Sin Nombre followed the stories of Sayra and Willy. Sayra, a young woman travelling with her father and uncle from Honduras to the United States, met Willy along the way, a member of the Mara in Mexico who was in distress because of his relationship with the gang and its youngest protégé, Smiley. As Sayra traveled from Honduras to the United States, the audience discovered the pervasive gang violence in Mexico and the important connection between territory and autonomy. A closer look at the politics, culture, and history of Central America can explain the motivations of young gang members, such as Smiley, in addition to the motivation of undocumented migrants, like Sayra and her family.
Throughout the movie, life as an undocumented immigrant …show more content…
Beginning centuries ago, holding onto land was a symbol of power and wealth because of how important land was, and still is, to indigenous populations. Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú is a Quiché Indian woman from Guatemala, and in her memoir, I, Rigoberta, she discussed the importance of land to her native people. For them, the land directly connected to their culture and family traditions, so it was very important to fight for the right to remain on their land. While not steeped in cultural traditions, the territory that the Mara defends is of the same importance to them. Like the aforementioned example with Smiley near the train station, the gang members defended their territory because having their land was a source of …show more content…
While they were not necessarily actively searching to bond with the others on the train, their sense of belonging came from the little patch of train that each group claimed. They needed to create that comfortable space for themselves because “terror sows division and distrust… it corrodes group solidarity” as Professor George W. Lovell explained in his book, A Beauty that Hurts. That has been true for centuries, and it continues to hold true for undocumented immigrants and for violent gang members. Once the communities strengthen social ties among themselves, they can create social change. There is a positive correlation between social change and collective and individual autonomy. Even though the migrants on the train did not have as much freedom as they would have liked, the connections and relationships that they formed while travelling help to move their lives
Throughout the movie, life as an undocumented immigrant …show more content…
Beginning centuries ago, holding onto land was a symbol of power and wealth because of how important land was, and still is, to indigenous populations. Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú is a Quiché Indian woman from Guatemala, and in her memoir, I, Rigoberta, she discussed the importance of land to her native people. For them, the land directly connected to their culture and family traditions, so it was very important to fight for the right to remain on their land. While not steeped in cultural traditions, the territory that the Mara defends is of the same importance to them. Like the aforementioned example with Smiley near the train station, the gang members defended their territory because having their land was a source of …show more content…
While they were not necessarily actively searching to bond with the others on the train, their sense of belonging came from the little patch of train that each group claimed. They needed to create that comfortable space for themselves because “terror sows division and distrust… it corrodes group solidarity” as Professor George W. Lovell explained in his book, A Beauty that Hurts. That has been true for centuries, and it continues to hold true for undocumented immigrants and for violent gang members. Once the communities strengthen social ties among themselves, they can create social change. There is a positive correlation between social change and collective and individual autonomy. Even though the migrants on the train did not have as much freedom as they would have liked, the connections and relationships that they formed while travelling help to move their lives