El Chilolo
Melissa Cruz-Santiago
Refran: "The one that humiliates their oppressor with humor, Makes the aggressor more inferior."
Card Description: none
Student Biography: My name is Melissa Cruz. I was born in Santa Maria and come from a family of six. I enjoy going on hikes and hanging out with my family. After graduation I hope to attend college and start my own business in the future. El chilolo is a person or dancer who represents resistance against the white French miners who exploited their natural resources, some of which included coal, gold, and silver. They dress like the bosses and the miners and the purpose of dressing up and going out to dance is to make fun of them for what they did. Some components of their outfits include mining boots, a police hat, a tuxedo with a long tail, masks with long beards, and harmonicas. Furthermore, certain suits also have black dots on them, which symbolize the diseases and illnesses that foreigners took to the town.
Grade: 12
Card Number: 7