. As a proponent for equality under the law as well as equal representation, he has helped to shape our society today. Though creating this machine had made it easier to execute people by justifying the lack of pain, he also did create an egalitarian way for all to be executed and put an end to a torturous death that was common to the previous eras. His writings have been used to help abolish capital punishment in France and all over the world, while it has also served to ensure that those states that continue to practice capital punishment do so in a way that does not discriminate against anyone and is as painless as possible. He truly changed the landscape and redefined what it meant to have equality in death.

References:

Britannica, T. E. (2017, October 26). Guillotine. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/guillotine

Death of Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/death-joseph-ignace-guillotin

Death Penalty Facts. (2019, March 22). Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/19/us/death-penalty-fast-facts/index.html

Joseph Ignace Guillotin – Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia. (2018, July 28). Retrieved from https://alchetron.com/Joseph-Ignace-Guillotin#-

Joseph Guillotine – The Doctor of Death | History Channel on Foxtel. (2017, June 09). Retrieved from https://www.historychannel.com.au/articles/joseph-guillotine-the-doctor-of-death/

Russo, N. (2016, March 25). The Death-Penalty Abolitionist Who Invented the Guillotine. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/the-man-behind-the-guillotine-opposed-the-death-penalty/475431/

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/2275.html

Team, R. C. (2018, October 14). Death penalty: How many countries still have it? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45835584

Kathleen Gomez is a senior at Florida International University studying English Literature. She is in the Honors College and is currently working as a substitute teacher. One day she hopes to have a career which combines her love of literature and baking. In July of 2020, she will be studying abroad in France, learning more about history, the world, and pastries.

Vizcaya as Text

“The Decadence of a Fence” by Kathleen Gomez of FIU at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

From the painting of the Virgin Mary slashed in half simply to be displayed over an organ to the fake books lining the walls to the installation of a dumbwaiter so as not to see any workers, Vizcaya is a true testament to the absolute decadence that wealth can afford. Nothing less could be expected as the first thing you see when you walk into the house is a statue of Dionysus, Greek god of wine, pleasure, and overall debauchery. From the garish Rococo decor in certain rooms to the expanse of elegant gardens with a view of the water, there is no shortage of beauty to look at when visiting Vizcaya. However, when you look up who constructed Vizcaya, you undoubtedly get the name James Deering, and of course, while he owned, paid for, and designed the house, records seem to forget he did not take up the hammer alone; there is nothing of the tenth of Miami’s population or the many Bahamian builders who were enlisted to complete the project. We can appreciate and indulge in the luxurious lifestyle of Deering by visiting his house and living vicariously through retellings of the history all we want but we shouldn’t forget those who helped build it and who lived there to help keep it running because, in the end, it was just as much their house as Deering’s. 

Just because Deering had a secret garden where those of the upper class could sneak away for affairs with those of lower social standing doesn’t mean that we should keep the people who helped build this lavish house a secret of history. Upon first walking up to the house and seeing the moat, the words of David Walker, an American abolitionist, came to mind: “The greatest riches in all America have arisen from our blood and tears: and will they drive us from our property and homes, which we have earned with our blood?” When you think back to the moat that was added to keep people off the property and the concealed passages for workers to slip by unnoticed by higher society, you truly see the divide that comes about with excess. As we saw in episode 6 of Versailles, Louis XIV was unsympathetic towards, or at least unaware of, the needs of his workers, showing how money can create a barrier between people and that sometimes that barrier is a moat.  So what makes something belong to someone? Is it the one who pays for it with money or the one who pays for it with work?

MOAD as Text

“A language of Liberty: A Freedom Tower Abecedarian” by Kathleen Gomez of FIU at the Freedom Tower

All our histories are reflected back at us

behind glass cases, plastered on walls.

Cartographers documented our paths across a nation

detailing our journey from HOME to home.

Every face staring back at me has a story

from the ones in a frame to the ones talking to me as we walk up the stairs.

Gomez, Rodolfo. I hear the name echoing in the walls of this tower.

Here, in the heart of Miami, stands a monument to freedom. 

Inspired by the Giralda, the grand bell tower in Spain,

jutting out along the Miami skyline,

knelling the freedom that so many seek in the US. 

Lingering outside, I can’t help but smile at

“My statue of liberty.” Did he have this same feeling?

No one knows our story, and yet everyone does. 

Oceans away, we found the idea for universal human rights.

Perhaps I’m only an American. Maybe I don’t know Spanish and I can’t

quite say Pedro Pan or Ministerio del Interior with ease but

really, when I walk up to the glass cases in this tower I see my history, I

see my grandpa’s eyes smiling in mine, his nose wrinkling with laughter.

Taking a look out the window, I see the city that greeted him.

Understand that without the notion of universal human rights, the

very European ideology of crossing an ocean, of fighting for equality, I

wouldn’t be here today, looking at a city made up of dreams. Leave your

xenophobia at the door on your way into our city and

yell from this monument of freedom, shout from this statue of liberty with

zeal that La Libertad para todos está aquí.

Deering Estate as Text

“Where Art and Nature Converge” by Kathleen Gomez of FIU

“Out of the rolling ocean the crowd came a drop gently to me,”

a drop that has traveled from far and wide,

across the earth, foaming and chasing

by the tide. 

I’ve been cleansed by the Basin,

by the drops that have seen more world than I.

Epics are told in the lap of water on the shore,

and what can I do but listen?

Art is born from inspiration,

from the stories we hear dancing in the trees,

words waltzing in on a wind blown in from miles away,

from splashes in the brackish sky

and clouds in the clear sea.

These two fingers feel the pulse of the ocean,

nothing can mar el mar.

Art resides in nature,

the currents are sculptors,

shaping and carving new worlds.

The sun, smiling on the Point, 

a painter, splattering colors on canvas each night.

The crunch of the leaves underfoot, musicians,

singing a dirge for those who became earth. 

The plants out back, dancers

swaying and twisting their limbs, 

moving in patterns rare to the land.

And me? I can only hope a poet,

sitting on the edge of departure,

crafting ekphrastic phrases

that may go to someone

as the drop came to me.

The words bob in my head as though a bottle on the sea

and anchored by a house of stone,

they shatter on the shore. 

Nature is a masterpiece,

the estate its museum

and all of us now and again patrons,

in residency or not,

interpreting the beauty of the earth

and making it our own

“Every day at sundown for your dear sake, my love.”

-After Walt Whitman

History Miami as Text

“Are Words Enough?” by Kathleen Gomez of FIU

Can mere words do history justice?

What does a little placard hung up in a little room matter

when no one even knows the museum exists?

A footnote is not a sufficient place for stories.

For histories.

And do you want to know how I know that?

Because today you hear “the Chinese virus” dripping from TVs,

see people scorched with dirty looks and branded with disgust. 

