Marci Valdivieso

Stories from "La Frontera"

Stories from “la Frontera” La Espiguita Mom was from the south, way south beyond the Equator closer to the Strait of Magellan, from a thin lengthy winding strip of land. Mamá came from an immigrant nation, looking remarkably like the other white women in the United States. Long white-blond hair and light blue eyes, a slender sparrow, her South American identity doubtless the moment her accented English was heard, succinct and direct speech patterns were her trademark. She was a firecracker, quickly enraged by signs of injustice, with a profound sense of independence despite her displacement from her homeland, and the fact that until the late 20th century, it was isolated from the world. Mountains and distance gave her people a singular sense of security while keeping them insular and provincial.