Borders & Powers
Ballad of the Stag
& the Coyote at the Border
(Corrido del venado
y del coyote
en la frontera)
Stag Dance, Sonora
Ladies and gentlemen, I will tell you
Of the stag far from the mountain.
He met in the harsh borderlands
The coyote who would trick him,
The coyote who would do him harm.
Senores, les voy a contar
Del venado muy lejos del monte.
Encontró en la frontera dura
Al coyote que le haga trompa,
Al coyote que le pague mal.
The original is in a private collection. For prints, see ruth-hooper.fineartamerica.com.
Forget the Alamo
(Olvídate del Álamo)
The "Texas Revolution" of 1836 was a revolt by U.S. slave traders and cotton planters against the Mexican government because slavery was illegal in Mexico.
The Anglo in this fandango is my great-great-great-great uncle, Colin McKinney of McKinney, Texas, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. My grandmother used to think that was a boast, but now we know it's a confession.
Tango en la Plaza de Mayo
Aparición con vida! Return them alive!
The Mothers and Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo began their decades-long demonstration in front of the presidential palace of Argentina in 1977. They courageously demanded the return of the sons, daughters, and grandchildren who were "disappeared" during the Dirty War waged by the military dictatorship that ruled from 1976 to 1983.
Cemetery Stomp
My Appalachian ancestors, as generation by generation they pressed westward in their occupation of North America, left behind a trail of tiny tombstones. This bride and matron celebrate a wedding with full awareness of losses to come.
The design is inspired by the Kentucky Coffin Quilt, made by Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell in 1839.
The original is in a private collection. For prints, see ruth-hooper.fineartamerica.com.