So, I got into this thing about Pedro de la Cruz. Who is this guy? I started digging around to see what I could find out about him.
First off, I found out that Pedro was born in Tijuana. Not much of a surprise there, a lot of people are. But the thing is, he was self-taught. No fancy art schools for this guy, he learned everything on his own, which I think is pretty cool. And it seems like he didn’t have an easy childhood either, some tough times growing up. But he made something of himself anyway.
I also learned that he was an orphan. That’s rough, losing your parents when you’re young. Apparently, some folks named O’odham and Pata were his real parents, but he ended up with Diego Romero and his family when he was nine. So, he had a new family, but not the one he started with. I guess that shapes a person, you know?
And then, it gets interesting. There is this story, kind of a legend thing, about him, starting in Tijuana’s streets. His folks were from Jalisco and Sonora. I guess he was close to them, you know, family ties. It got him inspired later, I saw.
And hey, this guy, Pedro, he got elected as a governor, can you believe it? In 1657, that’s way back. I didn’t get too much into the details of that, but it’s something, right? Goes to show you, anyone can make a name for themselves.
But the core of it all, to me, is that this Pedro de la Cruz, he’s a guy who pulled himself up. He became an artist. He learned how to do it all by himself. I respect that, takes guts and hard work. It’s like, you make your own way in the world, you know?
Oh, and the name, ‘de la Cruz,’ I looked that up, too. It means ‘of the cross’ in Spanish. It’s like a religious thing, part of his name. There you go, even his name has a story.
So, that’s my little adventure into learning about Pedro de la Cruz. A self-made artist, a guy who had a tough start but made something of himself. It’s a good reminder, I think, that you can do a lot with what you’ve got, no matter where you start.
