tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69860453369139994592024-03-19T02:57:22.697-07:00The Arroyo SageThe Yin and Yang of Pasadena and beyond. Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-11061914973318967072018-10-18T09:00:00.000-07:002019-01-18T21:14:25.539-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.butcherbirdstudios.com/" target="_blank">Butcher Bird Studios</a> created this wonderful video about the work of the <a href="http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/" target="_blank">Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy</a> and our partner wildlife tracker/photographers <a href="https://www.deniscallet.com/" target="_blank">Denis Callet</a> and <a href="https://www.cougarmagic.com/" target="_blank">Johanna Turner</a>. It was featured in the Descanso Gardens <a href="http://www.pasadenanow.com/main/growing-habitat-las-wildlife-and-descanso-explores-the-wild-world-outside-your-door/#.XEKubS2ZP-Y" target="_blank">exhibit</a> "<a href="https://www.latimes.com/socal/la-canada-valley-sun/news/tn-vsl-me-sturt-haaga-habitat-20180516-story.html" target="_blank">Growing Habitat: L.A.'s Wildlife and Descanso</a>."</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3o_6-yKU0ak/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3o_6-yKU0ak?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-54032363594739136402017-07-21T20:35:00.000-07:002017-07-21T20:36:15.166-07:00Place-Based Spirituality Here's a talk I gave to the <a href="http://neighborhooduu.org/" target="_blank">Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church</a> about how I developed a place-based spirituality:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eQPZSInMRhw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eQPZSInMRhw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-80042273744326243542016-12-20T14:23:00.001-08:002021-05-17T23:29:28.093-07:00Indigenous Influences on Mexican Culture<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have long been fascinated by the profound impact indigenous American cultures have had on Mexican culture and identity. My interest began as a child, when I learned about my own cultural and ancestral ties to this continent. I was taught to take pride in the great accomplishments of Mesoamerican civilizations, and have since enjoyed learning all that I can about the indigenous influences on Mexican cuisine, language, dress, music and food.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrN3TF_w6V7J_Ce6TmHLJT32zASS8zA0ZJnaPma0gR47GmkT4iWBoBP0dhWsm_F_-2cL7_mC4diDaduLQv8ZCjQUmr1kTR6EIFWtz1Y8_7vaIOR7wxsddMkQx_9b8UOyi-78jn-tMoZd8/s1600/tlatoani+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrN3TF_w6V7J_Ce6TmHLJT32zASS8zA0ZJnaPma0gR47GmkT4iWBoBP0dhWsm_F_-2cL7_mC4diDaduLQv8ZCjQUmr1kTR6EIFWtz1Y8_7vaIOR7wxsddMkQx_9b8UOyi-78jn-tMoZd8/s400/tlatoani+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Mexican food's origins in the native American “corn cultures" has taken on <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2013/12/stolen-corn-reclaiming-health-in-native_23.html" target="_blank">a profound importance for me</a>, and my roots in this continent have grown deeper. As I hope to reveal in this essay, indigenous influences on Mexican culture all contain within them clues to the origin, history, and modern identity of people of Mexican descent.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk-TUmIbZ5qhCJhBaoBG4WLrTtrBLxkfEt-hAH41J0zSgIdGuy1jQNYPa0q5uhBaAQEe2txDF9pqmbmS9e4hyRGKdM9lHXFPGjZa2VcFhx5ffD0ecKTHgyINXEcJJNK6T_FveW9DlVJLw/s1600/tenoch+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk-TUmIbZ5qhCJhBaoBG4WLrTtrBLxkfEt-hAH41J0zSgIdGuy1jQNYPa0q5uhBaAQEe2txDF9pqmbmS9e4hyRGKdM9lHXFPGjZa2VcFhx5ffD0ecKTHgyINXEcJJNK6T_FveW9DlVJLw/s400/tenoch+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">Ethnicity</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">An analysis of the many indigenous influences on Mexican culture must naturally begin by considering the very reason we exist upon this continent -- our genetic origins in the Americas. Many Mexican people have strong ethnic links to this indigenous heritage. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrNFF_jO65eMGw8KLQEMh3M8I6mNER0tkdgIM4GBu5XAqgh3Rc36wy6RVeKdcZOD6SwXtrkdcKg1xW3uUGOf0AJGtvgQ7rqpfwRldysmqLY47mc4-SgEY_cQX7WgMNsIw5dVli0T5Iyqd/s1600/MexicoGenetics.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrNFF_jO65eMGw8KLQEMh3M8I6mNER0tkdgIM4GBu5XAqgh3Rc36wy6RVeKdcZOD6SwXtrkdcKg1xW3uUGOf0AJGtvgQ7rqpfwRldysmqLY47mc4-SgEY_cQX7WgMNsIw5dVli0T5Iyqd/s400/MexicoGenetics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The most comprehensive genetic study of the Mexican population to date was conducted by researchers from UC San Francisco and Stanford University, along with Mexico’s National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN). </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4156478/" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">This study</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">, published in Science Magazine and entitled “The genetics of Mexico recapitulates Native American substructure and affects biomedical traits,” identified tremendous genetic diversity within Mexico, reflecting thousands of years of separation between local populations. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo9YyDDc4ZSpZr5KP-qFL-cf3VJbWP_6wrRZGLI01Bq5ApVbh7JsCqmG_WW_YIhwm6w1b0HKi8kT2OzeyRhyDq_i5JEMOKimXUgnpErTntXZ3HUJSqyatO95IQy0wtBZbwDxynAQG_liH/s1600/sn-mexico+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdo9YyDDc4ZSpZr5KP-qFL-cf3VJbWP_6wrRZGLI01Bq5ApVbh7JsCqmG_WW_YIhwm6w1b0HKi8kT2OzeyRhyDq_i5JEMOKimXUgnpErTntXZ3HUJSqyatO95IQy0wtBZbwDxynAQG_liH/s400/sn-mexico+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">The researchers discovered clear, genetic remnants of ancient empires that crossed seemingly remote geographical zones. "We were surprised by the fact that this composition was also reflected in people with mixed ancestries from cosmopolitan areas,” said co-first author Moreno-Estrada, a life sciences research associate at Stanford. "Hidden among the European and African ancestry blocks, the indigenous genetic map resembles a geographic map of Mexico."</span></div>
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<a href="https://aaron-carapella.squarespace.com/indigenous-nations-of-mexico/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYbnax-3jDDuy0zkxxKo4bsajdXU4-wDVzUx1qdnGXGxRJnubQayvbAG7ohouIIRIeT8zszdCZzetbZ1bZYhX3ubmlTHHxqHpUt9mvdc2fOIz1eiJ_HC5MOYPeX_TcCcDaNnE8wtWNGnF/s400/ind+nations+mex.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">T</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">his study revealed profound implications for the field of medicine, as genetic differences between so-called “Latino” populations can result in vastly different outcomes and predispositions related to health. I believe, however, that the significance of these findings reaches beyond the merely scientific. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3B1RkKHeesQwwps6xdZA6oSdTx341mlU5ta0iBogmnpTEXK2uZI1OFdAub-8nCF3YA7phOplQ4TghWqglr-l7qs2VkYdiD3FsI_d8hX1BIKgzj9Mka1S3chlI3ioDvXQOP-AE_qir1WqW/s1600/pueblos+indigenas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3B1RkKHeesQwwps6xdZA6oSdTx341mlU5ta0iBogmnpTEXK2uZI1OFdAub-8nCF3YA7phOplQ4TghWqglr-l7qs2VkYdiD3FsI_d8hX1BIKgzj9Mka1S3chlI3ioDvXQOP-AE_qir1WqW/s400/pueblos+indigenas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">T</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">he long and ancient presence of many of the ancestors of modern day Mexican people demonstrates the primary reason for the existence of all of the various indigenous influences which will be examined in this essay: Mexican people </span><i style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">are</i><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">, to a large degree, native to the Americas. The culinary, musical, linguistic, and various other cultural aspects of indigenous origin within Mexican culture are therefore a direct result of this fact. Taking the above information into account, it makes sense that Rodolfo Acuña stated in his book “</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Occupied-America-History-Chicanos-8th/dp/0205880843" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Occupied America</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">” that “The primary culture of Mexico and the Americas is Indian."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><u>Food</u></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Mexican culture shares a common heritage as being one of several indigenous American “corn cultures.” The Mexican cuisine which is so much a part of our culture has </span><a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2013/12/stolen-corn-reclaiming-health-in-native_23.html" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">it’s foundation</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> in a healthy, plant-based, indigenous diet. Indigenous cuisine has historically contributed to the health and wellness of native American peoples, and for that reason is being </span><a href="http://decolonizeyourdiet.org/" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">reclaimed</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> today by modern Mexican Americans in the United States.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwFUvGi199eF2PXHHJPq13K_93__3PMQfkHnYmiT_HYRMwEC6Uk87xJuiq07T7mdjrS0PIcsdBQr6vBmYOUZ0z_95nTcvxmJaV9-mbyfGtMTMU-anRkfAMOrqzmGjlNzEXti6qyFTVfM0/s1600/me+nopal.jpg" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwFUvGi199eF2PXHHJPq13K_93__3PMQfkHnYmiT_HYRMwEC6Uk87xJuiq07T7mdjrS0PIcsdBQr6vBmYOUZ0z_95nTcvxmJaV9-mbyfGtMTMU-anRkfAMOrqzmGjlNzEXti6qyFTVfM0/s400/me+nopal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author gathering nopales.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;">Mexican people have a very ancient and intimate relationship with corn. For more than</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/selection/corn/" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">10,000 years</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;">, Mexican farmers</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/selection/corn/" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">selectively bred</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: left;">and domesticated maize from its ancestor, a wild grass called teosinte. Teosinte, from the Nahuatl “teocintli,” or “sacred corn” is different from our modern corn. Over centuries, ancient Mexicans selectively picked the largest of the teosinte kernels and bred from it the first ancient forms of maize.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.idex.org/take-action/defend-mexico-maize/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK35Wf-iwyE88Xzbksr1J2Vxwc6dhIUVYup1gReyRYWvof_h2b9JvTOzALK6_zpEEx8wnYl_PyysjBQq68-WOxcMVnNdViUbxTV-V8nPANY7Q89q0iz08Kg_FCZWuAB7_yJwiuucaS95z/s400/maiz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">This domesticated whole grain spread throughout North America, bringing the associated maize culture with it. Evidence supports the theory that Mesoamerican farmers transported corn seeds to the American Southwest, due to the similar and intact cultural aspects and symbolic significance which it played in native ceremonies and rituals. (Acuña p. 3) The cultivation of corn also spread from Mexico into South America, and could be found in modern-day Peru as early as 450 AD. (Acuña p. 3) As it spread throughout different lands, corn was bred with incredible diversity and adapted to numerous climatic conditions. As whole grains elsewhere in the world, corn took its place as a primary and staple food. </span><br />
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Corn was often grown together with beans and squash in a system known as the Three Sisters. Indigenous people who followed the traditional diet composed</span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><a href="http://www.whale.to/a/laws.html" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">primarily of vegetables</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="letter-spacing: 0px;">, corn, beans, squash, fruit, wild plants, fish and game, enjoyed abundant health and longevity, absent of the current epidemics of degenerative disease which so often plague their modern-day descendants in the U.S.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">When Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico, they were amazed to discover that the Aztec lifespan exceeded their own by at least 10 years. (</span><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cpjgoazGIC4C&pg=PT264&lpg=PT264&dq=aztec+lifespan+ten+years+longer+than+spanish&source=bl&ots=fcGm_eFNsP&sig=DTN7y0O1MxBiDTT-17ozg_vXDhk&hl=en#v=onepage&q=aztec%20lifespan%20ten%20years%20longer%20than%20spanish&f=false" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">Jackson</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">) The benefits of a traditional diet and lifestyle can still be seen in traditional people such as the Tarahumara, or Raramuri people of Mexico. The Raramuri are arguably the best endurance runners on Earth, and it is well documented that those following a traditional diet were</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">almost completely </span><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/tarahumara-people/gorney-text" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">free of many</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> common degenerative diseases</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">. High blood pressure and obesity were unknown to them, and their cancer rates were extremely low. In fact, it is only since the introduction of modern processed foods such as top ramen, chips and soda, that the Tarahumara have had to</span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/tarahumara-people/gorney-text/3" style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">invent</a><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">names for diseases like “high blood pressure."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The traditional Native American diet based on corn and corn products such as tortillas, tamales, cornbread, pupusas, pozole and atole remains the basis for much of the modern cuisine of Mexican people. The foundation of these foods reveal a diverse, healthful, indigenous diet which is a direct link to our Mexican roots as America’s original corn culture. The integrity of this central aspect of Mexican cultural heritage, however, is in jeopardy. According to Acuña the “European invasion (of the Americas) put the corn cultures in danger of extinction. This threat continues today (because) genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are invading the native corn."</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqvXDb3eGms_y7U7D2gXJA9sbQe4Ec8R19Ss611PXFZxLtiIDmkiZVGVnqV6NH3Tw9lz26OJ-6zn2Kzz-qDI5A08Zmn5faHOPEvGU-wp9unbpiNDSMsRdbub0LEKLfiCI3Nn4dy4rYjof/s1600/corn%252C+crn+seeds%252C+fair.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqvXDb3eGms_y7U7D2gXJA9sbQe4Ec8R19Ss611PXFZxLtiIDmkiZVGVnqV6NH3Tw9lz26OJ-6zn2Kzz-qDI5A08Zmn5faHOPEvGU-wp9unbpiNDSMsRdbub0LEKLfiCI3Nn4dy4rYjof/s400/corn%252C+crn+seeds%252C+fair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Despite this fact, there is a growing movement by Chicano/as in the United States to</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://decolonizeyourdiet.org/about" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">“decolonize” diet</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">and “reclaim ancestral foods, herbs, and teas.” </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://decolonizeyourdiet.org/bios" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Professors Luz Calva, Phd and Catrióna Rueda Esquibel, PhD</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">state that “As US-born Latinos/as, we have much to learn from the way our ancestors ate. Eating our ancestral foods can help us prevent and treat the diseases that result from adopting the Standard American Diet. The central tenet of our project is “La comida es medicina” [Food is medicine]</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><u>Language</u></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Considering the strong and central influence of indigenous foods on Mexican culture, it should come as no surprise that many of the most common words in Mexican Spanish for food, along with many other words, are of indigenous, primarily Nahuatl origin. As with culinary influences, these linguistic aspects of Mexican culture set it apart as truly indigenous and American. Words, names, and expressions of indigenous origin contain within them the story of who Mexican people are, and where they came from.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9zlNjzN8-pk0G06SWmJPvW0Eg14eXSZJ9QObpvuT2cpvIQiWG0QcWgWyvJPYyDB_-Gjb2mo3KuVB67O-cIslJ7Z_t3igCkyU9feH9VxUfGoP1rJr40WzE9naRY47N59mn-PwJMw6Y_F0/s1600/speak.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9zlNjzN8-pk0G06SWmJPvW0Eg14eXSZJ9QObpvuT2cpvIQiWG0QcWgWyvJPYyDB_-Gjb2mo3KuVB67O-cIslJ7Z_t3igCkyU9feH9VxUfGoP1rJr40WzE9naRY47N59mn-PwJMw6Y_F0/s400/speak.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Nahuatl words in the Spanish language, which are the most common words of indigenous origin used in Mexican Spanish, include an extensive list of words that represent animals, plants, fruits and vegetables, foods and beverages, and domestic appliances. In the Nahuatl language, many of these words end with the suffix "-tl." This word ending was hispanicized into a "-te" ending in Spanish. For example, the word “axolotl” became “ajolote.” Spanish words for animals, plants, foods or other objects which end in "-te" most likely derive from the Nahuatl language. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYIjXiJPM7_qiJmqCI66RrUTvd5YieKRo7R0tKp3VIELH4J2MxS29lxDWJ_T3cGbyjPJRn-ovK-qEDthqN1QKKaWh_LMuJbna474ybEfqRC-wk4dhjrjgZKmAnO5lbhLLvh82I2-OWSQx/s1600/woman+speech+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYIjXiJPM7_qiJmqCI66RrUTvd5YieKRo7R0tKp3VIELH4J2MxS29lxDWJ_T3cGbyjPJRn-ovK-qEDthqN1QKKaWh_LMuJbna474ybEfqRC-wk4dhjrjgZKmAnO5lbhLLvh82I2-OWSQx/s400/woman+speech+.