popthatpandulce

[popthatpandulce]

Se dice que ésta es la primer fotografía tomada a una nativa mexicana, en el año de 1891, ella era de Sonora, tenía 17 años y pertenecía a la cultura Yaqui.

Como se puede observar sus rasgos son muy distintos a los que estamos acostumbrados, eso es porque la variedad de rostros nativos es inmensa. Los yaquis se identifican a sí mismos y a los mayos como yoremes, palabra que significa hombre o persona. La noción de yoris, hombres blancos, los distingue, a su vez, de los demás pueblos indígenas.

El pueblo yaqui ocupaba, tradicionalmente, una larga franja costera y de valle al sureste del actual estado de Sonora, que abarcaba desde la ribera sur del río Yaqui, hasta el cerro Tetakawi, al norte de la actual ciudad de Guaymas

[popthatpandulce]

Grief

I made it a point at the beginning of this year that I would dedicate myself to writing and blogging this year to expand on my journalism skills, I’ve been taking a lot of pics and I’m in the process of editing them. Some ethnobotany posts are incoming soon so keep and eye out.

The sunrise in Bisbee AZ during the winter solstice

My writing was on pause for the past month because on Jan 23rd at 4:44 am my grandmother joined the ancestors.

She was my best friend. She was like my second mom and in her later years we became the closest we had been my entire life. We would spend Friday’s and Sundays together.

I happened to take the 444 pic almost 2 months to the day before she passed.

The moon is from the morning she passed. I cried in my backyard for an hour trying to process. I took the picture of the moon to commemorate her and document the emptiness I was feeling without her just at the moon appears to be missing a piece but it’s completely whole just like I am.

I carry my nana with me in everything I do and I hope my actions can make her proud of me. Isn’t that what we all hope.

This Saturday is her memorial. I received her ashes about two weeks ago. I have almost had a month to grieve it comes in waves like every emotion does.

But part of me feels at peace. I know my nana is looking out for me wherever she is. She was a pious little old Mexican lady so I know her prayers and medicine will protect me.

I am going to orate her eulogy and I am a little nervous but I know I shouldn’t be. Part of me wants to honor her love of God by mentioning her favorite bible story which is the prodigal son.

For those who are unfamiliar or need a reminder the prodigal son is the story of a rich mans son that spends all his inherited wealth and finds himself completely penniless and has to work as a pig farmer. While he is going through it questioning his actions he decides to repent for his sins. He then returns to his father’s home and begs forgiveness and if he can have a place to stay in his father’s home. He completely humbles himself and offers to work to earn his place in his father’s home. In turn his father welcomes his son home with open arms and an open heart. For the father only sees his son not his son’s mistakes. The moral of the story is no matter how far we stray from god he will always love us and welcome us back into his home with open arms if we repent and chose his path for us.

As a child I grew up in a strict religious (oppressive at times) household. Once I became a teenager my mom wanted to take a step away from church after a deeply religious family member passed. We never really fully retuned to church.

I remember being told as a child you live in this world but do not become of this world. Do not become a worldly being.

Tying this back into my grandmothers eulogy. I am going to be orating in a church on a pulpit. In my grandmothers former place of worship in front of her church congregation and my other religious family members. I do feel like this story is my story because whenever my grandmother would pray with me she would mention the story if the prodigal son as an example for me. To show me that love that god has and that no matter how much I am in the world that there will always be a place for me at my nana’s and in God’s house.

I’ve known for a long time that my grandmother would not live to see my Saturn return. My return starts a week before her birthday this year. I have felt that I will not truly be an adult until her funeral, well folx here we are. I’ve been trying to run from it since I turned 25 but life always seems to catch up to you.

These pictures remind me of her and our relationship. The book is what has been helping me on this grief journey, eventually my art will reflect my grief. I plan on mixing my grandmothers ashes with glass to create wind chimes. So every time I hear them twinkling in the wind I will think of her and know that’s her way of saying hi.

She was a 4’8” little firecracker whose faith could move mountains. She was a fighter, a single mother, prayer warrior, singer, artist, chef, and my nana.

The OG will be greatly missed by those blessed to know her.

[popthatpandulce]

Post Inauguration Thoughts and Feels

*this post has been a work in progress since agent orange took office 1/20/25*

I want to start off by saying these past 72 hours have been rough as fuck.

As a brown woman in this country my heart and mind are broken. I am scared and full of ancestral rage. I fear for my family, friends and community as a whole. POC and LGBTQ+ people lives are in real serious danger and it feels as each second passes by our rights are being eliminated with the stroke of a pen. The tension is honestly palpable.

There have already been ICE raids in my town. I live 45 mins away from the US-Mexico border. We are feeling the effects of Trump’s border policy as they are being shaped. I no longer live on the south side but I fear for my neighbors that I once had. I fear for my grandparents who are naturalized citizens but live in a predominantly white community. ICE now has the authority to arrest people in churches and at schools. As a person who works with the youth my heart breaks at the thought of those babies being separated from their parents and even possibly deported.

I am concerned for my father who has recently started living in his truth and is a part of the LGBT community. I fear for him and his partner. I see the fear in their eyes as I speak to them about current events.

Needless to say I am filled with rage.