A museum off of Flagler Street doesn’t matter in the end

if textbooks aren’t stained with our mistakes.

No, not just mistakes.

Atrocities. 

We have blood on our hands and a little memorial in a dark room won’t cut it anymore.

It’s time for schools to have classes dedicated to the people we’ve put out of house and home.

Words are just the start.

Words mean nothing if they’re spoken for no one to hear,

Written for no one to read. 

Words need to be acted upon,

Spoken over and over for people to memorize.

To know.

To commit to their hearts and change their ways.

We may be the “Magic City”

But shoving our past all onto the second floor causes us to lose our charm. 

Do not take this the wrong way, 

We should all visit the history of Miami at the HistoryMiami museum

And learn about the true Floridians,

The ones that lived here before the colonial experience

The ones that built the city we live in today.

But an afternoon spent strolling through exhibits shouldn’t be our stopping point.

Words can do history justice as long as we don’t tuck them away or whisper them.

Words can do history justice as long as we don’t stop speaking them.

Miami Beach as Text

“A Golden Shovel Lying on the Shore of South Beach” by Kathleen Gomez of FIU

I cannot wait for that exultation

that will wash over me as I finally stand on the shore. Is

that day so far away? How much longer till I can walk along the

words that make up my city, going

from “Some Days at Sea” to the feeling of 

one day on the beach? I long for the glow I’ll feel on Ocean Drive when an 

icon studded in neon reminds me I’m no longer stuck inland.

I’m finally back on the beach, babe. I feel my soul

walk two paces behind me, taking in the sights, the smells, the city. I can’t wait to 

peek out that porthole window in my pastel portmanteau-esque sea-

side motel and see Miami fill the streets of Miami again. Then I’ll walk past 

the mangroves’ epitaph written in the foam that tickles my toes and know the 

worst thing in the world is not to be confined to our houses.

I cannot wait to get lost on the beach and think about all that can’t be lost to the past.

I cannot wait to watch the Miami sun get caught in the stained glass of the 

Jewish Museum and watch it shed light on stories too true not to tell. Caught in our headlands,

we cannot forget what we have done. Caught up in the moment we must plunge into

the present and make amends for the past. Watch me fall deep

into the now of Miami that holds a past and a future of eternity.

–After Emily Dickinson

Purpose of the Project

Throughout this semester, I had the opportunity to travel back in time and have a better understanding of France’s art, religion, politics, human rights and the power of women in society. In general, the overall purpose of this project is to analyze Simone Annie Liline Veil and to reflect on how her ideas influenced the way many people in society look up to her. Also, while analyzing important achievements and contributions of hers, I will be able to connect Simone’s ideals to my personal life as well. 

Who was Simone Annie Liline Veil?

Simone Annie Liline Veil was born in Nice, France on July 13^th, 1927 (1). At a very young age, Simone had to face the inhumanities and cruelty in ‘’concentration camps’’ along with some members of her family (2). During this time, she also had to overcome many obstacles such as the loss of her mother, father, and brother (2).  Fortunately, she was lucky enough to survive, not just to tell her story, but to fight for changes in France and Europe. Even though, the years she spent in the concentration camps were the darkest of her life, Veils went back to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2005 where she spoke; and along with other holocaust survivors they celebrated the ‘’60^thanniversary of the liberation of the camps’'(1). Years later, she became a lawyer and a politician, where she not only represented her nation and Europe, but she also elevated the power of women in society by serving as Minister of Health, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France (2). Veil died in France on June 30^th, 2017. She was honored with a special ceremony by many politicians, holocaust survivors, and even the president of France. Simone was then reburied in the Pantheon (a place where the bodies of important French figures lie) on July 1, 2018 (2).

Power of Women in Society, Women’s Rights, and Freedom. 

The role that women play in society has transcended within the years. Back in time, not only in France, but here in the United States and other parts of the world as well, women did not have the right to vote, to obtain an education, or even to form part of political affairs. However, nowadays the issue has been perceived different thanks to incredible women like Simone.

Simone is a real example of how far a woman can go when their visions are strong enough to change the world. During her life, Simone served as Minister of Health of France (1974-1979), President of the European Parliament (1979-1993), and member of the Constitutional Council of France(1998) in which she had a huge impact not only in the power of women in society, but also in their rights and freedom (2).

Simone worked hard in order to improve the conditions in women’s prisons (2). She fought for the adoptive rights of women and helped elevate the value of French women’s status (1). However, France remembers her by two important contributions: the legalization of contraceptives in France on December 4th, 1974 and the legalization of abortion in France on January 17^th, 1975 (1). Fighting for such rights in a political setting were men dominated was not an easy task for Simone. Expressing her ideals about such a controversial topic triggered aggression and insult towards her and her family (1). However, these humiliations never stopped Simone from exposing her ideas. She fought with intelligence and courage for the betterment of women, for what she believed was right. It is important to highlight that Simone believed that abortion should be the last resource, but that women should have the right to decide for their lives. She saw motherhood as a choice rather than just a decision made by someone else. Today, not only in France, but around the world, people thank Simone for her ‘’courageous and determined fight’’ in order to legalize abortion.

Reflection and How I Relate to Simone

I relate some of my life experiences with many of the obstacles that Simone had to face throughout her life. I know what it feels like to be separated from someone you love, I know how it feels like to miss someone special. When my dad decided to come to the United States in seek of a better future, the Cuban government didn’t let my mom, my brother and I come with him. Since my mom was a doctor she had to wait for the government to ‘’liberate’’ her in order to come to the United States. The process took about three years. I can honestly say that these were the worst years of my life. I sympathize with Simone because after all the suffer, she found the strength to fight for her dreams and to bring peace to a ‘’divided Europe’’.

As a women, I could not feel more represented by Simone’s ideas. In a world where women are still struggling for equality, where women make less than a man that holds the same scholar degree as her, it is important to highlight the contributions of a women that builded a platform in the changes that we as women want to see today. Because of Veil’s efforts in normalizing the duality of man, I alongside millions of other young woman, can comfortably fight for our rights without the fear of getting seriously reprimanded. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Veil’s impact is still reflected and talked about today. Though today Veil’s efforts are undergoing an era of attack, legalizing abortions saved the lives of many.

Wrap- Up

References

(1). “Veil, Simone (1927—).”. “Veil, Simone (1927-).” Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia.com, 2019, http://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/veil-simone-1927.

(2). “Simone Veil.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Apr. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Veil.

Thank you for Reading

Sheyla E Rodriguez.

Gabriel Sánchez is a Sophomore in the Honors College at Florida International University majoring in International Business. He is on his way to graduating in the Fall of 2021 and plans to continue his upper division education in law school. He will be traveling with Professor Bailly to France in the Summer of 2020.