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Examples</span></span> of how inextricably linked many common words and names of native origin are with Mexican culture may be seen in the following examples of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin. The Spanish word for avocado, “aguacate” is derived from the Nahuatl word “ahuacatl.” <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/02/blue-corn-atole.html" target="_blank">Atole</a>, the maize porridge so common within Mexican culture came from the Nahuatl word “atolli.” The Spanish word for peanut, “cacahuate” and for sweet potatoes, “camote” are also nearly identical to their original, indigenous pronunciations.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ahuacatin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWd_duou4T6OE_5XY98J4fSxvRdexIg5WtBJQHg6lr-JeOJkp5jeEQo1eilfJj6KWwf_RKYHhXOhCf6Fd3ZnFNWJrBV_eVQ9kvsB44B-BeNwgU0UaeI_NpyeUHx_VtnSBJNC0PHjWh4odE/s200/atole_large.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atolli</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camotli</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The common Mexican name for a young boy, or a “chamaco,” comes from the Nahuatl word “chamahuac,” describing the same. A “chapulin” is both the Nahuatl and Spanish word for a grasshopper, while the well-known word for chewing gum, chicle, is very similar to it’s Nahuatl counterpart of “tzictli.” One of the most defining and characteristic food items in Mexican culture, the chile pepper, closely matches it’s Nahuatl counterpart of “chilli.” Even the popular restaurant chain Chipotle owes it’s now famous name to the word of <a href="http://www.mexica.net/nahuatl/nahuawds.php" target="_blank">indigenous origin</a>, “chilpoctli,” which is a type of red chile.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqshVPEvMGdZDG4msBS6kE-AX5bZ_FoSlGtGrQJnEqOKRGk7eHJfcicOLvlA5mfH5n8g8k58HWnDvhixpF6Sr-lEhOR48rpGjErg00iwuivZgyW2zyrWyxQW5Fa6AP2bUC7DdUtVrfR8OJ/s1600/speech+az.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqshVPEvMGdZDG4msBS6kE-AX5bZ_FoSlGtGrQJnEqOKRGk7eHJfcicOLvlA5mfH5n8g8k58HWnDvhixpF6Sr-lEhOR48rpGjErg00iwuivZgyW2zyrWyxQW5Fa6AP2bUC7DdUtVrfR8OJ/s400/speech+az.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Most people in Mexican culture have grown up hearing the description of someone or something being “chiquito.” Surprisingly, this word as well derives from the Nahuatl “tzitz quit,” meaning very small. Chocolate closely resembles the word of it’s origin, chocolatl, while a comal, or a griddle, is easily recognizable as originating from the Nahuatl “comalli.” Copal, used so prominently by Aztec dancers, is another native word for the incense made from tree resins. Coyote, the native dog species of the Americas, derives from the word coyotl. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolatl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xWUbgWyFLfLx_0cjGujsPwy5zRCo05xrbSD64_rrrhrIfXNzeAzTd6yEEetU-H3HOKT_Ao5Wr3HXXpVZrT-yw0KC5OkZpGKrzEXAeYw25Bbze5JUDD7bzuXPKlZGtUjN8kyrhrAkHFMY/s200/comal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comalli</td></tr>
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</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The Mexican Spanish slang word for a friend, “cuate,” comes from the Nahuatl “cuatl,” meaning twin, or a buddy. Similarly, a “tocayo,” or a namesake, derives from the word “tocayotl.” Elote, or corn on the cob, which is so often sold by street vendors, is also a Nahuatl word, as is guacamole (ahuaca-molli). A molcajete, the volcanic stone mortar used to create guacamole, derives from the word “molcaxitl,” which is used to create sauce (molli) out of peanuts, chocolate, chiles, and other ingredients.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUCeSuIKkhSQ3QpbZzXDtNS9UZXI8tY00Au4PQ77MzNFnk_uPxM7LPP7XSxF8UqD1gkjmJ5wP4fVNjS9_li5Kidq4Nj71r9PhmW-jW0j2KVoUUNgIyVPrHPZOcY0YpRh443bIHbHHeD0S/s1600/scribes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaUCeSuIKkhSQ3QpbZzXDtNS9UZXI8tY00Au4PQ77MzNFnk_uPxM7LPP7XSxF8UqD1gkjmJ5wP4fVNjS9_li5Kidq4Nj71r9PhmW-jW0j2KVoUUNgIyVPrHPZOcY0YpRh443bIHbHHeD0S/s400/scribes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The famous nopal cactus, which features so prominently on the Mexican flag, is pronounced “nopalli,” while another well-known cactus, peyote (peyotl) is also a word of Nahuatl origin. The pre-Colombian stew pozole (potzolli) is a well-known hangover remedy used after a night of drinking too much of the alcoholic drink mescal (mexcalli) or tequila. Tamales (tamalli), or tomatoes (tomatl) come from crops grown in a milpa, or a field. Huarache sandals derive from a Purepecha word, kwarachi. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potzolli</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3t3D9QzIttKlnyTDhMPNS9XUO6hikhbvAa9sG6pj5ELKl9AA2qCDVcTjIuiJZ38lC4Q0HOHa7xeabIKIK4OAT7bTB3R2bnIAPro_HV1MyIaotbJ8T7mjfHafSJbX2ba9yQarPbej_Qt6/s200/tamales.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamaltin </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nFDjnRItawV_CPPPME8BaBNYC6W8W5INuNIONV2d7A-GhIS0nIs8KDnshArsV6LTDV3sEfR8Qv1H4PeenyCFQpN3-E5LpOA8zybz2iu15Gzqj9Nfqqh10vBIcENXUCaktPg-OoR-5hDt/s200/huaraches.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kwarachi</td></tr>
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</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">In "<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Qaa4AQAAQBAJ&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=Haas,+Lisbeth.+Saints+and+Citizens:+Indigenous+Histories+of+Colonial+Missions+and+Mexican+California.+Berkeley+and+Los+Angeles:+University+of+California+Press,+2014.&source=bl&ots=5g_YP-aoc2&sig=O65ZpZKBNu2QTWtuNKIR1DTvjy8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHyZK86uLQAhWEMGMKHf45BxMQ6AEILDAD#v=onepage&q=Haas%2C%20Lisbeth.%20Saints%20and%20Citizens%3A%20Indigenous%20Histories%20of%20Colonial%20Missions%20and%20Mexican%20California.%20Berkeley%20and%20Los%20Angeles%3A%20University%20of%20California%20Press%2C%202014.&f=false" target="_blank">Saints and Citizens</a>", H</span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">aas refers to the “California vernacular”, the vernacular Spanish that Indigenous people learned in the missions and that was spoken by the troops in <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/04/tales-of-mexican-california.html" target="_blank">California</a>. It contained elements of other indigenous languages spoken in Mexico and “had traces of Indigenous speech and experience from the long colonial history of conquests that the military had undertaken."</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The experience of traveling out of Mexico through indigenous lands and into California and the Southwest, where many modern Mexican Americans now live, is written in the language picked up along the way. These words, which are unique to Mexican culture, are evidence of a people with their own unique and storied history and identity that is largely native to America.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Dress</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Many traditional styles of clothing and dress in Mexican culture have indigenous cultural roots, and are <a href="http://www.mexicantextiles.com/" target="_blank">still worn today</a> among modern Mexican people. The regional influences on the clothing, the designs, and even the materials used in the production of traditional clothing items all reveal interesting facts and histories behind them.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/fashion/mexican-clothing" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSzIJHX8_SKSA69ahe-77drqF6RDZ0Hw5thkOflD_LBtSfVJtX9d7aHnBTQFoQIOMOyTJpSI4hRpN7hG5pVwe_83RQLmUXQwAMc-SS0kqmAdzRunVApEp3gAlXzch5vujTSixUdo1fPCP/s400/mexican-fashion.jpg" width="560" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Most <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textiles_of_Mexico#Indigenous_clothing" target="_blank">pre-Columbian clothing</a> that remains today and which is still worn is women’s clothing. These include such items as cloth belts called fajas, and tunics known as huipils, a type of tunic, and a type of short poncho called a quechquemitl. The quechquemitl used to be worn directly on the upper body of a woman, but is today worn over a blouse. Huipils are often embroidered with beautiful floral and geometric designs, and are popularly worn by women today.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Mayan girl wearing a huipil.</td></tr>
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Another garment of indigenous origin is the rebozo. This is a long, rectangular shawl used as a wrap, and also as a way to carry children or other objects tied to the body. The rebozo <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textiles_of_Mexico#Indigenous_clothing" target="_blank">is a mixture</a> of indigenous, Spanish, and Asian influenced garments, and are woven with multicolored designs using threads of different colors.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD9HiL9gRTUHCmwRyXqShzCu3zGnUPjwmsxRc79bOWieOG3zMdOwvdrYE1c975I68mQnztRzX7vvWUACcdbJdBFIufkWT_Mfx8U5uVFPD5lD6BTDqghVO7UqCh4W_knnE6T_nADCVSi5w/s1600/rebozo-michoacano.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVD9HiL9gRTUHCmwRyXqShzCu3zGnUPjwmsxRc79bOWieOG3zMdOwvdrYE1c975I68mQnztRzX7vvWUACcdbJdBFIufkWT_Mfx8U5uVFPD5lD6BTDqghVO7UqCh4W_knnE6T_nADCVSi5w/s400/rebozo-michoacano.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman wearing a rebozo.</td></tr>
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Few pre-Columbian male clothing is still in use due to the fact that many Mesoamerican males wore relatively little clothing, and were subsequently forced by the Spanish to begin wearing European shirts and pants. The only pre-Columbian male garment to survive into modern times is the serape. (Universidad Veracruzana)<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt2jO7zF3B77Vav0CHKwTRUEsVZ8-GqnqmwB35hOVQOR0SpNiwCz5cAyJshmgcKrHg86FdpAo-OPijNLYlXA0sKEyrW-TaP6S-jPm1FA20IqYYMYckA0kwSR70z7iVw7b-DqW6YlWUfX0/s1600/lummis.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHt2jO7zF3B77Vav0CHKwTRUEsVZ8-GqnqmwB35hOVQOR0SpNiwCz5cAyJshmgcKrHg86FdpAo-OPijNLYlXA0sKEyrW-TaP6S-jPm1FA20IqYYMYckA0kwSR70z7iVw7b-DqW6YlWUfX0/s400/lummis.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/charles-lummis-house-biography" target="_blank">Charles Lummis</a>, founder of <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/index.htm" target="_blank">Arroyo Seco Foundation</a>, wearing a serape in the old <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/04/tales-of-mexican-california.html" target="_blank">Californio</a> style.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">In addition to clothing, other woven items common to Mexican culture contain aspects of indigenous origin, such as blankets, hats, and backpacks. The designs for these items are often woven into the fabric or embroidered. The materials for these items may be made with various native fibers, as well, including those made from cotton and the agave plant.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><a href="http://www.mexican-folk-art-guide.com/mayan-hammocks.html#.WFjOzmVov-Y" target="_blank">Sisal fiber is obtained from the Sisal Agave (Agave sisalana) </a></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Just as with language and food, traditional Mexican clothing reflects the history and roots of our culture. The rebozo, for instance, is a mixture of pre-Hispanic, Spanish, and Oriental influences which reflect the history of Mexico’s indigenous people being conquered by Spain -- a land which itself was dominated by “Oriental” or Islamic civilization for many centuries. Reflecting upon this history and heritage as expressed through clothing enables us to understand the development of our modern identity.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><u>Music</u></b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Pre-Columbian musical influences still are present in modern Mexican American culture. Much of the traditional Mexican Son music, for instance, which has influenced musicians in the United States was created as a mixture of Spanish and local indigenous musical styles. (<a href="http://jcary.weebly.com/uploads/6/3/0/0/63009299/lamusicamexicana.pdf" target="_blank">Ilich</a>) The musical and instrumental style reflecting the greatest indigenous heritage, however, would be that which accompanies Aztec dance.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Aztec dance <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concheros" target="_blank">emerged</a> shortly after the Spanish conquest. It was modified to include Catholic symbolism as a means of preserving ancient ritual. During the mid 20th Century, the dance was renamed “Azteca” and re introduced the use of conch shell trumpets, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huehuetl" target="_blank">huehuetl</a> drum, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teponaztli" target="_blank">teponaztli</a> drums. In some cases, these instruments were mixed with European instruments, and in other cases they replaced them entirely. These dancers attempted to return to a "purely indigenous" form of the dance by eliminating any European influences on the ceremony. (<a href="http://www.academia.edu/2954246/The_Rituals_of_Kindness_The_Influence_of_the_Danza_Azteca_Tradition_of_Central_Mexico_on_Chicano-Mexcoehuani_Identity_and_Sacred_Space" target="_blank">Aguilar</a>)</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.martinespino.com/" target="_blank">Martin Espino</a> is a musician and composer of authentic pre-Columbian style music.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The dance style now known as Aztec dance originated on the periphery of what was once the Aztec Empire, and often recreated or reenacted the battles against the Spanish during the Conquest. (González Torres) Aztec dancers adopted Spanish military titles for it’s dancers, and depending on the group, might honor a patron saint of Catholicism. (González Torres) Thus, as with the food, dress, and linguistic influences which have passed on to Mexican American culture, Aztec dance has within it living elements of the historical events which formed our identity, and which derive from a primarily indigenous foundation.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Cultural Customs</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Various other cultural customs have carried over to Mexican culture from indigenous, pre-Columbian times, and continue to influence and shape our culture today. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The holiday of Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a direct link to the indigenous past, and is becoming embraced by the larger American community which is influenced by the strong Mexican American presence in California and the Southwest. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">
Day of the Dead has been merged with the Catholic All Souls’ Day, providing yet another example of the means by which indigenous culture adapted and persisted in the face of the Spanish conquest. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">In another such example, Nahuas in central Mexico used devotion to saints as a way to continue practices and beliefs developed before Catholicism. (Haas, p. 92) The Virgin Mary came to be associated with agrarian rites in Mexico, and was associated with the maguey, or agave plant by farmers. (Haas p. 96)</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">Folk beliefs and practices often carry strong indigenous undertones. Curanderos, or traditional healers, utilize herbs and other </span><a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/02/blue-corn-atole.html" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">natural remedies</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> to heal. Native spirituality, Roman Catholic prayers, and elements of Moorish and Spanish herbalism and religion are </span><a href="http://www.ioufoundation.org/press/health-science/187-curanderismo-spirituality-and-healing-in-oaxaca-mexico" style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">all combined</a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> by curanderos to treat both the physical and the spiritual cause of illness.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>El Curandero </i>- <a href="http://www.artemaya.com/thummro.html" target="_blank">Mario Gonzalez Chavajay</a></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">The belief in witchcraft can also be traced to indigenous Mexican folk religion. Naguals, shape-shifting </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">brujos</i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"> or sorcerers, can transform themselves into animals and use their power for either good or evil. </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">A person's </span><i>tonal</i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> or </span>daysign can determine which animal represents the positive and negative aspects of their nature, and which animal a person may share a spiritual connection with. In Rudolpho Anaya's book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QBKIAY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1" target="_blank">Bless Me, Ultima</a>, the curandera Ultima shares a spiritual connection with an Owl, which represents her soul.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Even scary stories told to children have their origins in pre-Columbian Mexico. The story of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">La Llorona</a><span style="text-align: center;">, "The Weeping Woman" who's ghost cries along the river searching for her lost children, is often </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Llorona" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">used</a><span style="text-align: center;"> to keep children from wandering out at night. The story of La Llorona derived from the Nahua myth of Chocacihuatl. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocacihuatl</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">In the Nahuatl language, choca means to cry, and cihuatl means woman. </span><a href="http://leyendadeterror.com/chocacihuatl-la-llorona/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Chocacihuatl</a><span style="text-align: center;"> was the spirit of the first woman who died in childbirth, and her cries could be heard along the banks of Lake Texcoco. The skulls of Chocacihuatl and her lost son floated in the air and hunted any traveler who crossed their path in the darkness of night. The unfortunate person who saw these things could be sure of misfortune or death.</span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></span><span style="color: orange; font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;"><b><u>Conclusion</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-align: center;">In first discussing the ethnic roots of Mexican people in the beginning of this essay, the UC San Francisco, Stanford University, and Mexico’s National Institute of Genomic Medicine’s landmark study of the genetics of Mexico was cited to demonstrate the Native American ethnic heritage within much of the Mexican population. It is as a direct consequence of this ethnic heritage that other indigenous cultural aspects are still in place within Mexican culture; if only sometimes a bit under the surface. The various indigenous influences on Mexican food culture were shown to have their foundation in the indigenous American corn cultures which developed in Mexico and which spread civilization. Due to this culinary heritage, modern Mexican Americans are returning to their ancestral foods for the health benefits they provide. Clothing, music, and other cultural customs whose roots can be traced to indigenous times all share one common theme: their survival within Mexican culture are living examples of it’s unique origins and development here in North America and Mesoamerica. </span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><u>Bibliography</u></b></span></span></div>
