Miguel Méndez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miguel Méndez
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| Born | Miguel Méndez Morales June 15, 1930 Bisbee, Arizona |
| Died | May 31, 2013 (aged 82) Tucson, Arizona |
| Pen name | Miguel Méndez |
| Occupation | Novelist, professor (retired) |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1969–2013 |
| Genre | short story, novel, poetry, autobiography |
| Literary movement | Aztlán, Chicano |
| Notable works | Peregrinos de Aztlán (Pilgrims in Aztlán) |
| Notable awards | Premio Nacional de Literatura Mexicana Jose Fuentes Mares |
 Literature portal |
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Miguel Méndez (born June 15, 1930 – died May 31, 2013) was the writing name for Miguel Méndez Morales. He was a Mexican American author. He is most famous for his novel Peregrinos de Aztlán (which means Pilgrims in Aztlán). Méndez was a very important writer in Chicano literature, which tells stories about Mexican Americans.
Contents
About Miguel Méndez
His Early Life
Miguel Méndez was born in Bisbee, Arizona, on June 15, 1930. This town is right on the border with Mexico. His father, Francisco Méndez Cárdenas, was from Sonora, Mexico. His mother, María Morales Siqueiros, was also from Sonora.
In the 1930s, during a tough time called the Great Depression, the U.S. government asked many Mexicans and Mexican Americans to move to Mexico. This happened even if they were U.S. citizens. Because of this, Miguel's parents moved to a small town in Sonora, Mexico, called El Claro. Miguel grew up there.
He went to elementary school in El Claro and Arizpe. But he stopped school after fifth grade to help his father on their small farm. Even though El Claro was a quiet, faraway town, his parents had many books and newspapers. This is where Miguel started to love reading and stories.
Moving Back to the U.S.
In 1944, Miguel Méndez moved to Tucson, Arizona. One reason he moved was the sadness he felt when two of his younger sisters passed away in 1939. This happened partly because El Claro was so isolated and had no hospital.
In Tucson, even though he was young, Miguel found work in construction. He kept reading a lot, often at night. He bought books in Spanish from a store called "Librería Hermanos Pulido."
Becoming a Writer and Teacher
By the 1960s, Méndez was still working in construction. But he had also started to write seriously. His first short story, "Tata Casehua," was published in 1968.
Over the years, Méndez became friends with teachers and professors. In 1970, a group of university professors tested his knowledge. They were so impressed that they offered him a teaching job at Pima Community College. In 1974, he began teaching at the University of Arizona.
He received a special degree called a Doctor of Humane Letters in 1984. His most famous novel, Peregrinos de Aztlán, came out in 1974. He retired as a full professor in 2000. He was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Arizona until he passed away in 2013.
Experts have called Méndez a very important voice in Chicano writing. They said he was one of its "finest and most sensitive writers." His writings are now kept in a special collection at UC Santa Barbara.
Miguel Méndez passed away on May 31, 2013, at his home in Tucson.
Pilgrims in Aztlán Novel
This novel takes place in the 1960s in Tijuana, Mexico. It shows what life was like during the Vietnam War and along the Mexico–United States border. The main character is Loreto Maldonado, an old man who washes cars. Through him, Méndez also tells stories from the Mexican Revolution.
Méndez introduces many different characters. This helps show the many cultures that live along the border. These include Chicano, Mexican, Yaqui, and U.S. cultures. The novel does not have a simple story plot. Instead, the meetings between characters help show their pasts. This way, the book tells the history and culture of the border region.
Published Books
- "Tata Casehua" and "Taller de Imagenes" (short stories), found in El Espejo/The Mirror (1969)
- Los criaderos humanos: épica de los desamparados y Sahuaros (poems; 1975)
- Cuento para niños precoces (1980)
- The Dream of Santa Maria de las Piedras (1989)
- Pilgrims in Aztlán (1992)
- Entre Letras y Ladrillos (1996), also known as From Labor to Letters : A Novel Autobiography (1997)
Awards He Won
- José Fuentes Mares National Prize for Literature (1991)
See also
- List of Mexican American writers
