Here are some of the reasons why I see my family tree as a Ceiba tree: Ceiba trees can live for over 500 years. They grow over 200 feet tall (one of the tallest trees in Mexico). The top of the root system on a Ceiba tree is exposed and you can see how the roots spread over a large area. The exposed roots can be as tall as a person and the root system can be as broad as the branches. Because of the large root system, it's one of the few trees left standing after a hurricane. The wood of a Ceiba is soft, and good for making carvings, coffins, and dugout canoes. Each tree produces 500 to 4,000 fruit at a time with about 200 seeds per fruit, so it's good at spreading its seeds. Ceibas are the first to start roots and grown in an open area. The fruit float, and this is how they've made it all the way to Africa. Ceibas house bats in the roots and eagles in the branches, representing the heavens and the underworld for the Mayan. The best word I can think of to describe the Ceiba is, "Majestic".
On a visit to Veracruz, Abuela and I had a picnic under the same Ceiba tree that Cortés wrote about in his journal 500 years ago. Abuela set up the picnic between the enormous roots and we sat in the shade of the canopy; this is when I knew our family tree must be a Ceiba. I thought about those strong roots, and I thought about how this tree had seen so much, and then I thought about how these things were like my family. I wish Ceibas could write because each one of these trees must possess thousands of stories.
When I think of my family tree, I think it's more about the roots than the branches. And with my family, the roots split into two groups: artists and brujos. Funny thing; the artists come more from my mom's side, and the brujos, from my dad's.
Exposed roots make sense to me because it's like seeing where your support comes from. I have so much support from my parents and my grandparents. I feel lucky to have such a great mom and dad, and even luckier to have gotten to know all of my grandparents before they move on.
And what of the seedpod that is me? It's been blown thousands of miles north. Or it's not a seapod but this branch of my father and me, reaching way far up north. We've crossed some difficult borders: new people, new country, new language, new food, new time, new dance, new music, and new songs. Fertile ground for for the seeds of MC Quixote.
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MC Quixote
General FictionThis story is about a fifteen year old moving from Mexico to the United States with her deaf father. She experiences many challenges and turns to writing songs and creating music to overcome the difficulties of moving to a new culture while growing...