Vizcaya as Text

“Same Traveler, New Outlook”, by Gabriel Sanchez of FIU at Vizacaya Museum & Gardens on January 31, 2020

On January 31^st, Professor Bailly took his France Study Abroad class on a tour to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. This was my second time visiting Vizcaya; however, I realized this was the first time I would be appreciating such architecture, landscape, and one of Miami’s greatest views. This entire trip may have just changed the way I appreciate historical landmarks when I travel.

Professor Bailly guided us to the entrance and he immediately began lecturing. I paid attention to his voice more than being given the chance to admire the moat that was 10 feet deep, full of water and later cacti that would keep trespassers away. Never really caring about the French words, “J’ai Dit” translating to “I have spoken”, located on the north staircase. Even the chandeliers, the paintings, and the furniture meant nothing to me. All I seemed to be worried about was the quiz that I would have instead of admiring and taking in the details of history and architecture of Deering’s dream come true. However, as soon as Bailly led us to the back entrance of the house, I became captivated with the barge. I immediately traveled back to the month of December in 2019, where I spent two weeks traveling through Italy. Venice, being one of the most beautiful cities that captured my attention, suddenly engulfed my memory, as I stood there near the barge at Vizcaya. It seems like the water, the sunset, the architecture, and the boats blended into a common element of beauty and peace. Now, I understand why so many enjoy traveling. Traveling allows one to escape their worries they may have at work, school, or even in their own house. Traveling allows one to step outside their comfort zone and truly appreciate history and natures beauty, anywhere one may find them. Travelling allows one to fully experience the things we learn and read about in school, books, and television.

During this trip to Vizcaya, I expected just a day of note taking and reviewing as soon as I made my way home. Luckily, I left with what will soon be one of the greatest trips of my life, filled with admiration of parts of the world I have yet to discover. However, most importantly, more moments back in Miami that remind me of grateful I should be for having the opportunity, at a very young age to visit other countries.

MOAD as Text

“Freedom, Opportunity, but first, Sacrifice” by Gabriel Sanchez of FIU at Museum of Art & Design on February 21st, 2020

On February 21^st, Professor Bailly took his France study abroad class to explore the depths and history of the Freedom Tower at the Museum of Art & Design. Known as the “Ellis Island of the South”, I learned on this trip that the Freedom Tower is much more than just a marvelous structure of architecture, it is the ultimate symbol for universal human rights.

Dating back since 1924, the Freedom Towers history truly caught my attention once Professor Bailly mentioned the “Pedro Pan”. Operation Peter Pan was essentially parents with children ranging from the age of nine to eighteen, being sent to the United States, in order to escape the terror of Fidel Castro’s continuous rise in dictatorship in Cuba. The only thought that circulated in my head was how a parent had the courage, and the final say in sending their child away, potentially never being able to see them again. Right there and then, I thought of my Father. Although he is was not apart of the “Pedro Pan”, he was caught up in a similar situation. In 1983, at the age 17, he and his three sisters were forced out of Nicaragua, due to the rise and implementation of communism, led by Daniel Ortega. My grandfather sent my father to California with some relatives, and his three sisters to upstate New York to a convent that my grandfather’s older sister was a mother superior. I finally began to realize that since I am not a parent, I refuse to believe I can understand the decision parents of children apart of operation Pedro Pan and my grandfather made, but I was given a glimpse of their point of view. My grandfather put aside his selfishness of wanting to see my father and aunts grow up and stay with him and be together as a family. Instead, he made the ultimate sacrifice, knowing he may never see his children again and sent them off to America, with better opportunity, advantages, and freedom.

The life I live is owed all to my grandfather. My father went from riches in Nicaragua to rags in California, to eventually building his way to his top by finishing high school, starting and finishing college, and having his own family. The Freedom Tower is known for much more than Operation Pedro Pan and Cuban parents sending their children, hoping for a better opportunity. The Freedom Tower represents parents putting aside their selfish desires to keep their family together and understand that if there is true opportunity and freedom for their child to attain, they will take advantage of it. That Freedom Tower represents the life I live now, full of freedom and opportunity. My grandfather sent my father to America, in order to ensure his children and future grandchildren’s lives would not be wasted. In my eyes, the Freedom Tower is no longer just a fine building of architecture, it is the embodiment of universal human rights.

Deering Estate as Text

“To More Memories” by Gabriel Sanchez of FIU at Deering Estate

Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, FIU, and Universities across the country transitioned to remote learning for the remainder of the semester. Sadly, I was not able to venture with my classmates to explore and experience Deering Estate as the unit we have become. However, Deering Estate is not completely foreign to me. I have visited a few times and have just learned what memories have been created in such a historical part of Miami.

Ever since I could remember, I have been making slight appearances at Deering Estate. My first time, as a 6^th grader, being excited to discover and hunt for ghosts on Deering Estates annual Ghost Tour. Choosing to ignore everything the tour guide had to say about Miami’s first pioneers. Not understanding how lucky I was, getting the opportunity, to walk on the same land as the Native Americans that made their mark, and the history of Charles Deering himself. As a high schooler, I was a part of Mrs. Wilcox Miami Youth Chamber Music (MYCM), playing Smetna’s String Quartet no. 1 in E minor and Schubert’s String Quintet in C, D.956 with aspiring musicians. I also saw Richard Blanco this year as a sophomore in college, recite his most famous poems in the beautiful Stone House, where most of Deering Estates events take place. I like to believe that Charles Deering smiles during moments like these, as he enjoyed showcasing his art collection. The Stone House being a peaceful place for him to channel serenity in his last years on earth. Deering, in my eyes, would have wanted us all to be able to showcase our art, through an exhibit, a poetry reading, or bringing musicians around to enjoy classics. 

Although I was not able to visit Deering Estate during such a hectic time around the world, I am extremely glad I did not. I would have never been able to reflect on the memories I have curated at Deering Estate, now finally understanding how special those moments were and how amazing it is to have them formed there. The next time I visit Deering Estate, I hope to make new memories with the same feeling of realization at such a historical landmark in Miami.

Miami Beach (South Beach) as Text

“The true meaning of Community” by Gabriel Sanchez of FIU at Miami Beach

The South Beach that I have known to love does not sound anything like the South Beach in the past. Once Carl Fisher set foot on the “wasteland” that he had discovered on vacation, he failed to realize that he could not just simply erase the true origin of South Beach that continues to live on to this day. South Beach has always been and will always be the multiracial, melting pot that many visit and many light up to call home.

Before Fisher set foot, it was a small town where the color of one’s skin did not matter and what language one spoke did not matter. However, once Fisher decided to develop South Beach, Miami took a dark turn for the worse. For example, at one point in time, African Americans became banned from their right to public beaches and Jews were not allowed to live north of 5^th street. Although, with all the discrimination everyone but a white man endured, the only thing Fisher could not change was the heart South Beach was born with.

