Final Project-Frances Moyonero

Four Hispanic Generations In One Home

In your ordinary American family/household, you usually have the parents and children. However, this is a Peruvian family that has four generations living under the same roof. One house; one great great grandma; two grandparents; two parents; two children. Hispanic households are not all the same, but you can except frequent movement and a big number of people. Hispanic homes are full on expression within their walls, furniture, decorations and food. Each generation is different. The older ones are religious, believe in prayer and bible readings before a meal, while the youngest take the time they have to catch up on any work they have or take the time to relax. With the last generation being born in the United States, even in the digital era, this generation doesn't follow exact traditions, values, even expression of heritage. This generation is more Americanized to the point that Spanish is not their fluent language.  

The Baby Boomer and Gen X who migrated to the United States years ago for a better future: 83-year-old Lucia Millan and 54-year-old Teresa Sanchez. 30 years apart with similar background and strong continued traditions and values.

Before starting off their Thanksgiving dinner, the mother of five children, Lucia Millan, leads a prayer, thanking God for her family's health and all the opportunities they've been able to accomplish. 

Thanksgiving in a Hispanic household means turning your family room into a buffet with traditional and non-traditional thanksgiving food selections.

On an ordinary day, the family room is filled with couches where the baby boomers and gen X Peruvians watch Univision, while gen Z focuses on the digital world through her laptop.  

The digital world is big within millennials and gen z. During Thanksgiving dinner, adults have their conversations while the younger generations engage in a smartphone.

The living room is transformed into an extended dinning room to sit everyone in the family.

Thanksgiving is over, the house is back to its original state with the exception of Christmas decorations. After work Teresa and her older sister, Luz Rodriguez, continue fixing details around the house. 

Lucia Millan fills in the role of a traditional hispanic women. She prepares dinner for her family to come home from work to a hot meal. 

Ilbe Sanchez, gen Z, stays put in her bedroom to do homework before doing anything else. 

After waking up from a post-day care nap, Leo and his mom, Caroline Sanchez, play with a puzzle in Teresa and Emilio's bedroom. 

Lucia reads her bible while she waits for her daughter's husband, Emilio Sanchez, to come home from work so everyone can have dinner. 

Lucia prepared the dinner, and Emilio serves his family minutes after arriving from work.

The grand children; the daughter; the parents/grandparents share come together for dinner, communicating in one language for all to understand.

Gen Z, Ilbe is the first generation in her direct family to be born in the United States. As an American-Peruvian, her first and primary language is English, making it difficult for her to communicate with her eldest. 

The Gen Z, 10-year-old Ilbe Sanchez born American-Peruvian, and Millennial, 28-year-old Caroline Sanchez migrated to the United States at age 6. 10 years apart with different backgrounds and evolved/lost traditions and values.