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<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Acuña, Rodolfo. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Occupied-America-History-Chicanos-7th/dp/0205786189" target="_blank">Occupied America: A History of Chicanos</a></i>. New Jersey: Pearson, <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2015.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Aguilar, Mario. <a href="http://www.academia.edu/2954246/The_Rituals_of_Kindness_The_Influence_of_the_Danza_Azteca_Tradition_of_Central_Mexico_on_Chicano-Mexcoehuani_Identity_and_Sacred_Space" target="_blank">The rituals of kindness: The influence of the Danza Azteca tradition of central Mexico on Chicano-Mexcoehuani identity and sacred space</a> (PhD). The Claremont Graduate University, 2009.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Craft textiles in Mexico Introduction - Historical Precedents. Veracruz, Mexico: Universidad Veracruzana. June 1, 2010.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">“Decolonize Your Diet,” last modified 2015. <a href="http://decolonizeyourdiet.org/">http://decolonizeyourdiet.org</a>/</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">González Torres, Yolotl. <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/Conferences/pilgrimage/papers99/Yototl.html">"Conchero’s sanctuaries and pilgrimages"</a>. INAH and University of Colorado, Boulder. May 28, 2012.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/tarahumara-people/gorney-text/3" target="_blank">Gorney, Cynthia. “A People Apart.” National Geographic, November 2008.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Qaa4AQAAQBAJ&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=Haas,+Lisbeth.+Saints+and+Citizens:+Indigenous+Histories+of+Colonial+Missions+and+Mexican+California.+Berkeley+and+Los+Angeles:+University+of+California+Press,+2014.&source=bl&ots=5g_YP-aoc2&sig=O65ZpZKBNu2QTWtuNKIR1DTvjy8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHyZK86uLQAhWEMGMKHf45BxMQ6AEILDAD#v=onepage&q=Haas%2C%20Lisbeth.%20Saints%20and%20Citizens%3A%20Indigenous%20Histories%20of%20Colonial%20Missions%20and%20Mexican%20California.%20Berkeley%20and%20Los%20Angeles%3A%20University%20of%20California%20Press%2C%202014.&f=false" target="_blank">Haas, Lisbeth. <i>Saints and Citizens: Indigenous Histories of Colonial Missions and Mexican California</i>. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2014.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://jcary.weebly.com/uploads/6/3/0/0/63009299/lamusicamexicana.pdf" target="_blank">Ilich, Tijana. “Music of Mexico - Son, Ranchera, Mariachi.” <i>About Entertainment</i>, 2015.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cpjgoazGIC4C&pg=PT264&lpg=PT264&dq=aztec+lifespan+ten+years+longer+than+spanish&source=bl&ots=fcGm_eFNsP&sig=DTN7y0O1MxBiDTT-17ozg_vXDhk&hl=en#v=onepage&q=aztec%20lifespan%20ten%20years%20longer%20than%20spanish&f=false" target="_blank">Jackson, Mark. <i>The Oxford Handbook of the History of Medicine</i>. Oxford University Press, 2011.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Laws, Rita. “<a href="https://www.ivu.org/history/native_americans.html" target="_blank">Native Americans and Vegetarianism</a>.” <i>Vegetarian Journal</i>, September 1994.</span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/the-men-who-live-forever" target="_blank">McDougall, Christopher. “The Men Who Live Forever.” <i>Men’s Health</i>, June 28, 2006.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4156478/" target="_blank">Moreno-Estrada et al. The genetics of Mexico recapitulates Native American substructure and affects biomedical traits. <i>Science</i>, 2014.</a></span></span></li>
<li style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">“Nahuatl Borrowings in Mexican Spanish Vocabulary,” <a href="http://www.mexica.net/nahuatl/nahuawds.php">http://www.mexica.net/nahuatl/nahuawds.php</a></span></span></li>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-19064283090186232272016-09-22T21:39:00.000-07:002019-01-18T19:36:11.587-08:00The Spiral Dance of the Celtic YearOver the years, I have <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2013/12/festivals-of-light.html" target="_blank">realized</a> the increasing importance of living according to the seasons, and have felt the peace that comes from harmonizing ourselves with the cycles of nature. I am happy to have discovered <a href="http://www.chalicecentre.net/index.html" target="_blank">Mara Freeman</a>'s wonderful book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006251685X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=006251685X&linkCode=as2&tag=chalicecenter-20" target="_blank">Kindling the Celtic Spirit</a>, just in time for the transition to autumn - my favorite season. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHr3WacdFCwmZGaGViV52xfuxTmGxqVMdG1wdbu9aIJGpwWXRWv-pwuwCtPhvVq5Abw1JT-ySS365bGA1ZPsV5-pWOIu1FNmjNjnZVhJYqiYS7tJKSy0fR8xb03DI11AuPx1WOd7v95KXb/s1600/celtic+cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHr3WacdFCwmZGaGViV52xfuxTmGxqVMdG1wdbu9aIJGpwWXRWv-pwuwCtPhvVq5Abw1JT-ySS365bGA1ZPsV5-pWOIu1FNmjNjnZVhJYqiYS7tJKSy0fR8xb03DI11AuPx1WOd7v95KXb/s400/celtic+cover.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This book describes the seasonal traditions, legends, recipes, plant uses, and many ancient customs of the Celtic peoples for every month of the year, and has become a treasured reference book for me to connect more deeply with the Earth and nature-based wisdom of my Irish and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Lamont" target="_blank">Scottish ancestors</a>. <br />
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I was most amazed by Freeman's description of why we might align ourselves with a more cyclic view of time, and a way of life based on complimentary opposites. It is the best that I have read yet:<br />
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<i style="color: orange;">"Everywhere we look, we see that life moves in a spiral motion. From snail shell to sunflower, from the invisible coils of the DNA molecule to the boundless whirling galaxies, life unfolds as a spiral. This simple pattern holds the secret to the whole universe, for within its form lies the feminine circle and the masculine line. Without these two movements, there would be no motion and consequentially no life in this world of opposites. Spirals swirl through the art of the early Celts as they swirl on the stone walls of the burial chambers of their European Neolithic predecessors. In Celtic countries people have danced in spirals since time began. Even today the people of Brittany dance in all-night festivals where the music of bagpipe and hurry-gurdy never stops. Slowly and rhythmically, they move into the center and out again in huge spirals. Arms closely linked, bodies swaying, they stamp the earth, mimicking the sowing of seeds and other farming tasks. Their dance reflects their participation in Earth's mysteries of blossom and leaf fall, the ebb and flow of the circling year... </i><br />
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<a href="http://merganser.math.gvsu.edu/myth/spirals.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoicUInlHgtyMLhsYNuZr0ho4gCzbIZeKA-f515IPCeAHG3GUw-kD1Ik0noEXUBmGCVZlt-KKFxrmddywK9gDn6ScstbUPyMWFkL75GsYAHCZpi9BuVuT7ThsxnnvVhbidw1HsK6zsm1p/s400/c+spirl+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: orange; text-align: center;">Awareness of life as an unfolding spiral is something that, sadly, we have lost today. In the modern world progress is seen as a linear upward march. If we do not consistently improve and achieve, we think there is something wrong. But through consciously aligning ourselves with sacred time by attuning our lives to the spiral of the Celtic year, we are accepting the invitation to the grand dance of the universe, in which our partners are the sun, moon, and stars and every living thing. With this greater sense of connection to the flow of the cosmos, we find a greater appreciation of the present moment and can now enjoy the journey instead of grimly fixing our sights toward a distant goal on an ever-receding horizon. By embracing a "spiral attitude" toward life, we can gracefully take each step of the dance as we are led joyfully along by what the great Irish hero Fionn McCumhaill once called 'the music of what happens'"</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHCJnm8HFhluH4kRt9LWPy18TKEI5eioCv4SILvZ48brW8WdDiMh5IObTgWIaKUTlxf7WvtmnX0mpE67cN8hhYGNNZgFvPfh5muVIM6fykqGeDF5QVo047qHdQXPzObzVhYuwav_wGPK0/s1600/tilly%2527s+barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHCJnm8HFhluH4kRt9LWPy18TKEI5eioCv4SILvZ48brW8WdDiMh5IObTgWIaKUTlxf7WvtmnX0mpE67cN8hhYGNNZgFvPfh5muVIM6fykqGeDF5QVo047qHdQXPzObzVhYuwav_wGPK0/s400/tilly%2527s+barn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is not only within the Celtic tradition where we may attune our lives to the spiral year and to sacred time, but within all traditions. There is knowledge and macrobiotic wisdom to be found in all cultures and ancestries. <br />
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<a href="http://chalicecentre.net/blog/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZp2MpzDkPjU3hLgb6XN6yxiP0ShgWGW39UzsRxYflXq7xTxcEpc8TND02bM67Fd-_u9BRk5ZFGS_pI6HCY94aDQ1pDrlbHeTRAji-upwtrolPL_51p91-jPqJII_gQlGEHniB2kfUIDF/s400/Brigits-Cross-Iona.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let us again live according to sacred time and the seasons of the Earth! Let us share with our families, friends, and community the peace and well being that comes from living orderly lives.Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-71132814753922255722016-04-29T17:20:00.003-07:002019-07-28T09:49:57.283-07:00The Fire Drill <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">I've been practicing making fire by friction with the hand drill, which was the traditional way to start fire here in the Americas for thousands of years. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g2fB4bkGQN8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g2fB4bkGQN8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Once the principle of creating a friction fire is understood, it only takes a moderate amount of practice to learn this ancient skill. Your hands may blister the first few times, but the feeling of forming that coal and blowing your tinder bundle into a flame is exhilarating! </div>
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To make your own fire making kit, learn to gather plants ethically so that they thrive from being tended properly. Grow your own native plants, and learn about responsible practices from your local native plant nursery.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/08/willow-bark-for-pain-relief.html" target="_blank">Willow (Salix spp.)</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2eJr59FIocndrB7e0EJBG9Kyj8pmjSyBbfeM2neEi9zJ561oDtsTCHNSw-Nq3tFYBd5CV7QKE2iGg_2UpE3zb5UllKyaWdFOsJORXp05WPlbqm2dO85hgn-JDySJXjg1UDGdZ76mbAEv/s1600/mulefat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2eJr59FIocndrB7e0EJBG9Kyj8pmjSyBbfeM2neEi9zJ561oDtsTCHNSw-Nq3tFYBd5CV7QKE2iGg_2UpE3zb5UllKyaWdFOsJORXp05WPlbqm2dO85hgn-JDySJXjg1UDGdZ76mbAEv/s320/mulefat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euaqoeMkYYM" target="_blank">Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia) </a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H_ny3DvJxg" target="_blank">Mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) </a></td></tr>
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I gathered already-dead willow branches for my hearth, dead mugwort leaves for the tinder, and used a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euaqoeMkYYM" target="_blank">mulefat</a> drill which was cut while pruning a shrub. </div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: orange;">New Fire Ceremony</span></u></b><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">One aspect of making fire with the hand drill that I find interesting is the lore surrounding it. </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The Nahuatl-speaking people of Mexico performed the <a href="http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/stories/new-fire-ceremony" target="_blank">New Fire Ceremony</a>, or the Binding of the Years, once every 52 years - a full cycle of the Mesoamerican calendar. At the end of the calendrical cycle, old household items were discarded, people fasted and purified, and all the fires in the community were extinguished. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">In the city of Tenochtitlan, atop a mountain called Huixachtlan, a new fire was started once the constellation known as "the fire drill" (Orion's belt) rose from the horizon. This fire was required to be started with the hand drill, and signaled the beginning of the New Calendar Round. It was used to light a huge bonfire of bundled wood representing the bundling of the 52 year cycle, and from it runners would light torches and rekindle the temple hearths throughout the city.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The imagery of lighting a new fire with a hand drill was used to denote the beginning of a new era, such as an ascension to power. In the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_Tolteca-Chichimeca" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, a person wearing a coyote skin is depicted lighting the new fire above Chicomoztoc; the "seven caves" which were the mythical origin place of the Nahua peoples. This new fire ceremony </span><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=1UxGR6UB7AwC&pg=PA299&lpg=PA299&dq=chicomoztoc+fire&source=bl&ots=8FpZuozez7&sig=1KDDJGbvys2vVXtyFAA1CIwqbDA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvmJ7sg7DMAhWJJiYKHRhVC2QQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=chicomoztoc%20fire&f=false" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">represents</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> the emergence of the people from these caves, and announces the beginning of their migration south.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Fire Drill</span></u></b></div>
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In his book "Survival Skills of Native California" Paul Campbell describes how <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi" target="_blank">Ishi</a>, the last member of the Yahi people of California, classified the hearth of the fire drill as the "female element" and the drill as the "man piece" or male element. According to Campbell:</div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">"The hand fire drill was universal and ancient. Mayan hieroglyphs of the fire-making hand drill extend back in an unbroken line to the Olmec iconography of San Lorenzo -- the first American Indian civilization -- some 3,000 years ago. Undoubtedly, the skill is thousands of years older, lost in the Paleolithic. Fittingly it was the Olmec god of the north and darkness who made compensatory fire with the sticks... the Karok of California made new fire with the sticks to begin a new year. So important was the drill, young Aztec men had it burned onto their wrists in the form of the fire drill constellation... The ancient Maya ritual of the Bakabs exhorted, 'To be charmed, the fire is always kindled with a fire drill.'</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;">It was the simple two-piece hand drill that the ancients revered... The ability to make fire in the wild is perhaps the most important survival skill one can possess -- literally the difference between a dark shivering death and a hot meal in the glow of a warming blaze. It cannot be taught by theory. Only through familiarity with the range of materials and techniques... in a variety of environments and by practice does the fire come forth."</span></i></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFqkFMAcjJ954zgTekpXs2MQfyiv4_KhRd52s0pcFnNPjdxdL61gQJsQzr8Zv7RGUepUa9m0b4vjcR1jIMXS-RDfP1OlPq-1uxUwDt2FGSYDfxesYMVhmh8r_orCbHcZAKM_txvL6AVd/s1600/fire+drill+orion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAFqkFMAcjJ954zgTekpXs2MQfyiv4_KhRd52s0pcFnNPjdxdL61gQJsQzr8Zv7RGUepUa9m0b4vjcR1jIMXS-RDfP1OlPq-1uxUwDt2FGSYDfxesYMVhmh8r_orCbHcZAKM_txvL6AVd/s320/fire+drill+orion.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.academia.edu/867672/Orion_Uaxactun_Izapa_and_Creation" target="_blank">Mamalhuaztli </a>- "the fire drill"</td></tr>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-40541838800900194292016-01-18T18:08:00.000-08:002016-01-18T21:14:57.705-08:00The Soul of a Place - Linda Vista<span style="color: orange;"><i>In the face of globalization and the increasing homogenization of our
architecture, landscaping, language and culture, many of us are
beginning to appreciate the value in having a sense of place. A good
place has a soul; a sense of continuity. Cities can have souls.
