8th Annual WML Academic Symposium

Time: 3:30
Room: 225
Presenter(s): Santos Saldivar
Title: The Mexican Immigrant: It Is Harder Than You May Think
Developed under the guidance of Dr. Rene Ibarra , Spanish

Pobre Juan was a song written by Mana in the year 2002. It was a song that was in their Grammy winning album, Revolucion de Amor. It is a song that relates to many Mexican immigrants that seek a better life in the United States. The song talks about an immigrant named, Juan, who tries to cross the border into the United States in the hopes of making his American Dream come true. The song describes his journey to the United States that results in his death by the “Coyete” or what is known as a smuggler. Juan’s death is an example of the great risk many immigrants face when crossing the border that often go unnoticed. This research will shed light on Juan’s dangerous journey and his struggle as an anonymous person who is representative of many Mexican immigrants.