I see my fellow man just as fed up as I am yet we are so paralyzed with fear and the inability to truly rise up. As we are trapped in this hyper-capitalist system that won’t even let us take a day off without the fear of being fired or having our hours cut, we struggle to put food on our tables. Living in spaces that we can barely afford. Unable to truly organize for a better life in fear of retaliation (Starbucks, Amazon and Natural Grocers I am looking at y’all)

As an Aquarius I craved revolution since I touched down earth side.

From a young age I questioned this system. I would argue with my parents about getting a job and being expected to kiss my bosses ass and sacrifice my body and sanity to capitalism. I refused to participate and even now as I am writing this I am still struggling with it as I start my Saturn return I reflect on the revolutionaries I looked up to as a kid. Che, Malcom, Huey, Kwame Ture

Recapitulating these thoughts a month into Agent Orange’s reign of terror.

There have been mass protests across the country and world in response to this Babylon system.

My town has had at 2 demonstrations at least each weekend since Mango Mussolini seized power. Also in Phoenix there has been demonstrations almost every day it is truly inspiring to see. I knew we had it in us.

*the photos below contain images of demonstrators in DC on Inauguration Day with my favorite was to contact my local representative on the left

the right is a picture of my community standing on business in solidarity with our folx across the country.

Credit to theninjaferret on IG for the pic on the right, the pics they capture of the resistance here in Southern AZ is inspiring ✊🏽

These photos have been a reminder of why I keep fighting each day. Every single person in these photos are responsible for change, I see the looks in their eyes. I feel and see the same emotions I am experiencing as well.

WE ARE THE RESISTANCE.

WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE OPPOSITION.

NOT THE DEMS WHO EXALT THE SAME BILLIONAIRES THAT MAGA HAS SOLD US OUT TO.

WE THE PEOPLE MUST FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS FOR THE LAST TIME.

I SAY THIS WITH MY ENTIRE CHEST AND FIBER OF MY BEING.

LIBERATION NOW. REVOLUTION NOW.

But my brothers and sisters this is only the beginning. We are disrupting the system, we need more direct actions. We need to reflect on those who came before to inspire us and guide us during the revolution. We need to truly organize a strike. Capitalism only answers to capitalist demands, we have the purchasing power to decide. We need to refuse to continue being cogs in this revamped imperialist regime that feeds off of the pain, suffering and blood of one another. In the words of K. Dot “How much does a dollar cost?”

LOVE IS HOW WE WILL FIGHT BACK.

LOVE IS THE ANSWER.

Boycott Amazon the price of your prime is other peoples lives and dignity.

Boycott Whole Foods. Overlord Bezos poisons your mind and your body.

Boycott Meta. They sell our time to the highest bidder. When we reflect before we die does all our time on IG truly matter. Don’t attempt to organize on those apps. The devil is in the details.

If we stand together Babylon will fall

I leave y’all with these words from my favorite freedom fighter Bob Marley

So Jah Seh off the 1974 Natty Dread album

[popthatpandulce]

autodidactic photography and yap session

the photos above were taken on my iphone and through various apps including my default camera app.

i purchased a Fujifilm FinePix HS50EXR last year to solidify becoming a photojournalist.

The photos below were taken on the fujifilm.

living in a desert i am surrounded by a plethora of colors and plants.

the sunsets and cactus provide an immense amount of inspiration in my art.

when i see the saguo (yoreme word for saguaro) i think of my ancestors and wonder if my ancestors saw the same saguo during the beginning of it’s existence.

saguo can live to be 150-200 years old. five generations that has grown along side the saguo. the oldest recorded saguo was 300 years old and resided in saguaro national park. it was named old grandad and was the most visited saguo in the park before falling due to age.

here’s a picture of old grandad.

the picture below is a close up of a saguo during a full moon.

an aspiration this year is to continue learning how to capture inspiring and creative moments and scenes. i remember owning several cameras as a kid documenting the world around me. how i wish i could see how little me viewed the world. the purpose of my photography is to document the nuances of living in the southwest as an indigenous person.

my gemini rising makes me a yapper and this platform provides me with all my random niche ideas and communities.

tbh substack is still intimidating at this point and retuning to my roots to regain my confidence and love for blogging and creating.

more yap sessions incoming i have to reconnect with the mothership for the time being.

til next time void ✌🏽

[popthatpandulce]

“Why aren’t you in The Hague?”

Journalist Sam Husseini is forcibly removed from Antony Blinken’s final press briefing as Secretary of State.

Butcher Blinken was interrupted repeatedly by journalists calling him out for providing cover for Israel’s genocide.

Freedom of the Press. US style.

(source)

[popthatpandulce]

first post on here in years.

these pics are the vibes at the moment

going to use this page to document this year and sharing my art and things that inspire me.

first pic is mine. been working on slaps since the election. i’m tryna wake my people up. this is going to be a place for me to share my art without the pressure and fear of being perceived.

*smoking pic is not mine artist is tayneetinsley on IG

we are less than 48 hours away from Agent Orange 2.0. lots of thoughts and feelings. no more tik tok. no more distractions it’s now time for action

fear

anger

anxiety

RAGE

we have survived this before. this time is different we must destroy this system before it destroys us.

for our relatives to live capitalism and colonialism must die

the time to strike is now