Neighborhoods can have souls. Mine does. So I wrote this piece about
the place where I grew up, and tried to capture in writing the soul of
my neighborhood -- Linda Vista.</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiUBITCnTPBwxICkSGO4qYJEXq4BpPgiTAsydapHhv6ZRO-kKUklyDV8hekbWCBeEDyKNJtPeu6plOYhNEhacc1tXQVCSfk5DHgZlEpw6wJqgtXHtCWeq-hC1fPu359fg6vSVvHtI7oHG/s1600/lv+hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBiUBITCnTPBwxICkSGO4qYJEXq4BpPgiTAsydapHhv6ZRO-kKUklyDV8hekbWCBeEDyKNJtPeu6plOYhNEhacc1tXQVCSfk5DHgZlEpw6wJqgtXHtCWeq-hC1fPu359fg6vSVvHtI7oHG/s400/lv+hills.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rising high along the Arroyo's edge, Linda Vista is a peaceful neighborhood of unique homes, beautiful gardens, and tree-lined streets. Nestled against the San Rafael Hills, Linda Vista extends from Devil's Gate Dam south to the Colorado Street Bridge. Meaning "pretty view" in Spanish, Linda Vista exceeds expectations, with picturesque bridges, old fashioned street lamps, and sweeping views of the magnificent San Gabriel Mountain range.<br />
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<a href="http://www.karenwinters.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.karenwinters.com/" border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkJttMvZ8MOdiduuUIItPRWBvO5XylW2eYo65yVegwfWrorEqA1w74mbMHzHK6N8vDTWyzezWIz96l3o9WEOuOhwU-XSS-9LS2oah5pi95D7UR213ZZ5mYsEDVqqpLhvHTQJeWj3JAfx6/s400/arroyo-panorama.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Long occupied by the <a href="http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/highland-park/the-highlands/hahamogna.html" target="_blank">Gabrielino/Tongva</a> people of Southern California, Linda Vista was originally known to early settlers as "Indian Flat." In 1784, the area was granted to Corporal José María Verdugo during the California Mission period as a part of the vast <a href="http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/highland-park/the-highlands/rancho-san-rafael.html" target="_blank">Rancho San Rafael</a>. Following the Spanish and Mexican rancho era, early Pasadena settlers transformed the landscape with bucolic farms and orchards.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi43-MP4g1HZYZ-8WIRyp4pKSKvO6eWoKggSuBL5R_fxUAVlO9bqon3UIk0UXZIgN2_43h5ykeHC3ZnLX4zX5E5pcF8rqol6vvxFIsYCcCttUokM04H52cueG_veTlzTjVh3f7vtFBFS5/s1600/tongva+1880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEi43-MP4g1HZYZ-8WIRyp4pKSKvO6eWoKggSuBL5R_fxUAVlO9bqon3UIk0UXZIgN2_43h5ykeHC3ZnLX4zX5E5pcF8rqol6vvxFIsYCcCttUokM04H52cueG_veTlzTjVh3f7vtFBFS5/s640/tongva+1880.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gabrielino/Tongva woman living in the Arroyo near the Linda Vista Bridge, 1880.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNcIY1qRktnkhqxOGJqzbbhKJSQQikht9l67Kb691qVfWe-CI4SsLMeim58gDxTEWOVsz-sVovslZLPkOyBvW-XYCTWwqQAw8J4dqhyphenhypheni763TYpY8O39mF_3e6eDJPV2QYPeUckkZ7SoGT/s1600/SpanishandMexicanranchosofLosAngeles%25281937%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWNcIY1qRktnkhqxOGJqzbbhKJSQQikht9l67Kb691qVfWe-CI4SsLMeim58gDxTEWOVsz-sVovslZLPkOyBvW-XYCTWwqQAw8J4dqhyphenhypheni763TYpY8O39mF_3e6eDJPV2QYPeUckkZ7SoGT/s400/SpanishandMexicanranchosofLosAngeles%25281937%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A close-knit community formed which exists to this day. The neighborhood grew to include an elementary school (now a park and children's center), public library, fire station, and the Art Center College of Design. The <a href="http://www.lvaa.net/" target="_blank">Linda Vista-Annandale Association</a>, a voluntary neighborhood association (the oldest in Pasadena), holds an annual Picnic in the Park in the spring, and a Pancake Breakfast at the local fire station in the fall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqOkN0_0Dxbhh2YOQ8qHvfumw5rsaHs7OM4qVfq_tTM-RbU4kpD3myz1UHB1xXPj2ao3fGBguLyngE5pUNKd7aJrpiT6ClRGR1z7xMDaV1HfT1t-hzp1MVzoJoUeTWXpiL2419CsGN95M/s1600/picnic+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqOkN0_0Dxbhh2YOQ8qHvfumw5rsaHs7OM4qVfq_tTM-RbU4kpD3myz1UHB1xXPj2ao3fGBguLyngE5pUNKd7aJrpiT6ClRGR1z7xMDaV1HfT1t-hzp1MVzoJoUeTWXpiL2419CsGN95M/s400/picnic+park.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The author engaging neighbors on behalf of <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/index.htm" target="_blank">ASF</a> during the Picnic at the Park.</span></td></tr>
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Linda Vistans also enjoy easy access to Brookside Park, the Rose Bowl Stadium, and the <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/HikingAS.htm" target="_blank">hiking</a><a href="http://www.self-reliance.net/artlht.html" target="_blank"> trails</a> of the Central Arroyo. On the 4th of July, neighbors gather along Parkview Avenue or in their own backyards to view the fireworks show at the Rose Bowl.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MHcUesr2mVrtEvX51mGLOpfGNddJ-Q9mrdS6beNjDCFL6Q_AUcYeb1vMS3Nar-lu78I1LuAIYjeGmthpjXDuDI_RT_qdt8D_OzC-qaQnjjKGjG5Aw2VfyaTPs_2Munz7jLe3Cw1G8eP9/s1600/walking+washoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MHcUesr2mVrtEvX51mGLOpfGNddJ-Q9mrdS6beNjDCFL6Q_AUcYeb1vMS3Nar-lu78I1LuAIYjeGmthpjXDuDI_RT_qdt8D_OzC-qaQnjjKGjG5Aw2VfyaTPs_2Munz7jLe3Cw1G8eP9/s400/walking+washoe.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Linda Vista is surrounded by <a href="http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/cottonwood" target="_blank">nature</a>. It is not uncommon to spot a family of deer walking down it's secluded streets, or the occasional coyote or bobcat. Red-tailed hawks circle the sky by day, and the sounds of crickets and owls fill the dark night air.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rGKiExME9tfy-YfdgC8puU0tdz-XGMQGPKTPfEDnTbjGX7NM3T_ugJbwYprHyHt4ONn5736UkNvTkLG9eCJME_4QhnNWK9HT-g_eWjeMGgnKSOszNhDqdNLG0iMEWCxlDu2H4CBQF6Nc/s1600/trails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8rGKiExME9tfy-YfdgC8puU0tdz-XGMQGPKTPfEDnTbjGX7NM3T_ugJbwYprHyHt4ONn5736UkNvTkLG9eCJME_4QhnNWK9HT-g_eWjeMGgnKSOszNhDqdNLG0iMEWCxlDu2H4CBQF6Nc/s400/trails.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Blanche Dorn, an early settler of the area, wrote in her memoirs that "The years rolled by and Linda Vista became a charming, sleepy little country village. In the spring when the orchards were in bloom and wildflowers covered the hillsides, it was paradise."<br />
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It still is.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Originally written for <a href="http://www.pasadenabeautifulhomes.com/neighborhood/pasadena-linda-vista-real-estate-sale/" target="_blank">Pasadena Beautiful Homes</a>.</span></div>
Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-17002259420122296682015-05-16T22:43:00.002-07:002016-01-18T22:23:51.741-08:00Bring Our River Back!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGKHCsV-8d3S_91rzLWwdG2NE0y3C7lp4y4M60eTLP-lh4L3tXWryDixUJlK5rcSjLwygBIv8vgo5TAY6Bcu4uqoP07ZWagagreHkRtB5nc4qOw9V-18nXeJR9kEcfF3GdVMWiFEXagGF/s1600/The-Central-Arroyo-ca.-1913..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAGKHCsV-8d3S_91rzLWwdG2NE0y3C7lp4y4M60eTLP-lh4L3tXWryDixUJlK5rcSjLwygBIv8vgo5TAY6Bcu4uqoP07ZWagagreHkRtB5nc4qOw9V-18nXeJR9kEcfF3GdVMWiFEXagGF/s400/The-Central-Arroyo-ca.-1913..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Central Arroyo ca. 1913.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 25px;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"In and out among the trees, a trail has been worn, often leading down to the bed of the brook; and here one can wander for hours… in this leafy retreat, with the birds singing all about, and trout darting from the horse’s feet.”</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 25px;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">-Charles Holder, “All about Pasadena”</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 28px;">Such memories still exist within the minds of Arroyo old-timers. Memories of an Arroyo Seco as a living river; an Arroyo with dark forests, verdant trails and trout darting through the stream.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 28px;">As it was before, so it can be again!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">The Arroyo Seco has been named one of the best candidates for urban stream restoration in the United States, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently formulating various alternative plans that could turn that vision into a reality. <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/corpsstudy.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #f1b000; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">The Corps’ Arroyo Seco Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Feasibility Program</a> provides an enormous opportunity for massive river restoration throughout the urban portion of the Arroyo watershed.</span><br />
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What does this mean?</span></h3>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">The objective of the plan is to remove as much of the cement channel as possible, and to restore a natural soft-bottom stream. This change will enhance the quantity and quality of aquatic, wetland, and riparian habitat — meaning a natural stream environment that will support more fish, more plants, and more birds.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6unQxqd41xaNA6MgcSbVmDQMhEGFRU5lC_KOJN8axduh5CYo7UyIjeT5XaStTLy9DY_ucoFCnbHevwxX3u9s4pXW1ltzWYA2nuwG-S7JdxVruqhmEctM4idyaj7YmjpUUfPLfBlWORRo/s1600/The-Corps%E2%80%99-vision-of-a-restored-Arroyo-at-its-confluence-with-the-LA-River.-Photo-US-Army-Corps-of-Engineers..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6unQxqd41xaNA6MgcSbVmDQMhEGFRU5lC_KOJN8axduh5CYo7UyIjeT5XaStTLy9DY_ucoFCnbHevwxX3u9s4pXW1ltzWYA2nuwG-S7JdxVruqhmEctM4idyaj7YmjpUUfPLfBlWORRo/s400/The-Corps%E2%80%99-vision-of-a-restored-Arroyo-at-its-confluence-with-the-LA-River.-Photo-US-Army-Corps-of-Engineers..jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Corps’ vision of a restored Arroyo at its confluence with the LA River.</td></tr>
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In addition, along the restored stream, the Army Corps is considering the expansion of biking and hiking trails. The Corps may also add educational signage and other amenities to enhance the visitor’s appreciation of the newly restored stream.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">The <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/index.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #f1b000; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Arroyo Seco Foundation</a> has developed a guiding vision for this restoration — the<a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/riverparks" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #f1b000; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Arroyo River Parks Program</a>. This program would link existing parks and open spaces to each other and to the river, thereby connecting the surrounding Arroyo communities. Imagine being able to walk, hike, or ride from Altadena to Downtown L.A. through a series of beautiful, connected River Parks!</span></div>
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Public participation will play a critical role in determining which of the alternative plans the Army Corps of Engineers will recommend. The Corps is currently accepting comments on the <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/army-corps/nop-letter-2015-04-23.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #f1b000; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Notice of Preparation</a> for the plan until May 23.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">Join the Arroyo Seco Foundation in advocating for the most expansive plan for restoring the Arroyo. Together, we can return the Arroyo Seco stream to its original splendor.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;">*Originally published in <a href="http://coloradoboulevard.net/bring-our-river-back/" target="_blank">coloradoboulevard.net </a></span></div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-1751289853131073382015-02-02T01:17:00.000-08:002015-02-02T10:56:50.196-08:00Faces of the Arroyo -- Danny Aldahl -- Crest Runs There are some people who you just trust with your life. People in whose abilities you feel completely confident. When it comes to driving, my buddy Danny is one of those rare individuals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFPBJW90SMmXpd3zK742KepT9YoeAuCWvDXzjTNEm1kRCrdRO2BjX0IqNqu26fM6gPZ9H2iHL3IyDDpjEKG1BI8JmwoFLzdwxFNswvrOlWylLk3PV9IgI0hXMo-HtD6TDReT4fSQJIUFn/s1600/danny+hf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFPBJW90SMmXpd3zK742KepT9YoeAuCWvDXzjTNEm1kRCrdRO2BjX0IqNqu26fM6gPZ9H2iHL3IyDDpjEKG1BI8JmwoFLzdwxFNswvrOlWylLk3PV9IgI0hXMo-HtD6TDReT4fSQJIUFn/s1600/danny+hf.jpg" height="391" width="400" /></a></div>
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A skilled mechanic, Danny is also a talented precision driver who can push it to the limit on the track, yet be completely cognizant of the physics and mechanics of his every move. He has always been one to explore the limits, going back to our days as skating buddies when we first became friends.</div>
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With our skateboarding days mostly behind us, we’ve taken up new pursuits over the years. Hiking and exploring the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/angeles" target="_blank">Angeles National Forest</a> has become a big one, and we’ve gathered more than a few adventure stories and good times up in those mountains.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT298vwtA2Nat3qpSUcU5u8jI0G4NcFgZSAMQsB6qt6uc7FPN6LWVh7xXPiQocFFpX2kiTkix8l5i9CH8tXbaR9jEnn7SJV0WtwCtfOmsPYyjCTDQL3Q_8CYek9qfvwHx3XgaMv_HGEsW/s1600/ihcanyon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVT298vwtA2Nat3qpSUcU5u8jI0G4NcFgZSAMQsB6qt6uc7FPN6LWVh7xXPiQocFFpX2kiTkix8l5i9CH8tXbaR9jEnn7SJV0WtwCtfOmsPYyjCTDQL3Q_8CYek9qfvwHx3XgaMv_HGEsW/s1600/ihcanyon.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fixing up and maintaining his own car -- a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series_(E30)" target="_blank">1989 BMW E30</a> -- going on drives up “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angeles_Crest_Highway" target="_blank">Crest</a>” has become a regular part of what we do. On a recent drive, Danny shared some thoughts:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtwkg_inRXie0ieRxMjjGpTeHECASXuSPs_IwWzGXsgH9OyxeUQQAVcIgZkPQo8nYJMetvXSpSfuBsHoO69ux1CKzuTLgd0ZaoDAx4o1VpTaX8kbE0ZSdv7kiH5kbL8pJKGEWqwltFnTq/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtwkg_inRXie0ieRxMjjGpTeHECASXuSPs_IwWzGXsgH9OyxeUQQAVcIgZkPQo8nYJMetvXSpSfuBsHoO69ux1CKzuTLgd0ZaoDAx4o1VpTaX8kbE0ZSdv7kiH5kbL8pJKGEWqwltFnTq/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">“Well I mean, it’s like an unused resource. Not everyone has the same outlook on driving as I do, but I come out here and it’s no cellphone service, no other cars, no traffic, no stop signs, no red lights, no green lights -- none of that stuff. There’s wildlife and rocks, and that’s pretty much all you have to watch out for.”</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1KjIXG6ht2kvQ4lbD8ktcTmh7MPUHwZD0PwUIB3axmNcpjwV2jwLTjk-HDb6HriP4vWzKrh8CXfPmhfgDc4-lQncHk_xzB9cPBa6PeIp21KpaqHT4OpJyqlxwEQtvNJUt5iWLScJ5ac/s1600/sgpeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs1KjIXG6ht2kvQ4lbD8ktcTmh7MPUHwZD0PwUIB3axmNcpjwV2jwLTjk-HDb6HriP4vWzKrh8CXfPmhfgDc4-lQncHk_xzB9cPBa6PeIp21KpaqHT4OpJyqlxwEQtvNJUt5iWLScJ5ac/s1600/sgpeak.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">“It’s so close! We could get from 6000 feet to the <a href="http://www.standardhotels.com/downtown-la/food-drink/the-rooftop" target="_blank">bar at the Standard Hotel on the rooftop</a> in an hour and a half, and that’s with traffic in Downtown. We could be down there in 50 minutes if we do it at midnight.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">“It’s just different up here. It’s quiet, it’s nice, I mean, if you have a fun car it makes it a little more exciting, but in any car it’s fun, it’s an adventure.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">“(<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/11/18/bluehighways/index.html?eref=ib_travel" target="_blank">Blue roads</a>) are the older roads. They’re the roads that are the scenic byways. They’re not there to make you get anywhere quicker. This road is purely recreation nowadays. There’s no reason that people use this as a commute. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">It’s like driving up to San Francisco. You can get there faster if you take <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_5_in_California" target="_blank">the 5</a>, but if you take <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_101" target="_blank">the 101</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_1" target="_blank">the 1</a>, you’re going to have a way better time. The road isn’t as direct, and it’s slower and it’s windy -- but the reward is far greater, I think. If you’re going for time, then that’s one thing. But if you’re going for the experience, then that’s another.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">“On a global scale, there aren’t many places in the world that exist like Los Angeles. You go to Europe and there are great roads there, but they’re hours out of anywhere. You have to sit on a freeway for two hours before you can even get to the mountain pass. Not all of them, don’t get me wrong -- but here you can drive this twice, three times, four times a week. I mean, I do! It’s very accessible. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">And the caliber of road is unbelievable. Every major motor journalist in the United States has tested a car up here, I’m willing to bet. They film car commercials up here. Part of it’s the industry in the area, and part of it is that it’s a very good road. It’s exciting, and you can test a car without really breaking the law. It’s absolutely world class.”</span><br />
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The scale at which we traverse the landscape has truly made the mountain range feel like our own. We’ve made ourselves locals, and every peak, turnout, and trail we pass become familiar to us. What a life-affirming experience it is to go high upon the mountain at night, to gaze out at the stars from a darkened turnout. What a gift it is to so easily recharge in our local mountains -- a place which has melded to form our very identities.Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-89752866392605365882014-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:002019-04-11T14:53:39.975-07:00Plant Profile -- Wild Cucumber Following the recent rains, I’ve noticed wild cucumber (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marah_macrocarpus" target="_blank">Marah macrocarpus</a>) has begun to make it’s seasonal appearance. I first learned about this native plant when I was a fourth grader at Linda Vista Elementary School. That year, our class was taken on weekly field trips to <a href="http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/PublicWorks/hahamongna/" target="_blank">Hahamongna Watershed Park</a> as part of a nature program. It was during these trips that I viewed a free flowing stream for the first time within my own city limits -- something I’d never seen outside of the Sierras. It blew my mind!<br />
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I remember that our instructor and guide through the park was a young woman named Gigi. We used to do all sorts of hands on crafts with her, and it was during one of our explorations of Hahamongna that she first showed us wild cucumber. Shortly thereafter while playing in my backyard under the oak trees, I was astounded to discover it growing right there on my own hillside!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The author. May, 1998. Hahamongna.</span></td></tr>
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Wild cucumber <a href="http://www.runajambi.net/tongva/wildcucumber.htm" target="_blank">traditionally has many uses</a> for native Californians. Roots were used as a fish poison. Seeds were used to treat rheumatism and to create pigments. The dried seed pods were used as hair combs. Wild cucumber is also one of the first signs of spring in native California.<br />
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Whenever I see wild cucumber, I am reminded of what a great impression can be made in the lives of children when you show them somewhere special in their own backyard. That’s something I’ve kept in mind when guiding kids through Hahamongna with the <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/index.htm" target="_blank">Arroyo Seco Foundation</a>. <br />