South Beach was born with loving and open arms that created the true meaning of community. Fisher may have forgotten that African Americans, Afro-Bahamians, and Seminoles helped inhabit this region, but not me, and most importantly, not South Beach. South beach then, and South Beach today is the home of embracing different cultures, finding something in common with people of different backgrounds, and still seeing them as your neighbor. I finally feel like I understand South Beach and Miami, Florida. When one asks me how Miami is, my answer will not just describe how great the weather is and how different the food is. “Miami is a large family, really encapsulating the meaning of a community, where no one worries what language they speak and what they look like because we all built this city together.” Everyone needs to understand, especially across the country, that we are all in this together.

As a young boy, growing up in the suburbs of Miami, Florida, I am disappointed to admit that I have never been to South Beach. However, when the time comes and I do visit, I will not just treat it as a nice day at the beach, but a day full of history every step I take, thanks to my community.

History Miami as Text

“History Miami Museum: Not allowing the past to repeat itself” by Gabriel Sanchez of FIU at History Miami Museum

What really struck me about the History Miami Museum is not the wooden implements from the Archaic and the Glades Period, the beautiful mural found in the museum core exhibition, Tropical Dreams: A Peoples History of South Florida, or even the Trolleys that were previously used in Miami in the 1920s, painfully reminding everyone who steps in what life used to be like not too long ago. History Miami’s Mission Statement shifted my attention from any of the exhibits before I even had the chance to continue the virtual tour. The mission consists of focusing on the past, whether good or bad, and using it to be better, highlighting everything that makes the city of Miami, Miami, today.

The History of Miami Museum refuses to shy away from its past. It is known that the “Creek Migration” is infamous for the Creeks tribes having to migrate farther down south to escape genocide of the colonizers taking their freedom and land away from them. It is highlighted inside of the museum. In addition, another exhibit shows how one of the only reasons that Miami is a city, is because of 12 black men who helped construct the railroad in 1896. Those same men suffered from oppression and enslavement. Now those men are identified by their full names when one learns about through this exhibit. There is even an exhibit dedicated to the same trolleys that used to ride around South Florida in the 1920s, reminding everyone who was not white, that they had to either stand or go right to the back.

What truly makes this Museum a must if one lives in Miami or if one is visiting, is due to its raw persona that is displayed throughout every exhibit. History Miami Museum is not afraid to admit that the city has made some mistakes. History Miami does not shy away from its past actions, embracing the horrendous decisions, but not letting the past define them. Throughout each exhibit, they are highlighting their faults and giving the respect and credit deserved to the people they have done wrong, today. They are in no way trying to destroy history, but showcase how it has changed them for the better, showing the city of Miami that they are not the same, but so much better. This museum is doing its part in making sure, the bad side of history does not repeat itself.

I am an International Relations and Poli Sci major with only one semester to go before graduation. I hope to one day work on Capitol Hill. I love to WATCH sports, specifically soccer. I am 20 years old and was born in Cuba but raised in Miami and I do not like cafecito.

“A Hoarder’s Compromise” by Daniela Valdes Posada of FIU at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens

James Deering was nothing if not the most particular man on the planet. But it seems he collected just about everything he thought was valuable inside of Vizcaya. Every room inside of Vizcaya was full of something. Whether it was artwork or furniture or just a room of a bunch of different types of tile.  It seems like James saw something and he HAD to have it. Every single room in his “house” was filled, with just enough room to get from one door to another. His office was full of bookshelves of fake books and the walls with pictures of random children, all in his effort to appear to be a regular man. But this is the only way that James tried to be a regular man. In every other aspect he had to be best and have the most. There were rooms full of furniture and about 500 places to sit, although the placement of the furniture was odd and did not seem like it was meant to be sat on. James reminds me of my dad, who picks up and takes home everything he finds, even if we already have 3 of them. Except James collected items most people would kill for and that cost thousands of dollars. And my dad picks up everything he sees at the thrift store or dumpster downstairs. So I think it’s safe to say that like my father, James Deering was a hoarder, and Vizcaya was his Hoarder’s paradise, given its large amount of useless rooms. 

But while the interior of Vizcaya was a hoarder’s paradise, when he got to the outside, someone said “Enough.”  Even though there are thousands of different plants and flowers on the exterior of the house, there is plenty of open space. The amount of land that James Deering owned with Vizcaya was so extensive that Deering has several large stairs and gardens and different structures outside of the main house. Although it cannot be said that he did not do the most, considering his random balls of grass and elaborate raw artwork. I think Vizcaya provided the perfect land and structure to give James everything he wanted, with its extensive acreage and space, inside and out. 

“The First Ten Minutes” by Daniela Valdes Posada of FIU at Museum of Art and Design

I was tempted to call this piece “Completely missing the point” because that’s what I felt I was doing during this whole day. We set out on this excursion to further our understanding of how Rome is everywhere and throughout the whole day we pointed out all the roman inspired architecture and art. And I understood it, I did, but there was a part of me that could not manage to connect to anything we learned about or saw, because my brain was stuck on the first ten minutes we spent at the Freedom Tower.

Even before we arrived I was nervous, I didn’t know how I was going to feel when I was standing inside the place in the US that possibly means most to my people. But the first ten minutes proved that my reaction would not be a slight one, although I think I did a pretty good job at hiding the fact that I was choking up the whole time, what with my silence and pretty dark glasses. The first ten minutes at the Freedom Tower were full of awe but also sadness. I had heard the story of what the Freedom Tower was before, but I somehow didn’t expect it to be so in my face. The first thing we took note of was a sculpture outside the building of a young boy carrying a house on his back, from the Pedro Pan operation, and already I had a million thoughts in my head but the main one was “pusimos la casa completa en una maleta” which translates to “we put the whole house in a suitcase”. It’s a line from a song on the Hamilton mixtape titled ‘Immigrants’. And it made me feel like I was that kid, with the house in a suitcase. It made me feel like everyone I knew was the kid, with the house in a suitcase.

I grew up in Miami and that meant most of my friends were little hispanic kids, who like me, had put their whole house in a suitcase. Most of us came from another country really young, I was 3 years old. And my grandparents weren’t Pedro Pan kids, but it feels like my parents and I were. We left Cuba with our whole house in a suitcase, to cheesily pursue “the American Dream” and we’ve done just that. So in the first ten minutes, looking at the pictures of all the little Pedro Pan kids who came here alone, and all went through the Freedom Tower, exactly where I was standing, made me unable to wonder anything except whether they too, had achieved the “American Dream”. I spent the rest of the day stuck on those first ten minutes.

