This is a picture of the grade school I first attended. It is named after the famous Mexican revolutionary and priest Miguel Hidalgo. Although he is not as popular as other Mexican revolutionaries’ like Zapata and Marcos, he was an important figure in fighting the Spanish to gain Mexican independence and is still held in high regard. He was beheaded for his activities and is remembered as Father of Mexico by folks of Mexican descent.
A little known fact (at least to me) was that Cesar Chavez, the California labor leader and UFW founder, was once a student at Hidalgo Elementary. I grew up in the 80’s when Chavez and the UFW were very controversial in this area, and I assume that is why I never knew he shared my alma-mater.
Most of the Imperial Valley’s industry is in the form of agriculture and cattle, making it a hot spot during the farmer struggles a few decades back. Bringing up the UFW at any gathering is likely to bring about some angry arguments.
Most of the classic architecture in the area could be classified as Spanish Colonial and has a distinct “Southwest” look to it. This is the most popular church in Brawley, St. Margaret Mary Church. It is pretty astounding how crowded this place can be (even on weekdays) and just goes to show that the Catholic Church is still an important aspect in Mexican communities.
Here is Brawley’s post office, city hall, and library, which is all nicely centered in the middle of town and maintains its classic charm. It reminds me of the days when folks actually cared what a building looked like before the “fuck you” style of design took hold. (“We know your town has a distinct look and heritage, but we are going to build a tasteless big box structure here anyway, so fuck you.”)
I will take some more pics of the surrounding towns in the coming weeks.
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1 comments:
Nice pics! Looks nice and warm there!
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