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Unfortunately, we now stand to lose this special place to a shortsighted plan by the LA County Flood Control District to scour the Hahamongna basin and destroy it’s irreplaceable habitat. The District has ignored alternative proposals which would achieve needed flood protection in the area without such significant impacts. I hope that you will learn more about the <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/no-big-dig-the-lawsuit-to-save-hahamongna" target="_blank">effort</a> to <a href="http://www.savehahamongna.org/" target="_blank">Save Hahamongna</a>, and help us ensure that future generations have the same chance that I did to benefit from this amazing community resource.Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-79028589166948942652014-11-28T22:48:00.001-08:002019-04-11T14:54:31.330-07:00Plant Profile -- California Holly<br />
In the old days, <a href="http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Heteromeles_arbutifolia" target="_blank">Toyon</a>, or California Holly, was the most abundant native food available in the winter, which was traditionally a time of relative scarcity as far as tending the wild. People relied on Toyon berries to supplement their food stores during the cold months of the year.<br />
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Toyon berries may be eaten raw, but usually taste astringent and chalk-like. When dried, Toyon takes on a subtle sweetness, and may be <a href="http://christophernyerges.blogspot.com/2013/01/richard-toyon-teaching-old-ways.html" target="_blank">added to trail mix</a>, or ground into meal and added to acorn porridge or flour for baked goods. The berries may also be cooked, and are great to add into a stir fry!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Toyon berries added to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nopal" target="_blank">nopal</a>, corn, pepper and onion stir fry. Delicious! </span></td></tr>
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California Holly is a beautiful, drought-tolerant, native shrub, and tolerates full sun to full shade conditions. A wonderful plant to grow in your yard, Toyon provides rich habitat for birds and wildlife, and keeps them fed as it kept people fed in the old days for thousands of years.<br />
<br />Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-72305911772506854352014-10-31T22:35:00.001-07:002015-01-22T11:10:20.513-08:00Life and Death of a Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I really enjoyed this beautiful video about the struggle in Los Angeles to save our past. Directed and edited by my lifelong friend <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4094737/" target="_blank">Derrick Deblasis</a>, I’d like to think his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/tomexploresla" target="_blank">Tom Explores Los Angeles</a> series is beginning to build a culture around appreciating our history -- at long last.</div>
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<br />Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-86323988703053575232014-10-25T21:05:00.001-07:002019-04-11T14:57:20.982-07:00Making California Buckwheat Pancakes <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/eriogonum-fasciculatum-foliolosum" target="_blank">California Buckwheat</a> has long been a staple food plant for native Californians. After learning about its use, I have been curious about cooking with this abundant native plant ever since. (Please only gather from buckwheat you have planted in your yard, or in a community garden.)<br />
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The pink and white flowers produced in the spring begin to turn a nice rust-brown color this time of year, and may be gathered and mixed with wheat flour to create bread, porridge, or one of my favorite breakfast dishes which I created this morning -- pancakes!</div>
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The first step in using buckwheat as flour is separating the dried seed heads from the stems. This process was easily accomplished with the help of a rolling pin. I simply ground down the buckwheat, and then picked out the stems. California Buckwheat was a favorite staple of the elderly back in the old days, as the seeds required minimal processing and were easy to eat.</div>
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The flavor of California Buckwheat can be somewhat creamy, with a woody coarseness reminiscent of sawdust. It’s not a bad flavor, and the coarseness was definitely diminished by grinding it down. I added about 1/4 a ratio of buckwheat flour to 3/4 whole wheat flour in order to enjoy the flavor of the buckwheat without being overwhelmed by it. </div>
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The whole wheat flour also helps to keep the pancakes together while cooking. If someday the sh*t hit the fan and food was not readily available, knowledge of California Buckwheat could go a long way toward stretching out depleted rations of flour!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxgGdAYUpCZis8utyCvmC2DnHQBe0UTjOITL6CYKhMyhrOdOO92BrQLEVQIzKNn04euHGvP_ZnGlwbZxjQe566zaKhVKbqwhBgt3_KVT9IrTadalFxIJo9KbK-kMSIldy5cSzhi-ncuTT/s1600/IMG_2092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxgGdAYUpCZis8utyCvmC2DnHQBe0UTjOITL6CYKhMyhrOdOO92BrQLEVQIzKNn04euHGvP_ZnGlwbZxjQe566zaKhVKbqwhBgt3_KVT9IrTadalFxIJo9KbK-kMSIldy5cSzhi-ncuTT/s1600/IMG_2092.jpg" /></a></div>
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The pancake batter looked lovely, and the pancakes turned out great! The ratio of buckwheat to whole wheat flour was the perfect amount, and I loved the specks of California Buckwheat that were cooked into the pancakes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40ddeI2S3lNQP3hWyueHEWV-EBMYRbbNhyphenhyphenbsYExDn8BN3o7n6qgs-CTMRRaOio6ptuuM3ugKdTk2HggU77VSF2iWu5Lodnq4vp3gkFbmuzck6SjTLml_0Dq-6Y5KrQtSAevtXyqdBXQVp/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40ddeI2S3lNQP3hWyueHEWV-EBMYRbbNhyphenhyphenbsYExDn8BN3o7n6qgs-CTMRRaOio6ptuuM3ugKdTk2HggU77VSF2iWu5Lodnq4vp3gkFbmuzck6SjTLml_0Dq-6Y5KrQtSAevtXyqdBXQVp/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" /></a></div>
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The distinctive California Buckwheat flavor is perfectly complimented with some butter or coconut oil, maple syrup or local honey, and fresh berries on top. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaMBdnGOJf7YELS1LcHlxiGz5kSOi5IsEEnF15kNLqf1dnNdFU5DNaLbBohvqAwENvdwOlh31o5YBGcQgmb5bKx6QbrqT33C0R6r12N_FF640tTrEsVkbVlZm6JMAh58Gxr3pkJzzIFGh/s1600/IMG_2102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaMBdnGOJf7YELS1LcHlxiGz5kSOi5IsEEnF15kNLqf1dnNdFU5DNaLbBohvqAwENvdwOlh31o5YBGcQgmb5bKx6QbrqT33C0R6r12N_FF640tTrEsVkbVlZm6JMAh58Gxr3pkJzzIFGh/s1600/IMG_2102.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My white-sage enhanced green tea combined with these California Buckwheat pancakes to create the perfect native California breakfast -- a simple and satisfying way to connect myself physically and spiritually with the land I call home. </div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-72537681492223450252014-09-20T19:51:00.003-07:002023-04-10T20:54:38.379-07:00Making Corn Tamale Pie (Recipe) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tamale Pie has become one of my favorite go-to recipes for a quick and easy home-cooked meal. Inspired by a dish served at <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/03/oh-happy-days.html" target="_blank">Oh Happy Days Healthfood Cafe & Market</a>, my adaptation is a great way to enjoy the rich flavor of masa harina, without the labor of preparing traditional tamales.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t3_pSyRw74qEhDidYRbZtpdM3DrMUlO2TgSty46tW-EVaEglQlOfhPVkJ2hVxikfwxdNdXUfX_p7qTbSGs5m6K8JiKyRFMKGJ-O5ulXXa80EvtkeKayXsD-_U-Wa4GtDV_akUptZcNLM/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t3_pSyRw74qEhDidYRbZtpdM3DrMUlO2TgSty46tW-EVaEglQlOfhPVkJ2hVxikfwxdNdXUfX_p7qTbSGs5m6K8JiKyRFMKGJ-O5ulXXa80EvtkeKayXsD-_U-Wa4GtDV_akUptZcNLM/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Base:</span></b><br />
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<li>2 cups <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/golden-masa-harina-corn-flour.html" target="_blank">masa harina </a></li>
<li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon sea salt</li>
<li>1/2 cup organic vegetable shortening or butter </li>
<li>1 cup stock or water</li>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Topping:</span></b></div>
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<li>2 cups beans (Or one can -- I usually use black beans)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.san-j.com/product_info.asp?id=5" target="_blank">Shoyu</a> to season</li>
<li>Cooking oil (sunflower, safflower) </li>
<li>Salsa; <a href="https://www.hatchchileco.com/">Hatch enchilada sauce </a></li>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Directions:</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">1.</span> Preheat oven to 400 degrees</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">2.</span> In a mixing bowl, combine masa flour, baking powder, and sea salt. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">3.</span> Cut in shortening or butter.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">4. </span> Add water and stir until dough is formed. Set aside.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxylbIMpaHr_VKzmuciX3D9EEf2azKKJJ2ykEqGz6JMB_CJsXAB-erfH41NhesDSHoriTGN5wZbJtnX4P5bZUhQsddP2fo38iHES6Sfoc0FvTRjWIgoqYPsZJc5EaT4llmjisoRY0dA7I/s1600/IMG_1026.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxylbIMpaHr_VKzmuciX3D9EEf2azKKJJ2ykEqGz6JMB_CJsXAB-erfH41NhesDSHoriTGN5wZbJtnX4P5bZUhQsddP2fo38iHES6Sfoc0FvTRjWIgoqYPsZJc5EaT4llmjisoRY0dA7I/s1600/IMG_1026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">For the topping: </span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">5. </span> Cook the beans in a skillet with a bit of oil, and with any other vegetables or seasoning desired. Splash enough shoyu to taste toward the end of cooking, and stir in as much salsa as desired.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; padding: 6px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXj1qOUnA8dPNICeCQfjDgNjiYZmYYa3dc_SMop5u0YvsucZ3JL6adOszuRS77JNPJ8i8Whvh7pCz87oNXBaJtBAMzDIAd7AeNwVla_xnUOwhMv5g0awBx8k3uYxzL845PZN9p3J08Xzk/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYXj1qOUnA8dPNICeCQfjDgNjiYZmYYa3dc_SMop5u0YvsucZ3JL6adOszuRS77JNPJ8i8Whvh7pCz87oNXBaJtBAMzDIAd7AeNwVla_xnUOwhMv5g0awBx8k3uYxzL845PZN9p3J08Xzk/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The beans may be cooked with any combination of tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, corn kernels, and seasoned with <a href="http://christophernyerges.blogspot.com/2013/01/discovering-epazote.html" target="_blank">epazote</a>, cumin, cilantro, lemon -- get creative! </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">6.</span> Spread the masa evenly along the bottom of an oiled cooking pan. Some recipes place the bean or meat filling on the bottom with the masa cooked on top, but I have found that the casserole holds together much better with the masa cooking at the base.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46JonFk9n29F-M8miL5iDzchb-OBqH1xO9fBEDcCrTztTpJxtGtzUoLQ3xfIiLQ_Y0l5_g_l4APk5BWGnooJeWX5wlFVKmg3h9iKhzkOve-rYU474jDoqpc8FXIGRn70TTvEve8ser6XG/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg46JonFk9n29F-M8miL5iDzchb-OBqH1xO9fBEDcCrTztTpJxtGtzUoLQ3xfIiLQ_Y0l5_g_l4APk5BWGnooJeWX5wlFVKmg3h9iKhzkOve-rYU474jDoqpc8FXIGRn70TTvEve8ser6XG/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">7. </span> Spread the bean and vegetable filling evenly upon the top of the masa dough. If you like, add vegan or dairy cheese and olives on top to melt and cook in the oven. I like to use <a href="http://www.traderjoesreviews.co/products/16494-spanish-manzanilla-olives-with-pimentos" target="_blank">Spanish Manzanilla Olives with Pimentos</a>! Cheese and olives may also be added after, to accommodate different dietary practices.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K3Ad3LAjISzCEtqgTD2zHrlzo99vNbUaW0D3wnidvR8IGAuv4DXh-sCjH56fzDPrRBxo7JgtOuzC3xd_yGitLTf4iRw6GbXylkEpDQuCH46ruGgi-IEJSHvpIlPx9ueZo1ZK3y3epO4q/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0K3Ad3LAjISzCEtqgTD2zHrlzo99vNbUaW0D3wnidvR8IGAuv4DXh-sCjH56fzDPrRBxo7JgtOuzC3xd_yGitLTf4iRw6GbXylkEpDQuCH46ruGgi-IEJSHvpIlPx9ueZo1ZK3y3epO4q/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">8.</span> Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the masa has risen, is firm, and the edges are crisp and golden. I like to serve slices of Tamale Pie on a bed of salad, with grated carrots, tomatoes, and fresh sprouts.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ruRoGhuBoiyACj183oa-ydJnqdjzij6IFDAc-aLimsvLQt6EBT4L5DE_MAfmtTPP93pugyBnGaqbrYqC2sG-RHWjdT8-H6FUcHuoiML2UBxvS4rhipHCKl1Gu-WbLvUZtz6fi86sbuQ3/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ruRoGhuBoiyACj183oa-ydJnqdjzij6IFDAc-aLimsvLQt6EBT4L5DE_MAfmtTPP93pugyBnGaqbrYqC2sG-RHWjdT8-H6FUcHuoiML2UBxvS4rhipHCKl1Gu-WbLvUZtz6fi86sbuQ3/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For this version, I used <a href="http://us.daiyafoods.com/" target="_blank">Daiya</a> vegan cheese.</span></td></tr>
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Tamale Pie has become a dish that I enjoy preparing at least once a week. It’s easy to make and leaves plenty of room for creativity. The balance of the salty, savory, and nourishing whole-grain corn flavor of the crisp, fluffy masa makes this a true vegetarian comfort food!</div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-65019072216409252162014-09-01T23:00:00.002-07:002017-01-12T12:25:08.389-08:00Clip Point Throwing Knife Video Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here’s a review and demonstration I did of the <a href="http://www.crazycrow.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CCTP&Product_Code=4926-004-002&Category_Code=841-460-400" target="_blank">Small Clip Point Throwing Knife</a> from <a href="http://www.crazycrow.com/" target="_blank">Crazy Crow Trading Post</a>. Check it out! </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HmK8Q0fOSX4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-51509054239256418772014-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:002014-08-29T15:44:29.217-07:00Exploring the Hills of Mt. Washington Last week, my friend and <a href="http://www.arroyoseco.org/index.htm" target="_blank">Arroyo Seco Foundation</a> colleague Scott Cher took me on a walking tour of <a href="http://www.mwha.us/" target="_blank">Mt. Washington</a>, which he has long called home. Nestled in the hills behind the majestic Southwest Museum, Mount Washington is a historic LA neighborhood with commanding vistas and surrounded by nature. We set out to explore the open spaces and habitat in the area that have been set aside and preserved, and those which still need protection.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9cYFXE1hediVeh3qh8QrvNsVuSykkJ0vZ36oRch52Xo2aag-FBp-wOrOKUGtQh7xxv1pNxpDeVevhSWx69GkF70EKjhS5unFkhAYPu9WWHhjilYdSwTi9cQGCVIxxPcOKHW0Dy_cJ6wy/s1600/southwest-museum+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9cYFXE1hediVeh3qh8QrvNsVuSykkJ0vZ36oRch52Xo2aag-FBp-wOrOKUGtQh7xxv1pNxpDeVevhSWx69GkF70EKjhS5unFkhAYPu9WWHhjilYdSwTi9cQGCVIxxPcOKHW0Dy_cJ6wy/s1600/southwest-museum+del.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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We began our walk by hiking through <a href="https://plus.google.com/117327738461827395934/about?gl=us&hl=en" target="_blank">Moon Canyon Park</a>. Moon Canyon is an unmaintained Los Angeles city park with great potential for habitat restoration. The canyon slopes are home to the rare <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Juglans+californica" target="_blank">California Walnut</a> tree, which Mt. Washington is known for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_564R3oCaYiPWuZg-1VA2aAR9_vQn9MesOzGXVTaMQl66KnYyfVylAf99ftQx6mVc7ndsgHEOuwEz79xm3jWa7AXyiB3LFVELYJUToGvkgKVNxv4_0NfgUu2S4En8lMPQDgUvdPpxtdf/s1600/Moon+canyon+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_564R3oCaYiPWuZg-1VA2aAR9_vQn9MesOzGXVTaMQl66KnYyfVylAf99ftQx6mVc7ndsgHEOuwEz79xm3jWa7AXyiB3LFVELYJUToGvkgKVNxv4_0NfgUu2S4En8lMPQDgUvdPpxtdf/s1600/Moon+canyon+del.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Canyon</td></tr>
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Once we reached San Rafael Avenue at the top of the canyon, we were rewarded with views of Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and the San Gabriel Mountains. We then crossed the road and ventured into the boundaries of <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/heidelberg-park-los-angeles" target="_blank">Heidelberg Park</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX_NYOuegWKrMHQRBmKU3srO0cmZd72ZgY0aJi6dAZALkKRtv5EuYBMxDmomVMk9Vk7lYf1QjAd0uz-atgtmPUf4r0GWb03LYK4Sb1c0SGIGL47Q9jL0J-HtPG37BIfkGrBOZ36a6NLVI/s1600/Heidelberg+Park+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX_NYOuegWKrMHQRBmKU3srO0cmZd72ZgY0aJi6dAZALkKRtv5EuYBMxDmomVMk9Vk7lYf1QjAd0uz-atgtmPUf4r0GWb03LYK4Sb1c0SGIGL47Q9jL0J-HtPG37BIfkGrBOZ36a6NLVI/s1600/Heidelberg+Park+del.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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The slopes of Heidelberg Park were covered with such a dense canopy of oak and walnut woodland that when I gazed upward it felt as though I could have been deep in the forest. We encountered beautiful native flowers which Scott later identified as <a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Malacothrix%20saxatilis" target="_blank">cliff desertdandelion</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtogcm3BQmUZxe0tPYPfEdsA7WTGA5qOfTi43QkzFEkMBUJf1f2AUVrXtuBbxJYRci9mrKvdn2gbTahGwVBlMyG_ltOpn9TMvGZsgbB_iqbB5SZmlP9NW5a5PNQx6PQnAJwV5XFoew8qJQ/s1600/HP+HILL+1+DEL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtogcm3BQmUZxe0tPYPfEdsA7WTGA5qOfTi43QkzFEkMBUJf1f2AUVrXtuBbxJYRci9mrKvdn2gbTahGwVBlMyG_ltOpn9TMvGZsgbB_iqbB5SZmlP9NW5a5PNQx6PQnAJwV5XFoew8qJQ/s1600/HP+HILL+1+DEL.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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As we walked further down the canyon trail, we encountered seasonal stream-beds, <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/sambucus-mexicana" target="_blank">elderberry</a> trees, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_diversilobum" target="_blank">poison oak</a>, <a href="http://www.redding.com/lifestyle/native-plants-toyon-berries-are-favorite-of-many" target="_blank">toyon</a>, and a skateboard rope-swing! I climbed onto my new “hoverboard” and told Scott of the various similar spots I’d discovered as a kid while exploring Pasadena’s San Rafael Hills. I smiled at how kids growing up in the hills will explore them and make them their own.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It’s great to be a kid from the hills. The author, hanging on the “hoverboard” rope-swing.</td></tr>
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After climbing back out of Heidelberg Park, we walked to beautiful Elyria Canyon Park. We passed by the gates of the <a href="http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/columns/lost-landmarks/from-hip-hotel-to-holy-home-the-self-realization-fellowship-on-mount-washington.html" target="_blank">Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters</a> on the way, which opened in 1925 on the former site of the <a href="http://laplaces.blogspot.com/2009/04/mt-washington.html" target="_blank">Mt. Washington Hotel</a>. The historic homes on San Rafael Avenue surrounding the Fellowship headquarters reminded me of the beautiful Arroyo Seco neighborhood of <a href="http://www.lahomeandstyle.com/neighborhood-watch-pasadenas-picturesque-prospect-park/" target="_blank">Prospect Park</a> in Pasadena.</div>
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At the bottom of <a href="http://www.lamountains.com/parks.asp?parkid=11" target="_blank">Elyria Canyon</a>, we encountered a plant which at first looked to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii" target="_blank">Sacred Datura</a>. Upon closer inspection, Scott found that growing from this plant were small, watermelon-looking gourds, which I later identified as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB-LYINQWQM&feature=share" target="_blank">Buffalo Gourd</a>. Scott noted that they smelled like squash, yet the leaves still smelled a bit like Datura to me. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learned a new plant! Buffalo Gourd in Elyria Canyon, with a sunflower growing in the middle.</td></tr>