“A Missed Opportunity” by Daniela Valdes Posada of FIU at The Deering Estate

Personally, I think the most fascinating part of the Deering Estate is its easy access to water. Although Miami is known for its beaches and close proximity to water, its sometimes hard to find a spot to appreciate it that isn’t filled with tourists, boats or even just residents. It seems like the Deering Estate is one of the few places that can offer access to water and is actually serene and enjoyable. Not only can you walk along the Boat Basin and notice the beauty of the landscape but you may also see a diverse marine life. This is one of the best places in Miami to catch the sunset, something I’ll definitely be doing once the quarantine is over.

Something I’m really looking forward to is being able to have free access to Biscayne Bay. One of my favorite activities is kayaking and its something I regularly do with my friends. We first got into it on a short trip to the Keys and we’ve been obsessed ever since. After going back and forth between Miami and the Keys a couple times, we realized we had to find somewhere to kayak and paddle board that was closer to home.

Because of my love for kayaking (even though lately, I’ve gotten more into paddle boarding) is the reason I think that a visit to the Deering Estate was a missed opportunity. I took an environmental science class my freshman year at FIU and I became much more aware of our impact on the Earth, so I’ve been looking for ways to make a bigger impact than just eating less meat and driving less. There were plenty of chances to join FIU students for a cleanup on Chicken Key, and it’s one of my biggest regrets that I didn’t do it before.

“She loves me, She loves me not” by Daniela Valdes Posada of FIU at South Beach

My relationship with South Beach is the most toxic relationship I have. Some days I abhor it, some days I only want to be there. Like anyone who’s grown up in Miami, I feel a bit differently about the places that most attract tourists to our city. Miami is one of the best places for the phrase “I live where you vacation”. And the appeal is there, we have beautiful beaches, the weather is always warm, and it’s a cultural hotspot. But Miami, and especially South Beach, has a lot of things for a local to hate too.

Growing up here gives you a different perspective, and while I can definitely appreciate South Beach, there’s times it makes me want to live somewhere else. Like during summer, when the amazing beaches attract an intense amount of tourists, who cause even worse traffic than we already have. The parking is ALWAYS a hassle, and it’s basically a game of luck, where you hope and pray that your car doesn’t get towed by the end of the day. There’s also the fact that no matter what time you go, or what time of year it is, South Beach is always crowded.

Despite all this, I think there’s more to love about South Beach than there is to dislike. For instance, there’s always something to do, whether it be going to one of the many restaurants, bars, the beach, or just hanging out. One of my favorite parts of living in a big city is not having to go to the same theater or bowling alley every Friday night. Aside from this, South Beach is a cultural hotspot. There’s shops and foods of all kinds and the fact that its a tourist attraction means there are always tons of people from all over the world at South Beach. It is one of the most important places on the list when visiting Miami.

“A 3D Experience” by Daniela Valdes Posada of FIU at History Miami Museum

(Photos Courtesy of HistoryMiami Museum ©)

Although I’ve never had the privilege of going to the History Miami Museum, I can tell that it is truly a unique experience. Unlike most museums, where the pieces are mostly on a canvas on the wall, or encased in a glass box, the “pieces”at the History Miami Museum seem to be interactive. Not in a way that you can play with them or anything but in a way that actually allows you to experience the scale, texture, and feel of the history being explained. It’s easy for a museum to explain history through a black and white painting or a small fragment of something significant or even a small replica. At the HistoryMiami Museum, it seems they take things a step further by recreating life size replicas of the things that correlate to history.

I’ve been to many museums in my life, and never noticed something so distinct. I’ve been in the Natural History Museum in New York and the Broad Museum in California, but I’ve never felt like I was actually experiencing history like I do with the HistoryMiami Museum. The life size recreation of the Trolley takes you back to the 1920s where black people were still made to sit at the back of the bus. Being able to be inside the trolley and read the signs for yourself is something that is inexplicable. I was also very impressed with the recreations of the different living structures in Miami’s history. The sections titled “Pioneer Life” and “Creek Migration” both have amazing life size replicas of structures from the time and standing under them and experiencing them gives you a whole different experience than it would if you were just looking at a photograph.

Loredana De Angelis is a junior at the Honors College at Florida International University majoring in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and minoring in Business. Expecting to graduate in Spring 2021, she expects to continue her education at a graduate school. Her job goals are to be able to help a lot of businesses with her knowledge. She is very passionate about her roots and hopes she will be able to connect her personal experience with what she learns in this course.

Vizcaya As Text

“A piece of home” by Loredana De Angelis at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

When I was a kid, I remember saying Italy was my second home. As my father was born there, we spend every summer since I was born in Rome to visit my family. Nowadays, my real second home is Miami, as I emigrated from Venezuela when I was 17 years old, 4 years ago. Something that always makes me happy, and the reason why I choose Miami to live in, is that the Latino vibes are somehow always present. That way, I feel I would never lose my essence as a Venezuelan and makes me remember every day how my life was back there. On the other side, something that has been a little difficult for me, as an Italian, is to find a place that makes me feel like in Italy. You may be thinking “you can go get some pasta in an Italian restaurant,” but trust me, something that represents an Italian is their love for food and how picky eaters they could be when it regards to Italian food. So, even if in Miami there are really good Italian restaurants, I usually do as my dad taught me: go safe with a plate of homemade pasta.

James Deering, Paul Chalfin, Burrall Hoffmann, and Diego Suarez, were able to capture that Italian essence I was looking for all this time. Walking into the Vizcaya gardens, personally my favorite part of the villa, I felt like walking into my favorite place of the world: Isola Bella at the Lago Maggiore in Italy. Full of bushes pruned in perfect forms and labyrinths made out of bushes, I could forget for a second to be in a city full of buildings, cars and noise and transport to Italy better that I could have done with the best plate of pasta Miami could offer. It is hard for me to believe that moving away 10 minutes from Brickell, one of the most transited and modern parts of Miami, you could find this piece of history. Realizing that Vizcaya has been preserved by a group of people since 1916 makes me reflect on the diversity Miami has and what I have been missing all this time, but for sure, it motivates me to explore more places like this, that may make me feel as Vizcaya did, at home.

MOAD as Text

• 

“Soccer and history” by Loredana De Angelis at Museum of Art and Design

Since I remember, soccer has always been an important part of my life. As good Italians, every Sunday we had family lunch followed by the respective soccer match of the day. Having heard about soccer all my life raised interest in me, so I decided to start playing soccer to see if it was as exciting as they described it to be. And I can tell it was since I am 7 years old my favorite sport has always been soccer. I think I know a lot about soccer having played it since I am a little girl, watched millions of soccer games with my family and having heard all the discussions my family members have defending the teams they support. What I really didn’t know about soccer, that I got to learn in our visit to the Museum of Art and Design (MOAD), was how soccer was created.

