Rebozos

Celebrating both the rebozo as a cultural icon of Mexico and the series of rebozo-inspired paintings by Mexican-California artist Catalina Gárate, this bilingual collection of poems gives voices of strength, endurance, joy, and sorrow to the women of Gárate's paintings. The rebozo is considered a physical manifestation of Mexican womanhood throughout every stage of life and can be used as a tool of daily labor: a sling to carry children, a shield from weather or from prying eyes, an heirloom, and even a shroud. Inspired by each painting, these poems, in both Spanish and English, are accompanied by a historical explanation of the role of the rebozo in Mexican history, art, and culture.

Catalina Gárate is an artist and an illustrator. Her works have been exhibited in San Jose, Fresno, Austin, McAllen, Corpus Christi, and El Paso. She lives in San Jose, California. Hector García Manzanedo was a noted anthropologist and professor of sociology at San Jose Tate University for more than 20 years. He was a museographer at the Museo Antropológico de México who also worked in indigenous communities in Mexico. Carmen Tafolla is a professor and a writer-in-residence at the University of Texas–San Antonio. She is the author of more than 20 books, including Curandera, The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans, and Sonnets and Salsa, and the recipient of numerous literary honors, including the Américas Award, the Art of Peace Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Award, two Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Book Awards, and two International Latino Book Awards. She is a member of the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and was named the first poet laureate of San Antonio. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.