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In the bottom of Elyria Canyon, we observed more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riparian_zone" target="_blank">riparian</a> plant species along the dry creek-bed. <a href="http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/mulefat.html" target="_blank">Mulefat</a> and <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/platanus-racemosa" target="_blank">sycamore</a> trees indicated the presence of water, and rusted old farm equipment which had been long cast-aside served as a reminder of a bygone era -- of a time when this part of Los Angeles was undeveloped and agricultural.<br />
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Contributing greatly to the area’s rustic atmosphere was the Red Barn in Elyria Canyon Park. Growing next to the barn was a beautiful, gigantic Coyote Brush, which <a href="http://www.mountwashingtonhomeownersalliance.com/wordpress/2012/09/30/whats-buzzing-the-baccharis-in-elyria-canyon-park/" target="_blank">attracts</a> various insects and pollinators. (Incidentally, coyote brush is also the <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2013/03/coyote-brush-for-poison-oak-rash.html" target="_blank">best cure</a> for poison oak!) </div>
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I had a great time exploring the hills of Mt. Washington with Scott. There is no better perspective through which to view the land than the eyes of a native. The more I have met and befriended people who grew up in the hills of the Arroyo Seco, the more I’ve realized their important role in shaping our character.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Sea View Avenue.</td></tr>
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If we wish to live in a country which people love, then let us preserve the very places that residents fall in love with. There are still natural areas of Mount Washington that need to be protected. By saving our remaining open spaces, we will be providing future generations with cities worth taking pride in. We will be creating neighborhoods of citizens who love the land upon which they live, and who will in turn love and nurture their community, their nation, and indeed, the world.</div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-67738894354055857722014-07-28T09:30:00.000-07:002014-08-05T16:14:29.666-07:00Fiesta del Maiz - Xilonen Ceremony I attended the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1436935419913386/" target="_blank">Fiesta del Maiz - Xilonen Ceremony</a> on Sunday at Prospect Park to distribute articles, promote my <a href="http://urbanhomesteadsupply.com/cooking-with-corn-the-sacred-grain-of-the-americas.html" target="_blank">upcoming</a> cooking class (a fundraiser for the <a href="http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/" target="_blank">Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy</a>), and to enjoy this celebration of traditional, non-GMO corn. I had some interesting conversations, and shared the park with organizations doing great work to improve our environment and society.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nativetrails.biz/index.html" target="_blank">“Fox” Orozco</a>, an Aztec Dancer, was one of the first people to greet me. I took in the smell of the white sage he was smudging to "start the day off right,” and gave him a brief description of my writings promoting the importance of returning to a traditional diet. When I visited his booth later in the day, I was grateful to hear that he really appreciated my article, <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2013/12/stolen-corn-reclaiming-health-in-native_23.html" target="_blank">Stolen Corn</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://slola.org/" target="_blank">SLOLA</a>’s beautiful heirloom corn.</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://slola.org/" target="_blank">Seed Library of Los Angeles</a> was an organization that I had just learned about, and I was excited to chat with them. SLOLA’s mission is to preserve genetic diversity and increase food justice and food security by saving heirloom seeds, and by creating a local community of seed-saving gardeners. A beautiful selection of native corn seeds were on display at their table, and David King, SLOLA’s board chair, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing their great variety and diverse culinary uses.</div>
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It was nice to have my friend Samyrha stop by and visit, along with one of her friends from the nearby community garden <a href="http://proyectojardin.org/" target="_blank">Proyecto Jardin</a>. They had just harvested some beautiful, heirloom corn from their garden - huge and multicolored. We shared a pot of quinoa and ate from improvised corn-husk spoons as we talked and caught up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samyrha hanging at the Arroyo Sage table.</td></tr>
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I was happy to find another friend, Dennis Uyat, setting up a table for Comida No Bombas next to me. Dennis is an old <a href="http://www.pccseedsofchange.com/" target="_blank">garden-club</a> buddy from Pasadena City College, and another member of Proyecto Jardin. He’d told me before of his work with Comida No Bombas, but I became very impressed after learning more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always good catching up with Dennis. Such a good dude!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/CNBxLA" target="_blank">Comida No Bombas</a> is a collective of young people who deliver free, vegan meals to folks in need - by bicycle! They use food that otherwise would have been wasted, and wrap it in biodegradable packaging. While other organizations provide food of questionable salubrity, in styrofoam packaging, with plastic utensils which end up as litter on the ground - Comida No Bombas seems to have all the right bases covered. Their model benefits our environment, our health, and our society - and should be replicated in every city, nationwide.<br />
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I enjoyed other interesting conversations with people throughout the day - all to the backdrop of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/167606153256777/" target="_blank">Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc</a>’s dancing and ceremony. A volunteer with the Seed Library shared how a family history of farming inspired her to preserve biodiversity. Another woman shared her knowledge of natural, Mexican remedies for colds and injuries. <a href="http://appropriateomnivore.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Anet-Aguilar.jpg" target="_blank">Anet Aguilar</a>, of the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yosoymaiz?fref=ts&ref=br_tf" target="_blank">Yo Soy Maiz</a>, discussed with me the importance of identifying sources of non-GM masa and corn for the Latino community.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTGsfz8TdhECSmtviwi_V293OTxI1OexJLo4zkf8t4T1JE0l76aLOXxSGYQperWoctfUqT6HZ89CfynBRfjNNtNI4zWYKuQMM01YjIWf-eNWVJg0Pt1PRycNBChy261sUzXiAP5yUxtdl/s1600/x3+danza+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTGsfz8TdhECSmtviwi_V293OTxI1OexJLo4zkf8t4T1JE0l76aLOXxSGYQperWoctfUqT6HZ89CfynBRfjNNtNI4zWYKuQMM01YjIWf-eNWVJg0Pt1PRycNBChy261sUzXiAP5yUxtdl/s1600/x3+danza+del.jpg" /></a></div>
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The issue of preserving the genetic integrity of natural, non-GM corn is an issue of preserving cultural identity. After learning the <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/345554-disadvantages-of-genetically-modified-food/" target="_blank">disadvantages</a> of genetically modified corn, I resolved to avoid it as much as possible. Unfortunately, this also meant avoiding and losing a part of my culture. Fond memories of my Nana making tamales, and of eating my favorite ones (tamales dulces!) returned to me. Before finding non-GM <a href="http://www.nongmoproject.org/" target="_blank">alternatives</a>, I felt a sense of loss that I would not eat those foods again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK20Nv8Up6JIGsaPXWrx3AeLcORN2Z2rZwpaWRFybgMnfewo4-BFGDouzvopm-X-tRF921WjQ3x8wDzGXZMmDBnAuK9_FbUH4Kt0B0R7q_v6XjRliDTT9HbsMZgaaaeqP6LROBWq-UTWu/s1600/x4+danza+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAK20Nv8Up6JIGsaPXWrx3AeLcORN2Z2rZwpaWRFybgMnfewo4-BFGDouzvopm-X-tRF921WjQ3x8wDzGXZMmDBnAuK9_FbUH4Kt0B0R7q_v6XjRliDTT9HbsMZgaaaeqP6LROBWq-UTWu/s1600/x4+danza+del.jpg" /></a></div>
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Attending the Xilonen festival left me encouraged that a desire to preserve the living heritage of natural, non-GM corn is growing. Embracing the health-giving foods of our ancestors, voting with our lifestyle, and opting out of the industrialized food system in favor of sustainable agriculture has the power to impact our health and environment for the better - and in ways that are far more powerful than casting a vote at the ballot box.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJr2a6IGMdjiGpdhe8AaYONgD-kktXExsB3o-gIwEjnTUGygkAmfIJ6gBmi5vaKtkzaMfA-Bhj7FASSoj4wOwySFzbOB_a1p8okzc1U8QDXKnx_8E38CgJY605maFJYGFIdlizz3iY9XQ/s1600/gm+sign+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJr2a6IGMdjiGpdhe8AaYONgD-kktXExsB3o-gIwEjnTUGygkAmfIJ6gBmi5vaKtkzaMfA-Bhj7FASSoj4wOwySFzbOB_a1p8okzc1U8QDXKnx_8E38CgJY605maFJYGFIdlizz3iY9XQ/s1600/gm+sign+del.jpg" /></a></div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-44380596804838166142014-07-11T19:23:00.001-07:002014-09-20T22:21:35.227-07:00Ethical Vegans Should Refuse PlasticFor several years I have followed a mostly-vegan diet for the health benefits it provides. Although I am not an ethical vegan, I do support humane treatment and compassion for animals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author, center, showing off vegan fried rice at <a href="http://www.kushiinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Kushi Institute</a></td></tr>
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Over the years, I have become increasingly concerned about the profound impacts our modern society is having on the creatures of the world and their habitats. Few technologies are having a more destructive impact upon wildlife today than the proliferation of disposable plastic.</div>
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The evidence of the destructive impact of plastic pollution on birds and sea creatures is abundant. More than <a href="http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/120718.html" target="_blank">90%</a> of northern fulmar seabirds have <a href="http://www.livescience.com/21391-ocean-plastic-pollution.html" target="_blank">eaten plastic</a>, some of their gizzards becoming completely filled with it. Whales have <a href="http://www.realnews24.com/gray-whale-dies-bringing-us-a-message-with-stomach-full-of-plastic-trash/" target="_blank">washed ashore</a> with stomaches full of plastic. At least <a href="http://www.realnews24.com/gray-whale-dies-bringing-us-a-message-with-stomach-full-of-plastic-trash/" target="_blank">100,000</a> marine creatures and approximately <a href="http://www.seeturtles.org/1128/ocean-plastic.html" target="_blank">1 million seabirds</a> die each year from plastic consumption and entanglement, while sea turtle populations are <a href="http://www.globalanimal.org/2013/09/26/sea-turtle-populations-plummet-due-to-plastic-pollution/" target="_blank">plummeting</a> due to plastic pollution. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1aGiDDZ7-JP3Shh9c6CwTEed9i-Y5xOUzNxLIlA3wyxrM3K4Na1rdj3wSDYLX8LM6jG0UEGqRB01jWMWp3Dh7s9GmgSFALiBNWq3TWXkS2QzWxZTTe7LDpOxMDxznimM72UN2yfm_5PT/s1600/dead+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1aGiDDZ7-JP3Shh9c6CwTEed9i-Y5xOUzNxLIlA3wyxrM3K4Na1rdj3wSDYLX8LM6jG0UEGqRB01jWMWp3Dh7s9GmgSFALiBNWq3TWXkS2QzWxZTTe7LDpOxMDxznimM72UN2yfm_5PT/s1600/dead+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Creatures on land aren’t faring much better. Camels, sheep, goats and cattle have all died after <a href="http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/2010/07/plastic-pollution-kills-desert-animals-too/" target="_blank">ingesting plastic</a> in the Arab world, as have <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/plastic-waste-from-sabarimala-devotees-kills-wild-elephant-in-kerala-forest/" target="_blank">elephants</a> and <a href="http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/how-to-save-indias-plastic-eating-cows-rukmini-sekhar/" target="_blank">holy</a> <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/plastic-pollution-the-cows-eat-it-too.html" target="_blank">cows</a> in India. Various other animals on land are suffering from the negative effects of plastic pollution. Humans are no exception.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpygsOREmFdPRBHfylpE1MgldFW3QwRNhO-q0eBP-2pLF1MUG2lE4MV-wL9qw130DJyMCYVqj1EMV41UbfbgJYCJA4dI8yRd94lsTWhVP4cNpLa4aAMcr6FeJy2PNXMVUnaO0UrV2dN3I/s1600/camel+dead+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpygsOREmFdPRBHfylpE1MgldFW3QwRNhO-q0eBP-2pLF1MUG2lE4MV-wL9qw130DJyMCYVqj1EMV41UbfbgJYCJA4dI8yRd94lsTWhVP4cNpLa4aAMcr6FeJy2PNXMVUnaO0UrV2dN3I/s1600/camel+dead+del.jpg" /></a></div>
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Toxic chemicals leached by plastic into food such as <a href="http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org/cs_phthalate.htm" target="_blank">phthalates</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jen-landa-md/healthy-living-news_b_4919960.html" target="_blank">BPA</a> have been <a href="http://www.nationofchange.org/heating-food-plastic-toxic-human-health-causes-miscarriages-and-infertility-1385137398" target="_blank">linked</a> to various health problems, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. Plastic particles which break down in the ocean <a href="http://naturalsociety.com/fish-eat-plastic-polluted-oceans-travels-food-chain/" target="_blank">attract</a> toxic chemicals onto themselves that work their way up the food chain - and <a href="http://www.refinery29.com/2014/07/70746/ocean-pollution-plastic-missing" target="_blank">onto</a> our dinner plates. These microscopic plastic particles have been found to outnumber <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/38451744/ns/us_news-environment/t/plankton-base-ocean-food-web-big-decline/#.U8A0aijXdS8" target="_blank">plankton</a> - the base of the ocean food web - by a ratio of <a href="http://www.algalita.org/research/np_gyre_sample07-08.html" target="_blank">6-1</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiMd7Em2qBjHH9phbtCYHBwsjOIVpuik6t0_aAX9h_jF2isrL1g58U75Vq1bQdSMaIgfAVJLcVMi5GwLStI4qFKcDSRW9jvH-PDmNkVV6bnyp1S5O5ohhYP8CPR1KMBhB1Nbr-FdtsbLl/s1600/plastics+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiMd7Em2qBjHH9phbtCYHBwsjOIVpuik6t0_aAX9h_jF2isrL1g58U75Vq1bQdSMaIgfAVJLcVMi5GwLStI4qFKcDSRW9jvH-PDmNkVV6bnyp1S5O5ohhYP8CPR1KMBhB1Nbr-FdtsbLl/s1600/plastics+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Clothing has recently been revealed to be another source of such “microplastic” pollution throughout the world’s oceans. Many ethical vegans, in an attempt to avoid animal-sourced products and materials, choose to wear synthetic <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-Vegan-Clothes" target="_blank">“vegan” clothing</a>. Such clothing, however, can be far from plant-based or natural, and is often made from petroleum-based materials - or in other words, plastics. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDK5G22PZX7z9aeMDMS21vVap_loJg5yEyq4_Lm5gPGVbO_kYRgoOeBFQm1zSRETURZJa_-EjET7JonGiNIiUBkQ3d9OitpWBp536oJ1A74QEgp5S7E6RfBNYzOY_6EnhEAVKnZAq1dKs/s1600/poly+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDK5G22PZX7z9aeMDMS21vVap_loJg5yEyq4_Lm5gPGVbO_kYRgoOeBFQm1zSRETURZJa_-EjET7JonGiNIiUBkQ3d9OitpWBp536oJ1A74QEgp5S7E6RfBNYzOY_6EnhEAVKnZAq1dKs/s1600/poly+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Microscopic <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/02/microplastic-pollution-harms-lugworms-sea-oceans" target="_blank">plastic threads</a> which shed from synthetic clothing make their way from the washing machine into the ocean and are <a href="http://grist.org/living/2011-12-07-how-microplastics-cause-macro-problems-for-the-ocean/" target="_blank">taken up</a> by filter feeders such as clams, mussels and small fish. These creatures, including <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/02/microplastic-pollution-harms-lugworms-sea-oceans" target="_blank">Lugworms</a>, the “earthworms of the sea,” play a key role as food for other species and are profoundly harmed by ingesting the <a href="http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm" target="_blank">PCBs</a>, <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/infants-ingest-nearly-80-times-safe-level-of-dioxin/" target="_blank">dioxins</a>, <a href="http://www.epa.gov/pbt/pubs/ddt.htm" target="_blank">DDT</a> and other pollutants absorbed by synthetic clothing threads.<br />
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A better option for ensuring animal welfare would be to rely upon truly natural materials which biodegrade and pose no threat to the environment. Organic cotton, hemp and other plant-based fibers are the superior choice, and I think responsibly-sourced, <a href="http://exchangingfire.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/what-about-the-sheep-a-guide-to-ethical-yarns/" target="_blank">ethical yarn</a> could also be a part of the solution. If the alpacas, llamas and sheep providing the wool are managed with a focus on animal welfare, vegan-friendly yarn could be peacefully-produced and provide another alternative to synthetic materials.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAYqzeqUxY0PNLGmrxCgIKRV0jBxbaX5cfwQGbipd_G1_OFuZu4lU7uBXctu-SAWK8a8BawLKuDB6zwAaYbdRh-a2msF5x6DjYZeMni8fQ9iw-CmF1VxEgzlIDEday9OUv_Q00zSFbKRn/s1600/happy+peru+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAYqzeqUxY0PNLGmrxCgIKRV0jBxbaX5cfwQGbipd_G1_OFuZu4lU7uBXctu-SAWK8a8BawLKuDB6zwAaYbdRh-a2msF5x6DjYZeMni8fQ9iw-CmF1VxEgzlIDEday9OUv_Q00zSFbKRn/s1600/happy+peru+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The time has come for us all to be concerned not only with the food that we eat, but also with the packaging that it comes in. Single-use and disposable plastics are the <a href="http://www.iacact.com/?q=ppc" target="_blank">greatest source</a> of plastic pollution on the land and in the sea. By refusing single-use plastics, using natural materials for clothing and supporting the meaningful regulation of plastics, ethical vegans - along with all the rest of us - may take steps to improve conditions for all life forms and to truly live according to shared principles of compassion. Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-29337070633172049152014-07-03T20:12:00.002-07:002014-07-03T20:26:56.273-07:00Eaton Canyon Closure and the National Recreation Area Bill There has been some public outcry in response to recent reports that the <a href="http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/eaton-canyon-to-close-dangerous-upper-portion-264789461.html" target="_blank">Forest Service is to close a dangerous portion of Eaton Canyon</a>. As someone who loves exploring the local mountains, I understand that restricted access to our open space can be troubling. However, I also find myself avoiding several once-beautiful open spaces which have now become trashed and destroyed. Eaton Canyon is quickly becoming one of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_idOIcdt_WnedMxz_YgdVnIOKwLxKdY0m7TmbxP9r77SsOCB89ZDYusj2n_fvJIjmaTLSwzgrSBe2k8fO3MmnRPRNm8fOzt9xuld9SR2lTkYZ5oWHjdu3ZySPdorgB7cyvNJLBOoMS8t/s1600/ec+graf+2+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_idOIcdt_WnedMxz_YgdVnIOKwLxKdY0m7TmbxP9r77SsOCB89ZDYusj2n_fvJIjmaTLSwzgrSBe2k8fO3MmnRPRNm8fOzt9xuld9SR2lTkYZ5oWHjdu3ZySPdorgB7cyvNJLBOoMS8t/s1600/ec+graf+2+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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During my last visit to Eaton Canyon, I witnessed several inexperienced climbers heading up the cliff to the second waterfall. More troubling was the amount of <a href="http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/learn/basic-concepts/" target="_blank">plastic trash</a> and graffiti left behind. Plastic bottles, caps, straws and bags floated in the pool below the falls, spoiling any experience of nature.<br />