  There were a lot of fascinating exhibitions at the museum, but the one I related the most and found the most interesting was to learn about Mesoamerican Ballgame, which now is better known as soccer. It turns out that Mesoamerican Ballgame was a sport played by the Aztec and Mayan cultures a long time ago, it had different rules and it has been changing and adapting to the times resulting in the soccer we now get to watch on TV. To be honest, knowing the impact that soccer has nowadays mostly in European cultures, I had never imagined that it could have been originated in Mesoamerica and that it was created that long ago. This museum had a lot to offer and a lot to learn from, I’m happy we got to visit it and we got to learn from things about our history and things we can relate with activities we do nowadays.

Deering Estate as Text

“My next visit” by Loredana De Angelis at The Deering Estate Walking Tour

Since our visit to the Vizcaya Gardens, I realized that this class was going to teach me many more things about Miami than I would expect. Having living here for almost 4 years, and being an international student, I started to think that I should be more curious about what the place I am living in has to offer. To be honest, I know more about Rome, where I go on vacation than the place I live in, and this class has been my main inspiration to start getting to know better Miami.

It is hard to start without knowing how to do it or where to go, and professor Bailly already got me some ideas in advance for when all this situation ends. When we would be able to go out, my first stop would be for sure the Deering Estate. While reading the walking tour, I could almost imagine being there, and the fact of getting to explore all the nature it has to offer already got me excited. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I haven’t got the chance to interact with nature for a while, or the fact that I really enjoy it is what made the Deering Estate my favorite of all the places we had to do the walking tour. Hopefully, as soon as it is possible, I am really looking forward to doing a clean-up in Chicken Key, to get to see animals as manatees in their natural habitat, to get to explore the mangroves and the Rock Ridge that separates Biscayne Bay and the southern Florida peninsula.

As I said before, my favorite part of the Deering Estate is its nature and diversity, but it doesn’t take away the fact that the Deering Estate is a place full of history and art. If it is for me, a person that is neither a historian or an artist, an oasis, I couldn’t imagine for a person that really loves and understands these two disciplines. The important part is that when I get to visit this place, I am already aware of the history that comes along with it, and I know it would make me appreciate more places like the stone house and the Tequesta burial mound. To finish my visit, I would be more than happy to knock the door at the Artist-in-residence studios and to attend to one of the events to get to appreciate the different forms of art this place hosts.

Miami Beach as Text

“Tourist Throwback” by by Loredana De Angelis at South Beach Walking Tour

For me, this tour was a throwback to when I used to come to Miami as a tourist. I remember I loved so much this city that when I was around 10 years old, I told my parents “This is the place I want to live when I grow up.” One of our “must” stop was always Ocean Drive, we went there to walk and eat something at least once every time we came to visit. My parents enjoyed the environment there as it was very different from what we were used in Venezuela.

I enjoyed going to the beach and then getting to eat something with my parents at Ocean Drive. When I started to grow older and pay more attention to details, I realized the difference this place had to offer when it regards architecture and became more interested in it. To be honest, it is very different to do the tour as a tourist without a guide than doing it, even if it’s online, with someone that explains every detail and why things are like they are.

This tour gave me the chance of answering some questions I had since I used to visit, mostly about the ten aesthetic characteristics of the buildings. My favorite South Beach building has always been The Park Center Hotel, and was the first structure that made me realize how different and beautiful this place was to other places in Miami. Before, I knew they were different ot other buildings, and that they had similarities among them, now I know which elements are similar and why. Now, that I moved here and Miami Beach is pretty close to my house, one of my favorite weekend plans is to enjoy a sunny day at the beach with my friends. After getting all this important information, I am sure I would go to SoBe and have a very different perspective, trying to live in-person and to analyze everything I learned. I hope sooner than later I would to be able to show my parents how different it is to visit as a tourist and to visit with a guide, I am sure they’ll love it.

HistoryMiami as Text

HistoryMiami Museum seems like an interacting place where one gets the know in-depth how Miami looked like years ago. As an international student, I find this place very interesting, because I never got the chance to know about the United States history, neither Miami history. I have only got the chance to see Miami as a very modern city full of buildings, business, and technology, but I did have the chance to see Miami as it was before, pretty similar of my home country Venezuela.

I can say the two exhibitions that called my attention the most are “First Arrivals” and “Gateway to the Americas” because I can relate personally to both. Honestly, when I saw “First Arrivals” the first thought that came to my mind where my history of Venezuela books from high school. This image made me reflect a lot about how two civilizations could start from almost the same point, and how both of them are so different right now. I see how Miami has developed from their indigenous times, which is impressing. At the same time I can see how my country has been in ups and downs all the time since then, but nowadays everything has been ruined due to the weight our society and politics have on it.

            On  “Gateway to the Americas” I felt very connected, because even if it’s not the same story, and we didn’t come in boats to Miami, Venezuela and Cuba are very similar. Socialism and dictatorships have sadly destroyed both countries, making a lot of Cubans and Venezuelans emigrate to the US. I am one of them, I moved when I was 17 years old, and I am willing to work as hard as possible so in the future I don’t have to go back home. This is a topic that I always carry on with me because as Latinos, we are not used to separating from our families at that young age, but sadly, there is no other choice for those who are expecting to fulfill their life goals. It is hard to understand for people why wouldn’t I want to go back home with my family, the thing is I know I have no future there. At this point I already know that even if things resolve politically in Cuba or Venezuela, we’ll need years until the society gets a different structure and mentality so I would feel comfortable going back.

Currently pursuing a Psychology major with a minor in Biology. I have an interest in art and travel and I hope to combine these two passions throughout my study abroad experience.

“Food for thought” by Nashya Linares of FIU at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

The great mansion of Vizcaya holds beautiful rooms inspired by all the European trends of the 20th century. Every corner of the palace is accompanied by lavish ornamentations that speak of James Deering’s obsession with grandeur and luxury. As you walk through, the not so subtle cultural influences that make up some of these adornments can be easily dismissed and forgotten. I myself wouldn’t have noticed the Islamic styled fountains and geometric patterns along the door frames of the east loggia without a reminder. All these tidbits of multicultural influences were appropriated, and no one seems to know or recall their true origins.

But is James Deering at fault? If this is asked without context then many may agree that he abused his wealth and power to take what he wanted without needing to explain himself. But how would one avoid appropriation if new cultures form from the amalgam of others? As it is the case in Miami. How do you ask a culture for permission to take their language, art, or way of living to be placed in a new world, and more specifically, the new world? Vizcaya serves as a reminder for those paying attention that we are a result of a complicated history, one always forgotten but never not present in our everyday lives. In nature life always finds a way to grow regardless of the circumstances around. I like to think that cultures behave in the same way, growing and spreading without care of who takes part and where it takes place.

