Pamela Gamboa

Edu 280 Spring 17

January 20, 2017
Cultural Autobiography
Culture has a lot of meaning to me, I was always in an environment where everyone
around me was as proud as possible to be what I am. I never really understood why they were so
proud or what was so great about who I was when I was younger. As I have grown up, I have
recognized and now understand why I should be overjoyed with excitement to celebrate my
cultural background and I now embrace it more than ever.
I was born in Lima, Peru, which is located on the coast of South America. Being Hispanic
already defines a lot about me but being Peruvian makes me all the more special and unique. Its
not every day that you hear someone say they are from Peru. Being raised in Peru, I am used to
fresh ingredients at the market and everyone being very neighborly, in my neighborhood
everyone knew who I was, when I go back and visit nowadays they still know who I am and ask
about my family and how we have been. I moved to the United States when I was around four
years old. I would go back and visit Peru almost every single year. In all of those trips to Peru I
have been fully immersed in the culture, including; the food, cultural dances and events,
celebrations, religious practices, visited ancient ruins, and learned more and more about the
history.
Peru was once home to the Incan Empire, it resided in Cuzco, Peru. The Incas were
famous for their grand and impressive buildings, including Machu Picchu, they were also famous
for their scientific advances such as being the first civilization to perform cranial operations. The

Incas worshiped many gods, they had dances for rain and for making the sun shine. My family
is very proud that we descend from these great people.
All over Peru we still eat the same food that our ancient ancestors once ate to keep
themselves healthy and strong. Tourists come from far and wide to view our cultural dances, to
visit our ancient ruins, and of course to eat our delicious food. I feel that all of this really affects
who I am as a person because I was raised immersed in all of this. The majority of the population
in Peru is Catholic because when the Spaniards conquered Peru they converted them to
Catholicism, I was born in to a Catholic family, baptized, and continue being Catholic. There are
big and beautiful churches all over Peru. I was also raised to respect my family and be very close
to my family. I know in America it is very normal for parents to kick their children out when they
turn 18 or for children to want to leave and be independent. This in Peru is not common at all, it
is actually looked at as something very strange and unproductive. In Peru it is normal for
children to live with their parents and be cared for and supported financially until the child is
finished with school and has a well-paying job where they are financially stable and more
commonly married and can therefore survive in the world alone.
In all being Peruvian makes me very happy, I would not trade it for anything else in the
world. Whenever I visit Peru and watch performances of our ancient dances and practices, my
eyes fill with tears because it truly makes me proud and very happy to know that I am from this
beautiful country filled with its rich culture, food, history, and meaning.