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It became apparent to me that in order to preserve and protect the waterfall at Eaton Canyon, access needed to be either completely restricted, or allowed under the supervision of patrolling park rangers or some other type of authority. Without some type of regular supervision and maintenance within this easily-accessable natural area, Eaton Canyon will remain a place where littering, graffiti, and other irresponsible behaviors are carried out with blatant disregard for any law or sign.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_OKPUeHoBA-h3VOvwq10ALUKOnJ1nuwVyRq4zMFSKmWhDtSze2l9_6SneLIrNhEc9OtwM3sUSyC79xwsufkqkGeNpOy6fTRxUuXmX_9zy90aRrVR06v8JrKiRk1xTt7uYIPsVZojSE5i/s1600/ec+graf+clean+3+del.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_OKPUeHoBA-h3VOvwq10ALUKOnJ1nuwVyRq4zMFSKmWhDtSze2l9_6SneLIrNhEc9OtwM3sUSyC79xwsufkqkGeNpOy6fTRxUuXmX_9zy90aRrVR06v8JrKiRk1xTt7uYIPsVZojSE5i/s1600/ec+graf+clean+3+del.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~alpine/wiki/Eaton_Canyon_2013" target="_blank">Major graffiti damage to Eaton Canyon</a></td></tr>
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Perhaps, as I have discussed with others concerned about the area, the <a href="http://www.sangabrielmountains.org/national_recreation_area_bill_angeles_national_forest_submitted_congress" target="_blank">National Recreation Area bill</a> which has been submitted to Congress could help being improved visitor services and more rangers to the San Gabriel Mountains. Permits could be issued to ensure that <a href="http://www.americancanyoneers.org/socal/eaton-canyon/" target="_blank">experienced canyoneers</a> are granted access. If such improvements can <a href="http://www.sangabrielmountains.org/community_vision" target="_blank">help stem the tide of pollution, graffiti, trail closures</a> and general neglect of the Angeles National Forest, then this is a bill we should all hope will pass.Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-4309608536768836692014-06-07T19:58:00.000-07:002014-06-07T20:39:30.530-07:00Lyme Disease in the San Gabriel Mountains Spring is here, and Summer lies not far behind. It's the time of year in which the grasses grow tall along the trails and fields, and which draws people outdoors for active recreation. This warm, expansive energy also spurs various species of ticks into activity; bringing with them the risk for contracting a much feared bacterial infection - Lyme Disease.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rubio Canyon. 3/1/2011 - The day I was bit.</td></tr>
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Here in California, the western blacklegged tick is the species that can transmit the bacteria which causes Lyme Disease. This bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, is <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/" target="_blank">transmitted</a> to humans through the bite of infected ticks. I was bitten and infected with Lyme Disease in March of 2011 while bushwhacking up the ruins of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lowe_Railway#Great_Incline" target="_blank">Great Incline</a> in <a href="http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/rubio" target="_blank">Rubio Canyon</a>. Let me share with you my personal experience with Lyme Disease, the mistakes that I made, and the advice I can offer as someone who’s gone through it.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><u>Don’t Burn the Tick!</u></span></b><br />
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After discovering the engorged tick sticking out of my back near my left armpit, my first mistake was burning it dead before trying to yank it out. I thought nothing of following this conventional wisdom, but am now convinced this was the action that ensured my infection. When you burn a tick, it’s saliva is spewed into your wounded skin, elevating risk of infection. Normally, a tick must be attached for 36-48 hours before the Lyme bacteria <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/" target="_blank">transmits</a>. Infection with the Lyme bacteria is slim before this window. Burning the tick before then greatly increases odds of infection.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The proper method!</td></tr>
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The proper way to remove a tick is to <a href="http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/how_not_to_remove_a_tick" target="_blank">use tweezers</a> and try to pull it out from as close to the head as possible. If you cannot remove the tick entirely, seek medical assistance. After failing to remove a tick that attached near my collarbone earlier this year, I had it removed at a <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/verdugo-hills-urgent-care-medical-group-glendale" target="_blank">local urgent care</a>. They sent it to be tested in a lab for peace of mind - it came back negative for Lyme.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><u>Watch for Signs of Infection</u></span></b><br />
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If you’ve managed to remove the embedded tick within that 36 hour window in it’s entirety, disinfect the area and allow it to heal. Save the removed tick in case future testing is warranted. Keep an eye out for the tell-tale sign of Lyme infection - <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/index.html" target="_blank">Erythema migrans</a>, or a "bull’s-eye" rash. This rash occurs in <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/" target="_blank">70-80%</a> of those infected. If you see the rash develop, or feel symptoms of malaise, sore throat, fever, chills or fatigue, get yourself to your doctor immediately.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bull’s-eye rash</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><u>Accept Antibiotics! </u></span></b><br />
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When I contracted Lyme, my second mistake after burning the tick was refusing <a href="http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/antibiotics-for-lyme-disease" target="_blank">antibiotics</a>. After removing the tick I had burned, my doctor offered me a couple of days worth of doxycycline as a profilactic measure against infection. Being generally weary of antibiotics, I refused. <br />
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Unfortunately for me, my doctor failed to make clear that your immune system CANNOT overcome a Lyme infection. About six days later I had a sore throat. Eight days later I had an itchy bullseye rash, horrible malaise, and was put on two weeks worth of doxycycline. The antibiotics affected me worse than the Lyme, but within a few days the rash began to fade.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><u>Don’t Believe The Internet</u></span></b><br />
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There’s a lot of crazy information online about Lyme Disease. I learned that the hard way. Google led me to plenty of pages promoting conspiracy-type views about Lyme being incurable, even after early treatment with antibiotics. These pages asserted that doctors were all in on an evil plot to deny chronic Lyme patients antibiotics, and pretty much told me I was screwed forever. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZfZQfIFkluTm_b9AU6NoVqDTmY4f5shh0lcdXsXBuJaUil9NxJZomXndnACVA01ztYWuoRn3qpCk-vqMiyPOADkV1Gc1A8t2ApeHuPNN6y4w7ypGW0xL5z1w8-aSCHBRJBxYM-LaqIyk/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-07+at+7.34.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZfZQfIFkluTm_b9AU6NoVqDTmY4f5shh0lcdXsXBuJaUil9NxJZomXndnACVA01ztYWuoRn3qpCk-vqMiyPOADkV1Gc1A8t2ApeHuPNN6y4w7ypGW0xL5z1w8-aSCHBRJBxYM-LaqIyk/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-06-07+at+7.34.47+PM.png" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
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I gradually learned to avoid the webpages with flashing neon lights, and to rely upon more credible sources such as <a href="http://www.webmd.com/arthritis/ss/slideshow-lyme-disease" target="_blank">WebMD</a> and <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/basics/definition/con-20019701" target="_blank">Mayo Clinic</a>. Although untreated Lyme Disease can have devastating effects, those catching and treating an early infection should expect to be cured completely.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: large;">After my experience with Lyme Disease, I began taking the following precautions to reduce my chances of future contact with ticks:</span></div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Dress Appropriately </span></u></b><br />
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Ticks can crawl up your pant legs, up your shirt, down your neck… Take this into consideration. For a while, I only wore long pants and tucked-in, white, long sleeve shirts while out in the mountains. Some researchers even tuck their pants into their socks and wrap them with tape! Wearing light colors helps you to spot ticks and brush them off, while wearing tucked-in, long sleeved clothing provides fewer entry points for crawling critters. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author, at left - Dressed for Ticks!</td></tr>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Stay on Trails</span></u></b><br />
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The tick that infected me with Lyme went straight down my shirt collar as I climbed through the bushes. Needless to say, I don’t go bushwhacking anymore! Ticks like to reach out from tall grasses and attach to creatures that brush on by. You can avoid this prime tick habitat by staying in the center of trails and by trying not to brush up against shrubs and grasses.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">Check for Ticks</span></u></b><br />
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It is impossible to completely avoid ticks, and many of us would prefer not to spray ourselves with insect repellant every time we go out into the woods. Tick checks, I’ve found, are the best option for reducing the risk of exposure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXWANjXeFJIQv6OIdIsqMsOa18CFd3KeSxo9Ynr7GNOK3O_cQM46v1VzJEndJNmu7QdrRJVb3eYVQyIX_zdXFkL0SRNtfdaaryyBErNn1WzTHna2pqfrXnwjFNbS7CU2RW0JfHEiOjVdP/s1600/check+delete.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsXWANjXeFJIQv6OIdIsqMsOa18CFd3KeSxo9Ynr7GNOK3O_cQM46v1VzJEndJNmu7QdrRJVb3eYVQyIX_zdXFkL0SRNtfdaaryyBErNn1WzTHna2pqfrXnwjFNbS7CU2RW0JfHEiOjVdP/s1600/check+delete.jpg" height="320" width="229" /></a></div>
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While out hiking or camping with friends, or even by yourself, stop to check over your body and clothing periodically for ticks. Once you get home from the outdoors, wash your clothes and keep an eye on your body for the next three days. With the development of good habits, there’s no need for paranoia when it comes to spending time outdoors. Being aware of your surroundings and of the proper treatments will allow you to traverse the wild with peace of mind.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author - Eagle Rock, Topanga Canyon</td></tr>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-25997289512262467862014-05-25T19:13:00.002-07:002014-05-25T19:14:17.147-07:00My Help is in the Mountain The following poem came up on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kalpulli/photos/a.193345860691402.55772.191490937543561/845313072161341/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">Facebook</a> news feed a few days ago and really moved me. It expresses the healing that be gained from belonging to a place and becoming one with the land. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">My help is in the mountain</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Where I take myself to heal</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The earthly wounds</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">That people give to me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I find a rock with sun on it</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">And a stream where the water runs gentle</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />And the trees which one by one give me company.<br />So must I stay for a long time<br />Until I have grown from the rock<br />And the stream is running through me<br />And I cannot tell myself from one tall tree.<br />Then I know that nothing touches me<br />Nor makes me run away.<br />My help is in the mountain<br />That I take away with me. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;">-Nancy Wood</span></span></div>
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When I read this poem I am reminded of the hills, canyons, steams and <a href="http://arroyosage.blogspot.com/2014/01/medicine-trail.html" target="_blank">trails</a> which are my healing places. I think of how so many people have lost a spiritual relationship with the land they inhabit; of how the world’s problems could be resolved if we would only set down roots. Therefore I ask - to what land do you belong? Where are your healing places?</div>
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-27752111061004593362014-04-10T16:57:00.001-07:002014-04-13T15:31:22.578-07:00Tales of Mexican CaliforniaIt’s interesting how some things from your childhood can be viewed with entirely new eyes as an adult. That’s been the case for me in rereading a book from my past entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Mexican-California-Cosas-De/dp/0883881616" target="_blank">Tales of Mexican California</a>.<br />
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Tales of Mexican California is a firsthand account of the experiences of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_F._Coronel" target="_blank">Antonio Coronel</a>, a Californio who arrived in the Mexican territory as a youth in 1834. Dictated in Spanish to an assistant of historian Hubert Howe Bancroft in 1877, it brings to life the people, places, and happenings of a bygone era.<br />
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When my dad first gave me this book as a young kid in grade school, he flipped through the pages with me and showed me the pictures. “Look, chingasos!” he said as he left me with the book, opened to a drawing of an early California brawl. That piqued my interest enough to read of it what I could, and the illustrations were indeed suited to a young boy’s imagination.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Look, chingasos!"</td></tr>
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Though I found the heritage of the Spanish-speaking peoples of this land interesting, and related to it as my own, it was not until recently that I discovered the reason it was so difficult for me to read the book beyond it’s pictures: Despite it’s cartoonish illustrations, this is a legitamate historical account! Hardly the stuff a child could comprehend.<br />
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What I find so fascinating about reading this book as an adult is that it all takes place in country I’m familiar with. It’s a look back in time to the land I call home. Coronel’s family home was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_La_Ca%C3%B1ada" target="_blank">Rancho Canada atras de Rancho los Verdugos</a> - the modern day cities of La Canada and La Crescenta. That’s right up the road from me - I went to high school in La Canada!<br />
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Who knew that there were battles against American invaders - right there in the Pueblo of Los Angeles? Coronel gives an exciting account of this campaign, along with many other of his adventures up until the days of the Gold Rush an early California statehood. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>“I knew the Sonoran desert well, and realized it was a risky move, because Flores did not have sufficient provisions. Although my friends and I were well-provisioned and could share in a pinch, there wouldn’t be much to go around. Many of the Californians gave me to understand that they were sure I would get them out of any trouble, with my knowledge of the country. More than anything, this convinced me not to accompany Flores, although my men said they would follow me anywhere.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>… I advised them that we should all turn back and wait the course of events in California, while hiding out in the sierra. If we were pursued, we could still go to Sonora in time."</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>“… We went by the sierra of San Bernardino, walking all night… We ran into a storm of snow, rain and wind so violent we couldn’t see each other. The soldiers… scattered in the brush looking for shelter, covering their backs with saddle blankets… Fortune helped with a lull in the storm, and I got a huge bonfire going… When we were all together I told them these hardships were the beginning of the guerrilla life, or that of any wanderer of the sierras… I proposed we go to the nearest ranch - Cucamonga - and find out what had happened while we were gone…"</i></span><br />
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Throughout his life, Coronel was a friend and advocate of the Indians and held several distinguished positions. His account in Tales of Mexican California provides sections on life in the missions, and Californio daily life, culture and customs - including fandangoes, songs and dress - along with accounts of outlaws and banditos.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Don Antonio F. Coronel</td></tr>
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The very fact that these stories take place in such familiar environs to us residents of the Southland - including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Santa_Ana_del_Chino" target="_blank">Rancho del Chino</a>, <a href="http://www.missionsandiego.com/" target="_blank">San Diego</a>, <a href="http://www.sangabrielmissionchurch.org/" target="_blank">San Gabriel</a>, <a href="http://elpueblo.lacity.org/index.htm" target="_blank">Los Angeles</a> and <a href="http://www.sanbuenaventuramission.org/" target="_blank">Ventura</a> makes this a very exciting account indeed, and well worth a read for anyone looking to connect in a very human way to Southern California’s rich and fascinating past.<br />
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Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-82573462579955087762014-04-05T23:13:00.000-07:002016-12-15T13:16:21.787-08:00Traditional Aztec Dietary Advice In preparation for my first cooking class, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/631402483595829/" target="_blank">Cooking With Native American Foods</a>, I compiled a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_cuisine#Crops_and_ingredients" target="_blank">list</a> of foods and herbs which comprise of some of the greatest gastronomic contributions of North and South America to the world.<br />
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In reviewing different sources of information to include in this concise list, I was reminded of an excerpt from the traditional Aztec advice given from father to son regarding the proper way of eating.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/442" target="_blank">"Listen! Above all you are to be prudent in drink, in food, for many things pertain to it. You are not to eat excessively of the required food. And when you do something, when you perspire, when you work, it is necessary that you break your fast. Furthermore, the courtesy, the prudence you should show are in this wise: when you are to eat, you are not to be hasty, not to be impetuous; you are not to take excessively nor to break up your tortillas. You are not to put a large amount in your mouth; you are not to swallow it unchewed. You are not to gulp like a dog, when you are to eat food… You are to drink, eat slowly, calmly, quietly.”</a></span><br />
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I find it interesting how closely the pre-Cortesian practice of eating moderately and mindfully parallels the traditional Okinawan way of eating. Okinawa is one of the world’s longevity hotspots, with many of it’s longtime residents living to be centenarians. The residents of this so-called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Zone" target="_blank">Blue Zone</a> follow the age-old Japanese macrobiotic advice of “hara hachi bu.” "<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/irene-rubaumkeller-/not-overeating_b_969910.html" target="_blank">Hara hachi bu</a>” means to eat until you are 80 percent full. </div>
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Just as in ancient Mexico, the Eastern practice of mindfulness and gratefulness with respect to eating demonstrates the profound importance of not only the quality of the food taken during meals, but the manner in which those meals are consumed. Indeed, the Spanish conquerors of Mexico were astonished at the deliberate and solemn manner in which the Indians ate. Combining such practices today along with a <a href="http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2014/03/indigenous-diets-can-help-fight-modern.html" target="_blank">return to the indigenous diets of the world</a> would yield immeasurable health benefits for our modern society.</div>
Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-23641873930170781222014-03-30T17:41:00.000-07:002019-01-18T19:44:45.459-08:00Out With The Big SagebrushThis past Friday, I really needed to take a mental health day. I found myself wanting to get out into the sagebrush and pine trees, to a place that reminds me of my Uncle Bob’s property in the Eastern Sierras. I decided to drive for about an hour up Angeles Crest, and hike a section of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Moccasin_Trail" target="_blank">Silver Moccasin Trail</a> I’d explored before with a friend near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest.<br />
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If you drive far enough up the highway to the desert side of the mountains, the plants begin to change. You’ll begin to encounter a plant which grows in abundance at my Uncle’s place in <a href="http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org/content/sierra-valley-sierra-county-california/sie9B542C0150FF347E4" target="_blank">Sierra Valley</a> - Big Sagebrush (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_tridentata" target="_blank">Artemesia tridentata</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiknrPfIsJMV6PklkbXd9_7hkg5MCC6ir9Abr3HKiPirJWGArR8Bg72OYc0-pqzYfi-ybAS9JBE-WndNAlJ2MW_Ii4Fl6UtSAf5xJorYgfshl6WyeRA8iWyVZKVcAsxlP9cwHFh4gmqtu/s1600/IMG_1139.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiknrPfIsJMV6PklkbXd9_7hkg5MCC6ir9Abr3HKiPirJWGArR8Bg72OYc0-pqzYfi-ybAS9JBE-WndNAlJ2MW_Ii4Fl6UtSAf5xJorYgfshl6WyeRA8iWyVZKVcAsxlP9cwHFh4gmqtu/s1600/IMG_1139.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Big sagebrush is an important plant. It can be used for purification in the sweat lodge, disinfection, and to cure colds and stomachaches, along with <a href="http://www.herballegacy.com/Bergeson_Dosages.html" target="_blank">many other traditional uses</a>. While last at my uncle’s place during New Year, I wandered his property, and walked through the abundant sagebrush. I collected a small amount which I bundled and gave to relatives, and kept one for myself which now hangs on my kitchen cabinet.<br />
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Now, whenever I need a moment of peace, I take a deep breath of the fragrant bundle and am transported back to the beauty of Sierra Valley where it covers the landscape and perfumes the air. I am reminded of the rustic comfort of my uncle's land, which has become a cherished place for all of my family. And on this last hike of mine, I realized that this is a plant that I am developing a special relationship with. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out with the Big Sagebrush - Sierra Valley, CA</td></tr>
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<br />Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-18128660212922555892014-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:002014-09-20T21:54:52.450-07:00Oh Happy Days<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">P</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">lease allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite spots, located in the heart of Altadena, CA - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/oh-happy-days-natural-food-grocery-and-cafe-altadena" target="_blank">Oh Happy Days Healthfood Cafe & Market</a>! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNTKuK19_-o0ECoKd7lvzS6uTyMk1AUH4PJGrKbCHyfC9fzNr7ga59WnZDtDMOTUSK337o-tiorZl_jF5fn0ZFELVKd9jqwwEfjVm8MJAbPO_YAPjtmV2YEtFqa4EOiEx5kAouXvZNvTN/s1600/pasadena-altadena-organic-food+CARD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNTKuK19_-o0ECoKd7lvzS6uTyMk1AUH4PJGrKbCHyfC9fzNr7ga59WnZDtDMOTUSK337o-tiorZl_jF5fn0ZFELVKd9jqwwEfjVm8MJAbPO_YAPjtmV2YEtFqa4EOiEx5kAouXvZNvTN/s1600/pasadena-altadena-organic-food+CARD.jpg" height="230" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">What is it like to visit Oh Happy Days you might ask? Well, imagine going to your grandfather's house for some good, home-style cooking, except that your grandfather is vegan and knows a lot about health. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK94hbzF8HQFmDsRMlMaRNZun2YXZcUFaTvnrrj-hIMGXQjNBepV5ksv68yVIriMqyk1qNRGsCVC0DdaU-OOkQsJHZ9OWCOXCVxciISppAxAmazHGj9qQpjPUEDjW_i8U5En86uaBygs6Z/s1600/happy-days-ext-570x479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK94hbzF8HQFmDsRMlMaRNZun2YXZcUFaTvnrrj-hIMGXQjNBepV5ksv68yVIriMqyk1qNRGsCVC0DdaU-OOkQsJHZ9OWCOXCVxciISppAxAmazHGj9qQpjPUEDjW_i8U5En86uaBygs6Z/s1600/happy-days-ext-570x479.jpg" height="335" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">That's what you can expect at Oh Happy Days. It's rustic food is pure, hearty, nutritious and filling. You can't go wrong with the soup! With brown rice, beans and vegetables, it's a full meal in itself for less than 3 bucks... and all organic!!! The Lomein noodles are also good. </span><br />
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<a href="http://archives.quarrygirl.com/2011/03/28/oh-happy-days-an-unexpected-vegan-oasis/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AFh6lmFxmPdkAEsbtvGbrMgaMta_u7CXu05yMm9k_W-TDcC608-gLwjmsdh88LxtAwwR8dDX4hEsiBuYdMahdU4sKghV_OryjxOaSElCg1l9LMb0kKMG6G9VNClxFIQMFzvhhd3bO0al/s1600/happy-days-yam-570x375.jpg" height="262" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I discovered this place one night several years ago, when I stopped by with my mom to purchase some s</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">upplements. Opening the door for the first time, I was met by the turning heads of the locals who were sitting at communal wooden tables over steaming hot plates of food. The owner was very friendly, and I didn’t fail to notice the hand-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">painted sign on the front window advertising a bowl of vegetable soup - for a mere $2.50! </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnzAB9ESJfqxarHHjrEqB-lwrqvUFpxr-Wa_xLRPfV3iaNHYRnyd3R56hfiU5oZIHRVk3qRJm2HTLimkCtY2qY2iVJSOVZjw6oYCky0vIq0yW0-DmgU4L1QxYO2J73p4aBVRUZsB1lgUZ/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnzAB9ESJfqxarHHjrEqB-lwrqvUFpxr-Wa_xLRPfV3iaNHYRnyd3R56hfiU5oZIHRVk3qRJm2HTLimkCtY2qY2iVJSOVZjw6oYCky0vIq0yW0-DmgU4L1QxYO2J73p4aBVRUZsB1lgUZ/s1600/l.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The heart and soul of Altadena </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Upon my second visit there, I decided that the soup was too good a bargain to resist. On this day, the sunlight brightened up the store’s yellow painted walls, and the classical music playing in the background created quite a cheerful atmosphere indeed</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. There were African paintings, statues on display, buddhist prayer flags, and interesting things to look at all around. A truly worldly place, the cafe walls displayed an eclectic mixture of cultures and influences. I tried the soup, loved it, and have been coming back ever since. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Oh Happy Days has become a place where I feel comfortable passing the time. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">It’s the kind of place where strangers will introduce themselves and start a conversation with you. It’s a place that brings people from all different races, ages, and backgrounds together. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Someone caught me in a pic! The author, at center - a regular at “John’s"</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Like everyone who frequents this establishment, I became friends with the owner, John - who is one of the best people I know and an inspiration to me. A vegan for over 30 years, John has</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> run his store in Altadena for about as long. Now in his sixties, he goes on long bike rides, cooks all of the food, and works tirelessly maintaining this peaceful little spot - a true gift to the community.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienx_xnGN6hoU5Q4c8WJ2dAc4_n7s6rrZCUGGU5tJVTxZ9JD0seRZAiwkdH9ygMF69agkN-WToDYhU9vCxhO1Cx4LDHs4AjVe2GOHAA7VYjfbdN_1ea-uFLQj_ibUxMwFyDxjO2W4WQqI_/s1600/John.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienx_xnGN6hoU5Q4c8WJ2dAc4_n7s6rrZCUGGU5tJVTxZ9JD0seRZAiwkdH9ygMF69agkN-WToDYhU9vCxhO1Cx4LDHs4AjVe2GOHAA7VYjfbdN_1ea-uFLQj_ibUxMwFyDxjO2W4WQqI_/s1600/John.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">John</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">For the highly affordable price, John's homestyle cooking really hits the spot. Oh Happy Days is a community gathering place, and John is such a caring guy. I've seen him give a free bowl of soup to the homeless before, and get the sense that he helps a lot of people out. Definitely a place worth supporting!</span>Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6986045336913999459.post-14242638144541102662014-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:002016-01-18T22:28:07.366-08:00First Overnight In The Angeles It was mid January of 2009 when I departed for my first overnight journey into the mountains. I had been hiking the trails often, and had been wanting to camp overnight for some time. I felt different when I was out on the trail… free and strong. I was comfortable by now in these mountains, and wanted to know what it would be like to take it one step further and stay overnight.<br />
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This was to be an adventure! I had a tent, sleeping bag, book, instant miso soup and cooked brown rice, water bottles, granola bars, and tortillas. I began from the Chaney Trail parking lot in <a href="http://www.simpsoncity.com/hiking/millard.html" target="_blank">Millard Canyon</a> - <a href="http://hikingangelesforest.com/hikes/trail-segments/millard-canyon-trail-segments/lower-sunset-ridge-trail-s/" target="_blank">my favorite place</a> to take off into the mountains. Following a quick smoke, I placed my Adventure Pass in the window, and was off.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sunset Ridge Trail</td></tr>
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It’s always exciting hiking up the trail through the oak-covered hills and above the stream of Millard Canyon. Though it felt the same as the hikes I’d make into this canyon before, I knew this time I wouldn’t be coming home at the end of the day. I’d be out there. Outside.<br />
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I’d hiked the <a href="http://hikingangelesforest.com/hikes/trail-segments/millard-canyon-trail-segments/upper-sunset-ridge-trail-s/" target="_blank">Sunset Ridge</a> trail so many times by then that I fail to recall any significant difference in my enjoyment of the sights and smells of native California during this particular trip. I only remember knowing that this time I’d wake up in the forest! It seemed an adventure indeed, and I felt pretty bad-ass when chatting with a group of young hikers I met while taking a pause to eat some tortillas at Dawn Station - an old station of the former <a href="http://www.mountlowe.org/mount-lowe-history/where-the-rubber-met-the-rails/" target="_blank">Mt. Lowe Railway</a>.<br />
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I had been up to that point before and higher, having reached the Mt. Lowe Campground at least once before. I was encouraged when I reached the timberline not much further above, knowing that I was coming upon the last stretch of my journey. I passed Granite Gate, and took a picture of it with my cellphone. I studied all of all of the old-time photos on display boards. Signage and pictures of other landmark passings were posted all the way up to the campground.<br />
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Once I finally arrived at the campground, I was relieved to find that I was the only one there. I rested my pack on a bench-table seat and sat to enjoy a snack following my exertions. What a feeling I had, while my legs were swinging on that bench and I was eating my sandwich. Looking out over the trees in the afternoon sunlight and knowing that I was free! That I was here! That I had nowhere else to be!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Lowe Campground 1/14</td></tr>
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I had reached the campground and took time to read it's informative historical exhibits, but my goal was to reach the nearby summit of Mt. Lowe that day. Not wanting to lug as heavy a pack as I had been carrying further, I climbed into the woods on the hillside above the ruins of <a href="http://www.thaddeuslowe.name/MLAlpinetavern.htm" target="_blank">the old resort</a> and stashed my tent and sleeping bag behind a tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mountlowe.org/our-collection/page/8/" target="_blank">Ye Alpine Tavern</a> - the current site of Mt. Lowe Campground</td></tr>
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This was all new country to me now, and I passed first the site of old cottages that had housed guests and maids of the resort as far back as the 1800s. When finally I reached the summit of Mt. Lowe, I admired the pictures of <a href="http://www.mountlowe.org/mount-lowe-history/history-of-the-mount-lowe-incline-railway/" target="_blank">Professor Thaddeus Lowe</a> and some other old-timers in fine dress on the summit of the former Oak Mountain (later renamed for Lowe.)<br />
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I ignored the group of eight or so affluent-looking folks (who had obviously walked in from the nearby Mt. Wilson Road) and gazed out upon the horizon and to the valley below. I actually managed to text my brother from that height and let him know that I’d made it! It was good to receive his response, and I admired and explored the peak a while longer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILBgztYBOqTTtvDyTdYyKAH5VU7otKKuiZvMqYFhyphenhyphenRtkUV4g05h6b3TmHJDNCTEzB8u2jrtwXoIiXlZcCr6rBclRD8e_XyCFRwE3kKhUu3JTGLuoTZMyfCikNfWpXLYMWauGsSRzTRihW/s1600/lowe1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILBgztYBOqTTtvDyTdYyKAH5VU7otKKuiZvMqYFhyphenhyphenRtkUV4g05h6b3TmHJDNCTEzB8u2jrtwXoIiXlZcCr6rBclRD8e_XyCFRwE3kKhUu3JTGLuoTZMyfCikNfWpXLYMWauGsSRzTRihW/s1600/lowe1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oak Mountain, near the summit. </td></tr>
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By the time I arrived at the campground and had retrieved my stashed goods, it was almost dark and I had yet to make camp and forage for firewood. I had not expected that I would be allowed to make a campfire. It was my first time camping, and I guess this city boy expected the rules to be more stringent! I was pleasantly surprised to find the fire-rings, but found myself now scurrying about in near-darkness trying to scavenge enough dead and cut branches to maintain a fire.<br />
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Luckily, there was an abundance of dead branches piled up - native shrubs and manzanita wood that had been cleared and piled on the side of the fire road to the camp. I gathered the remainder of my wood in the dark with the aid of a miniature LED flashlight and felt rather light and energetic running about in the brisk evening air. Perhaps the feeling of lightness was because I no longer carried a heavy pack strapped to my back.<br />
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The surrounding hillsides and peaks had grown dark by the time I huddled near the campfire. The stars were out, and the ruins of the old resort were dark and empty as the light of my fire flickered against it’s walls. I made some tea and munched on trail mix, though I distinctly recall not being able to sit down and relax near my fire as I would have liked, for I was continually getting up to feed it. I was walking my tired body around different sides of the flame with my bandana over my nose and mouth like a bandito, trying to avoid the shifting direction of the smoke that burned my eyes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cell phone pic of my first campfire! </td></tr>
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I sat near the edge of the fire pit for a while trying to read the book I’d brought by firelight, but it was never long until I had to get back up to again feed the flames. Eventually, sooner than I would have liked, I decided it was time to go into my tent and abandon the embering pit. I hung my little flashlight in my tent and unrolled my sleeping bag. I laid down on top of it and felt that I could have fallen asleep right then and there.<br />
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I roused myself up into a sitting position under my light to read a bit. The book I’d brought with me was one which I had just received for Christmas entitled <a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Sacred_Plant_Medicine.html?id=iDgI53C6xTIC" target="_blank">“Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom In Native American Herbalism.”</a> A seemingly fitting book for a night in the forest. Hours passed as the cold wind whistled through my tent. The haunting photographs of long-dead medicine people stared somberly at me through the depths of time as I read of the connection and relationships between humans and plants, and of the knowledge that can be gained firsthand from plants.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_iOBaap2dqGQf5vTn9XJRV_0xOEU1YnCD1ODQ-YpUgZXe6D6ga9tWFkBIr1HZtgYhRdCyqwVaSQkfycsNp7zQuWOv5hgFJv8pjBhk7UUeEtlPsyU_HNFoWEJkt6CZS-zIai1nUmmzoQY/s1600/spm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_iOBaap2dqGQf5vTn9XJRV_0xOEU1YnCD1ODQ-YpUgZXe6D6ga9tWFkBIr1HZtgYhRdCyqwVaSQkfycsNp7zQuWOv5hgFJv8pjBhk7UUeEtlPsyU_HNFoWEJkt6CZS-zIai1nUmmzoQY/s1600/spm.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The chapters began to meld into one another and reading grew more tiresome. I turned out the light and settled into my sleeping bag in the pitch-blackness of my tent. The darkness let up as my eyes became adjusted, but the cold and wind did not. My tent was pitched on a gradual slope atop many roots and rocks; outside there were noises… I forced myself out of the tent once past midnight to relieve myself. Facing the dark old ruins, I had some fear of ghosts. I reminded myself that this resort had been a place of joy. I didn’t sleep much at all that night.<br />
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I arose exhausted early in the morning and cooked a breakfast of oatmeal on my little camp stove. The trip had been great so far (except for the not-sleeping and being frozen part of it!) I wanted to see Inspiration Point, for it was nearby and I’d never been. I hiked up to the structure through the beautiful manzanita bushes and peered out from the high up view. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPO9DoEDuKrtjmkPNUlyv0NvTUu8eyFG9IepyplEzFiH2azxBmRrG3ieiovnVisMqMqxYPzla1nE1gXIWlgu-Q_9AOpJYyG4WVuw6iwOJoRhyphenhyphenhKmrnMNqLjKxaVC9YR1fPC-ADR-6nkNi/s1600/ip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPO9DoEDuKrtjmkPNUlyv0NvTUu8eyFG9IepyplEzFiH2azxBmRrG3ieiovnVisMqMqxYPzla1nE1gXIWlgu-Q_9AOpJYyG4WVuw6iwOJoRhyphenhyphenhKmrnMNqLjKxaVC9YR1fPC-ADR-6nkNi/s1600/ip.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Just as from the top of Mount Lowe, the recognizable landmarks below seemed especially small. I could see Pasadena City Hall, Los Angeles City Hall, and everything in between. I could see Catalina Island far out on this overcast day, and felt as if I could see the curvature of the Earth. There was hustling and bustling going on in the civilization below, but I couldn’t hear it. All I heard was the wind running through the branches.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVyoFt3a_rOVtwC3qGCpHXJVqaE0LncLvt-j0cFqzlAhxu1MZ8sgMFXR20AeOdlpTSEK4KeAIIDI5XOHDWIrDkO1ypbGFX_LshVCCc2EB38fFZw7Fl922bdAkhCNdGvUQPvft5dWvCRQx/s1600/mlll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVyoFt3a_rOVtwC3qGCpHXJVqaE0LncLvt-j0cFqzlAhxu1MZ8sgMFXR20AeOdlpTSEK4KeAIIDI5XOHDWIrDkO1ypbGFX_LshVCCc2EB38fFZw7Fl922bdAkhCNdGvUQPvft5dWvCRQx/s1600/mlll.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author revisiting his first campsite. Mt. Lowe Campground 1/14</td></tr>
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I turned around and walked back upon the familiar trail. It was time to return to that concrete world of electronics and automobiles. But a new chapter of my life had begun. Forever after, looking up to the looming peaks from the city below, I would always remember that experience. I’d spent a night in the <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/angeles" target="_blank">Angeles</a>, and the mountains were now that much more a part of me.Tim Martinezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01140989871759862392noreply@blogger.com0