“Double-Sided Dream” by Nashya Linares of FIU at The Freedom Tower

Going to the Freedom Tower of Miami-Dade’s Museum of Art and Design District was a specially interesting experience because I did not know, and still don’t know, what to make of it. I’ve seen the building from afar many times, but I’ve never really explored it and going inside was a very important reminder of the complicated nature of immigrating to the U.S. I moved to Miami when I was eleven years old from Colombia, and one of the things I get asked the most is “do you like it here better?” I don’t always know what to make of that. Yes, there’s a reason my family chose to move to the U.S and I do love living here, but also no because I was old enough to feel the pain that comes with leaving behind your friends, family, and your culture, especially when it isn’t you making that decision.

It often seems that outsiders, although not willingly, try to paint a pretty picture of coming to the U.S as a second chance at life or as a gift. I was reminded of that ignorance as I read the poem written by Edwin Markham on the New World Mural, 1513, found inside the Freedom Tower. I almost laughed because it reminded me of a time when someone had asked me that question, “do you like living here better,” and for the first time I answered no. I noticed the subtle, but obvious confusion in their eyes that I recognize as them expecting me to say that living in the US is obviously better than my home country. I was not offended by that instance; it was just a reminder of how many people tend to overlook the other side of what being an immigrant is like.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think I have a better life here, but it all came with a cost. This is why I can’t seem to view the freedom tower in a completely positive light or as a symbol of freedom. However, I also can’t say that it doesn’t inspire hope in me. At the end of the day, however complicated, the freedom tower still represents those in Miami that gave up everything in the search for something better.

“Undisturbed Miami” By Nashya Linares of FIU About the Deering Estate Walking Tour

Located in South Miami Dade County, The Deering Estate holds valuable historical information about the beginnings of the land that we now call Miami. Recently archeologists have found evidence of humans who lived in the Deering Estate land about 10,000 years ago. More specifically, The Tequesta Burial Mound holds the remains of the ancient civilization of the Tequesta. This finding is highly significant to the understanding of Miami’s origin story. The exploration did not stop there, as excavations of the cutler fossil site, also at The Deering Estate, revealed boned from dire wolfs, mastodons, and saber-toothed tigers, dating back to the Pleistocene era.

Although Miami is a very green city with palm trees on every corner everywhere, it often hard to find a quiet place where you can truly enjoy Miami’s natural fauna. I was lucky enough to visit the Cutler Fossil Site around this time last year for our last class field trip and I truly enjoyed seeing an uninhabited Miami. Completely away from the hectic Miami noise, I explored an area that not many get to enter and to this day I remember feeling serenity. Having that opportunity makes me appreciate the efforts put forth by The Deering Estate to preserve these archeological sites that provide a gateway into seeing an enchanted Miami. Additionally, this institution serves as an exemplar of how other establishments should conserve land that is essential to promote educational efforts and learning; to be preserved for future generations to come.

“The Complicated History of Miami” By Nashya Linares of FIU About South Miami Beach

Walking through Ocean Drive on a Saturday morning while admiring the art deco and the sky-blue beaches, one often dismisses the history behind this great city. South Miami Beach has been alive and diverse ever since the beginning of the twentieth century. According to Marvin Dunn, before Miami was developed by Carl Fisher it was just a small town, but active nonetheless with the community engaging in picnics and baseball games. Moreover, it was also a diverse town, and it was only after Carl Fisher began developing that blacks were banned and forced out of their city. This cruelty, sadly, is what set the stage for the buildings we have grown to love in South Miami.

Besides the dark origins of a developed Miami, years later many have come to appreciate the beauty of the iconic buildings that most people imagine when they hear South Miami Beach. These buildings were not always appreciated by everyone, and not many people know that there was a lot of effort in maintaining the buildings that make this strip of land so unique and loved. In 1977 the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) was founded by Barbara Baer Capitman and Leonard Horowitz to conserve the historic buildings of south beach. In the 70s, when there were many efforts to demolish buildings, Capitman took a stand and protested to preserve the art deco in South Beach. Thanks to the MDPL and the bravery of Capitman and Horowitz South Beach would not be what it is today.

The story of Capitman fighting to preserve art deco in South Beach stood out to me because it now gives me a female role model that I can point to when I think of South Miami Beach. As a woman of color fighting for a cause with not many backing her, Capitman demonstrates the spirit that is seen by many strong colored women in Miami. A woman that stood against the norm, making her a human embodiment of South Miami beach.

“A Miami United” By Nashya Linares of FIU About the History of Miami Museum

The History of Miami Museum offers visitors a great opportunity to explore Miami in a different light than just admiring Miami’s beautiful scenery. As someone who lives in Miami and has never visited the museum, reading about it has given me a lot more insight and has motivated me to visit it whenever possible. One of the things that caught my attention the most was the relationship built between the first pioneers of Miami and natives that had lived on the land for years. As mentioned, because South Florida was isolated and pioneers were new to the land they got helped from natives, who helped them crop starch for example.

This alliance formed between new settlers and natives reminds me of the way immigrants families tend to help each other out, especially when one had just arrived at Miami and need help adjusting to a new culture and environment. Helping neighbors has been essential to the history of Miami and that instinct has not changed. I was fortunate enough to have friends who welcomed my family to Miami and introduced us to a new way of life. This cooperation is also seen between institutions in Miami, such as the way many of the tools used by natives of Miami that were excavated by archeologists at The Deering Estate are now on display at the History of Miami Museum. Friendly neighbors are just another great attribute of Miami, one that is accurately displayed at the Museum.

Monserrat Garcia is in her senior year at Florida International University. On track to graduate with a major in Political Science and a minor in Criminal Justice, Monserrat is very excited for what is to come next in life. Monserrat hopes to be matriculated in law school by 2021, and currently is very interested in civil law. On her free time, Monserrat likes to spend time with her family and friends as well as visit different Italian restaurants to enjoy a delicious plate of pasta.

“Miami’s Corner of History” by Monserrat Garcia of FIU at Vizcaya

What was once a winter home for a man, is now a home of history and culture for Miami. Being more than a century old, Vizcaya truly is a corner of Miami filled with heritage. Upon arrival of Vizcaya one is immediately greeted with a plethora of flora that goes on for several acres. The famous gardens of Vizcaya root back to 16th century Italy. The Vizcaya gardens who were designed by Diego Suarez show a strong presence of European influence in Miami. Walking around the gardens one will find several sculptures that depict ancient deities. One of the figures that stood out to me was the figure of Bacchus, the greek god of wine. Depictions of this god can be seen several times throughout one’s exploration of Vizcaya.

Despite the fact that this historical site was constructed several years after the spanish discovered the new world, Vizcaya holds much art and design that date back to this time. While the gardens are inspired by Italian landscaping, the inside of the house is heavily inspired by Spanish architecture and culture. The walls of the Vizcaya house are decorated with several paintings and creations by spanish artist. The courtyard centered in the middle of the 54 bedroom home is very heavily inspired by the spanish. In Spain it was very typical for homes to have a courtyard where people could enjoy the sun and the nature outside.

