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El Barrio de Mexico

Sitting in Jose Aguilar’s car with his son almost two weeks ago, I discovered a fear, wariness and humility embedded within the people of his country who, often struggle to make a living here in the city.

It was early in the evening, around six, and already dark outside. I expected to be sitting in his home along with his son and friend of mine, Jose, for the interview. It had taken two weeks of canceled appointments to meet with Mr. Aguilar. I had looked forward to the opportunity of speaking with both he and his family.

That evening we never set foot in his building. More »

Post by Evan Alvarez | December 22nd, 2008 | Category: Final Project Essay and Photos, Final Projects | Comments (15)

A New Generation of Spanish Culture

The newest residents of a traditionally Spanish neighborhood are embracing it with the same Latin gusto as their predecessors. Since the 1950s Spanish Harlem, or El Bario, has grown into a predominantly Puerto Rican community that has hosted other Spanish cultures originating from the Dominican Republic to South America. Over the past 15 years, Mexican immigrants have begun to occupy this area in much the same way that previous Latin cultures have, carving their traditions and culture into the neighborhood.

The physical geogrpahy of the area has become defined as situated roughly between 96th St. to 116th South to North, and extending from the East river to the Harlem River East to West.  Boundaries of the community over the past decade have been chipped away at by gentrification even as the Mexican community continues to grow within it.

Their occupation of the neighborhood parallels that to other cultures that have inhabited various plots of the city during the great migrations of America’s industrial era. They have had to persevere through strikingly  similar conditions that late 19th century settlers faced such as overcrowded housing, lack of rights, lower pay and arduous work days. Mexican immigrants are looking for greater opportunities for themselves and their families in much the same way that European and Asian settlers worked for in the early 20th century.

Their population has grown substantially throughout United States, particularly in New York, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Their working class role has become a vital support for the financial infrastructure of both large and small businesses, who continue to exploit their lack of American citizenship and rights.

My project will document and focus on the Mexican community occupying Spanish Harlem and how the neighborhood has changed as a result of their cultural influence. Restaurants, bodegas, interviewing residents and attending community gatherings will fuction as my initial, observational stepping stones, which will ultimately serve to illuminate how a new generation of spanish culture is redefining a neighborhood, city and country.

Post by Evan Alvarez | October 29th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Noontime Chinatown

Introduction:

Chinatown continues to be an epicenter for a variety of Asian and American cultural aspects. Much of the neighborhood’s physical changes undergone over the past decade reflect how the community has been able to accommodate new business and development while still retaining its historical heritage.

These photographs were taken close to Chinatown’s main street of Canal, which is always bustling with cars, people, noise and seafood. Vendors are most prominent in these areas as there is always a high volume of people, particularly tourists, on the streets.

I decided to document Chinatown because I felt that, in the process of exploring the mainstreet area, I would find emerging cultural patterns from the people and the neighborhood .  Chinatown’s success seems to result from being able to preserve its cultural traditions and diversity over the past 100 years with moderate change, which contrasts greatly to Little Italy’s slow but continuous recession into the nearby Asian neighborhood.

Field Notes:

Photo One: I picked this man randomly out of the hundreds if not thousands of other vendors attmepting to make a living by canal street. I was intriqued more with the wandering expression in his face than what he was actually selling.

Photo Two: The colors and loudness of this building seemed to frame the Starbucks on its street level. There was a simultaneous co-existence of traditional and contemporary voices when I looked at it.

Photo Three: The color contrast of the Apple billboard to the rustic building is almost comical given the sheer size of the advertisement.

Photo Four: Walking by this Chase bank, I observed how both languages were very similar in proportion but differed greatly by the structure of their vocabulary.

Photo Five: The streets at this intersection were quite narrow when I took this picture. I also don’t think there there were any traffic lights. I thought that this sign post reflected an intriguing confluence of language and physical symmetry when I passed by.

Photo Six: I was done taking pictures for the day and was looking to grab a bit to eat when I noticed this food vendor. In addition to seeing the usual suspects on his ad hoc menu, I noticed he was also selling fried chicken gizzards on a charming wooden stick.

Post by Evan Alvarez | October 7th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (2)