Hispanic American Bios

1. Ellen Ochoa is famous for her many talents in areas such as engineering. She is also an astronaut. She has received multiple awards from NASA such as: Distinguished Service Medal, Exceptional Service Medal, the Outstanding Leadership medal, and many more. She has been on four flights to space (as of January 2008).

2. Selena Marie Gomez was born on July 22nd, 1992 in Grand Prairie, Texas. She is famous for her roles on Disney Channel and plays 'Alex Russo' on Wizards of Waverly Place. Selena won 'favorite tv actress' at the Kid's Choice Awards in 2009. She has also won the 'Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Special - Leading Young Actress' award at the Young Artists Award for her movie Another Cinderella Story.

Visit Lima, Peru!

Lima, Peru is a beautiful city full of wonderful opportunities.

Shopping Opportunities:

- Antiques and jewelry are of the highest quality. Shops may include La Línea del Tiempo or SAS Antiquedades.

- Vendors of fabulous goods are very friendly and love to bargain

- Hand-made crafts and textiles are all unique and exotic. Weavings, pottery, and silver are among the many things sold at Lima's Killari shop.

- You can always rely on having fresh fruit in Lima. Markets and malls are fun and convenient places to shop. Mercado Central (Central Market) is Lima's main market. It is full of bustling crowds and numerous shops.

Nature Opportunities:

- The Huachipa Zoo in Lima includes otters, zebras, lions, rare birds, snakes, and much more!

Lion at the Huachipa Zoo.

- Lima has a great number of parks that add the the luscious landscape of the city.

Tourism Opportunities:

- The Larco Museum in Lima is filled with educating exhibits such as the gold and silver gallery. Other exhibits include ancient pottery and ceramics.

- The Gold of Peru Museum features elaborate pieces of fine gold.

- Soccer is one of the many sports enjoyed in Lima. Why not kick back and enjoy a little competition at the soccer arena.

- The fun doesn't have to stop at night. Traditional dances and parties are popular among the more lively visitors.

'Semona Santa'

Holy week is Spanish is "Semona Santa". "Pascua" is Spanish for Easter.




Spain:

-The people in Spain go to mass on Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos). They receive palms blessed by the priest. The boys get a simple branch, while the girls' palms are decorated.



-Holy Thursday is also known as Maundy Thursday. They celebrate it very similar to what we do in America.



-Good Friday used to be honored by closing all churches. This practice was banned however.



-Easter is celebrated many ways. One thing they do in Spain is they make dolls of famous people and hide them all over town. After they are all found, they are shredded up and thrown into the air. (http://festivals.iloveindia.com/easter/traditions/easter-in-spain.html)











Mexico:


-Most schools have a two-week long break during Semona Santa.


- Mexicans celebrate Palm Sunday by reenacting Jesus' arrival to Jerusalem. Woven palms are often sold outside of churches.


- For Maundy Thursday, Mexicans perform the washing of the hands and feet. They also practice a small pilgrimage to seven churches to recall the apostles' actions when Jesus was praying before his arrest


- Good Friday is celebrated by people dressing up in clothes worn by people of Jesus' time. Recreations of Jesus' Crucifixion are very common.


-There is no mention of Easter Bunnies or sweets on Easter in Mexico. They celebrate by attending church and spending time with their families.







A woven palm. A chapel in Mexico.

Paraguay- Links

Some examples of cuisine in Paraguay is on the following link: http://www.try2cook.com/Paraguay-food-recipe.html

Information on family life in Paraguay is on the next link: http://www.photius.com/countries/paraguay/society/paraguay_society_family_and_kin.html

Paraguay- History

After WWII, politics in Paraguay had become unstable. This lead to the Paraguayan civil war of 1947.

for more history of Paraguay, click on the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguay

Paraguay- Natural Resources

Paraguay's natural resources include farming, fishing, and timber.

Paraguay- Facts

Population: 6,831,306

Flower:Jasmine-of-the-Paraguay

Capital: Asuncion

Government: Constitutional Republic

Tree: Iapacho

Bird: Bare-throated Bellbird