After a day of exploring the breathtaking sites of the Vizcaya home and gardens the impact that the old world had on the new world is completely clear. The coming of the Spaniards and other europeans to the new world had both negative and positive consequences. Though James Deering had Vizcaya constructed to be a winter vacation home back in 1912, Mr. Deering left the city of Miami with a spot rich with history and culture. Reminding people of their roots and the cultures that influence them and generations to come.

The “Elis Island of Miami” by Monserrat Garcia of FIU at the Freedom Tower

Upon arrival at the Freedom Tower, one is greeted with symbols and artwork representative of the old world. A Spanish galleon rest at the very top of the building. The outside of the tower is heavily influenced by a cathedral in Seville. The Freedom Tower was built in 1925, and originally was owned by the newspaper company known as the Miami Daily News. The news company used this building as its office space for several years. After the newspaper moved to a new facility the Freedom Tower earned the name of the “Elis Island of the South.” For years, the tower became a place where Cuban refugees would go to and seek political asylum.

Once entering the building one notices the deep history that is encased in the walls of the tower. From pictures to children being sent to the United States by their families in Cuba to ancient ball games played by the Aztec. Our tour of the tower began by examining an artistic composition titled Entrance of Hernan Cortez into Mexico. This painting depicts the sharp differences between the natives and the Spanish. The natives are shown wearing minimal but colorful clothing, while the Spanish are covered from head to toe in silver amour. During our tour, we also observed a painting of the native Indians with Ponce de Leon. This painting portrays a very bias account for the interaction of the old world and the new world. The image strongly romanticizes the Spanish coming to America and paints their arrival as the growth of civilization rather than a destruction of culture and a society.

After our visit to the Freedom Tower, we made our way to the Historic Gesú Catholic Church. Coming from a predominantly catholic family it was extremely fascinating to witness the roots of the catholic religion in Miami. Back in the year 1567, a father named Juan Rogel came on a mission to spread the catholic religion. The actions of one man and his assistants, resulted in the catholic religion being heavily practiced in several regions of the Americas. The Freedom Tower and its neighboring historical buildings are places in Miami that are engulfed by history and culture. Without knowing, every historic artifact found in these buildings has affected our lives and the lives of those in the Americas one way or another.

“Everyone’s Land, No One’s Property” by Monserrat Garcia of FIU at the Deering Estate

The Deering Estate is a hub for history and culture in South Florida. Living just 10 minutes from the estate, reading, and learning about the history and characteristics of it and the land surrounding it was intriguing and eye-opening. The Deering Estate itself is a historical site that encompasses the Richmond Cottage, the Stone House, and the land in its vicinity.
The first building in the area of the estate was the Richmond Cottage. This cottage was built in 1896 and served as a home for S.H. Richmond and his family. Years later the estate was purchased by Charles Deering who ordered the construction of the Stone House. The Stone House was made to resemble architecture from the Old World. On the ceiling of a section of the house, one can find a seashell mosaic, which in 1992 underwent major restoration due to Hurricane Andrew.

The cottage and home found in the estate are admired by thousands of tourists and visitors, but they are not the only attractions that can be found in the estate. Unlike most places today in Miami, the Deering Estate is one of the many places that has been remained largely pure and untouched. Thousands of visitors from all corners of the world each year come to the Deering Estate for its location and geological uniqueness. From the Boat Basin in front of the Stone House to the Miami Rock Ridge, the Deering Estate is home to some of South Florida’s most rare and endangered animal and plant species. If you are lucky enough you could leave the Deering Estate having seen otters, dolphins, manatees, sinkholes, and exotic flora. The Deering Estate is roughly 440 acres of land rich in vegetation as well as history. History that is open and accessible to all those who wish to learn more and get a glimpse of Miami before its boom in tourism and urban architecture. The Deering Estate brings us back to our roots and reminds us of the beauty that can be found in nature.

“Picture Perfect” by Monserrat Garcia of FIU at South Beach

The statement “I live where you vacation,” holds its validity through places like South Beach. South Beach is about 2.70 square miles of Art Deco buildings, beach resorts, and exclusive bars and restaurants. As a resident of Miami, South Beach is one of my favorite places. Whether I want to spend a day walking the lively streets of the neighborhood, or an afternoon reading on the sand South Beach has always been the place to go. Despite what many people believe, the chic South Beach was once a mosquito-infested swamp. It wasn’t until 1913 when Car Fisher, an American entrepreneur began the development of South Beach and turned mangrove forest into beach resorts.  Like the Deering Estate and Vizcaya, South Beach is home to a lot history and culture. Back in the early 19^th century several Jews began to settle in the neighborhood and now make up a large portion of the residents of South Beach. The Jewish Museum of Florida can be found in South Beach, a museum whose purpose is to conserve the Jewish culture in Miami and the cities of South Florida.

For those who have an eye for unique architecture, the streets of Ocean Drive are a sight to see. The buildings along the streets of Ocean Drive are known for their curved edges, porthole windows, and neon features. These features are considered to be essential in Art Deco Architecture—a style that is meant to resemble machines and even household appliances. Back in the 20^th century people had a fascination for linear and parallel designs. South Beach has come a long way from the swamp it originally was. Walking the streets of South Beach, one is left in awe by its intricate architecture and picture-perfect beaches.

“Looking Back” by Monserrat Garcia of FIU at the History of Miami Museum

The HistoryMiami Museum (HMM) is located in Downtown Miami. The museum is one of Downtown Miami’s many attractions and museums. Although it houses several artistic compositions, the HMM is not known for its contemporary exhibits but rather its ancient exhibits that give us a glimpse at Miami centuries ago.

The HistoryMiami Museum is home to exhibits and artifacts from the pre-columbian to 500 B.C. While continuing a tour through the museum one will become familiar with the lifestyle the tribes who lived before us carried out and architectural advances that have been made since then. The HMM aims to tell the history of the city of Miami—the good and the bad. It aims to give its visitors raw and unedited information and successfully does so. After having learned about the lives of Miami’s natives and continuing to stroll down the museum one will find themselves surrounded by exhibits depicting the new technologies that came to Miami during the Second Industrial Revolution.

When continuing down the room one will find themselves in front of a genuine 1920s trolley that would roam the streets of Miami. Of all the exhibits in the museum, a sign on this trolley is most impactful to me. This sign shows the racial discrimination occurring in Miami in the 20^th century and gives its visitors a small yet powerful sight of the prejudice and hardship inflicted upon the African American residents of Miami. The HMM is a place to look back, to come face to face with the mistakes of our past, and envision a better future for ourselves and our city.