4. Borunda’s narrative is deeply influenced by the adverse effects of colonization. Her great-grandmother, Juanita Garcia, was born into wealthy criollo family. Juanita’s ancestors crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to Mexico after the arrival of Cortés in 1521. The Spanish invasion was met with many forces of opposition and intolerance. Many Native groups were subjugated to European domination and decimated by disease, exploitation, and war. There were stark contrasts between the colonizer and the colonized. The ruling class accumulated vast wealth while concurrently fending off attacks from Natives. It wasn’t until the Mexican War of Independence in 1812 that Mexico finally experienced decolonization. Colonization in my history could be
