Caltech Professor to Illuminate African Heritage in Mexico at ‘Black Mexico’ Event

Pasadena’s Lamanda Park Branch Library is hosting a “Black Mexico: The African Heritage in Mexico” event on Saturday, Feb. 24, a compelling presentation by Dr. Gloria Arjona about the social and cultural contributions of African-descended people in Mexico. The event is part of the ongoing Black History Month celebration in Pasadena.

Dr. Arjona, a Spanish lecturer at the California Institute of Technology’s Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, will delve into the historical and cultural aspects of the African heritage in Mexico from 1519 to 1810. Dr. Arjona teaches Elementary and Intermediate Spanish and Spanish Language Literature and its Film Adaptations.

The event’s highlights include a showcase of images of historic Casta paintings — paintings that used labels and visual details — different skin tones, dress, occupations, and settings — to distinguish ethnicity and signal economic and class divisions during the colonial period in Mexico.

Interviewed by Pasadena Now, Dr. Gloria Arjona said she has a personal connection to the subject.

“Out of eight children, I am the darkest-skinned one, so I was very, very aware of color differences within my family because people always used to think that I was from another father,” Dr. Arjona said. “That was my first interest — the racial differences as I grew up.”

With this presentation, Dr. Arjona hopes to reach a broad audience and encourage attendees to explore the often-overlooked facets of Mexican history and to recognize the diverse cultural heritage of Mexicans.

“We Mexicans and non-Mexicans, we don’t know that Mexicans are more than indigenous and Spanish, so that is a very, very genetically rich kind of people and culture, of course,” she said.

The one-hour presentation will feature songs which Dr. Arjona herself performs at the opening, a PowerPoint presentation, and an open Q&A session.

“Because I am also a singer, I usually start with a song, and then I explain this song as part of our African heritage in Mexico,” she said. “So I include a couple of songs, not too many, and then I go with a PowerPoint because, again, people don’t know anything about this theme. And then I go as quickly as possible and then I do a song again. So I try to do it as interdisciplinary because we’re talking about culture after all.”

The event is open to all, with no advanced registration required; people can simply attend the Lamanda Park Branch Library at 140 S. Altadena Drive.

Call the library at (626) 744-7266 for more information.