Where I was born is a fact to me. Where I lived for most of my live so far is debatable. Where I will live in the future is unthinkable. Where I want to live in the present is variable.
I was born in Lima, Peru, which is far, far away from Davis. I lived in many places once I moved to US, but the most recent one and the longest I have stayed at is Novato, CA. I lived in Lima until I was around 10 years old, and most of my happiest memories have taken places there. I identify myself as peruvian, but the influence of my own culture comes from both Peru and US. When I want to look at the history of my own town, I am not sure which one I should pick.
Lima is the capital of Peru, and therefore was the center for most of the important events of peruvian history. Telling the story of Lima is not possible without including the history of Peru. The Incan empire is one of the most ancient cultures in America. Before the empire, there were a lot of small towns with their own different cultures. Some mummified their dead, others were great warriors, and others fished. After thousands of years, they were united to from an empire that ruled most of South America. Then, the spanish colonists came and ruined everything, at least in my opinion. They raped, killed and "conquered" the empire. Civilization became just another word for genocide. The ones that remained became slaves. Interracial reproduction between spaniards, indians, and african slaves led to a mix of the various races that now exist in Peru. There was also a big migration of people from Asia that added to the existing culture.
The king of Spain ruled over the territory that once formed the Incan empire, and divided it into colonies that we now know as the South American countries. Each of the colonies claimed their independence after some time, and the republic was formed. In Peru, presidents were elected and years passed. Corruption always existed, and terrorist groups were formed. Mass murders were committed by the state and terrorist groups were committed, and there was a lot of tears. Currently, things got better, but there is no say what will happen. As a third world country, Peru is still hanging in there.
Novato, CA is a small town. I am not ashamed to say that I know mostly nothing about its history because I only lived there for 5 years and no one really told me anything about it. According to wikipedia, Novato used to be home for the Chokeche, Puyuku, and Olompali. It was part of Mexico but was given to the US government. The early pioneers planted vineyards and orchards. Then a post office was built, a railroad, and school. Novato grew and became more technologically advance, as other small towns. It is part of Marin County, which apparently is one of the richest if not the richest counties in California. This does not reflect in Novato, but probably in the southern towns as Sausalito, Tiburon, Mill Valley, etc.
Davis in comparison with both Lima and Novato, resembles more the small town history. When as class we visited the Hattie Weber Museum, we learned that Davis was a small town and that bicycles are a part of the history of Davis. Davis resembles the history of Novato. They were both small agricultural towns that developed over the years. Davis is more agricultural than Novato and bigger. Some of the things at the Hattie Weber Museum show the transformation of Davis, and the construction of more sustainable buildings.
What I have learned from living in some many places is that all of them are a mixture of different cultures and traditions of the people who live in that territory. Davis is full of students from all over US and the world, Novato also has people from different places, and Peru has influence from its history and present immigration of people from the world. Culture is formed not from a constant setting of origin, but is a changing definition produced by the people who inhabit in the world. Culture is not limited by territory, but it is influenced by trends and ideas. At least for me, we all have our own culture developed from our experiences. History is one of the contributors to our own definition of culture.
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