The Barrio is a powerful piece that describes the rebirth of a neighborhood. Robert Ramirez tells his story about the neighborhood he used to call home. The neighborhood is described in detail, right down to the sounds. He describes how the neighborhood can seem cold and lonely to those who are not from there. The Barrio was a refuge for him in the face of harsh hardships. The Barrio unites people in an environment that most wouldn’t choose to reside in. However, for locals, the Barrio is forever their home.
“There’s no need to flee, as the people who live in the Barrio are the only ones who know what it feels like” (Ramirez 309. The people of the Barrio can truly be described by this sentence. Here, an outcast angry about the rejection seeds that society has planted in them finds friends. The Barrio has everything you need for a good life. He talks about a supermarket that serves its customers at every meal. The owner gives people credit for meals if they can’t afford to pay. Everybody is treated as if they were family. The Barrio is the place to be for all your fun. Pool halls are places where young men can shoot pool while rapping. Cantinas are places where young men and women go to drink. It follows you throughout your entire life. It is your family and it will always follow you.
The Barrio world is very different from that of the Anglo-world. Privacy fences do not exist because they are unnecessary. Metal slung fencing or no fences are found in some yards. It is possible to extend the family relationships to your neighbors and even to those on the next block. The inside of the house is different from the exterior. “The gardens echoed the expressive verses from the colorful homes” (Ramirez 301). The colors are vibrant and there is no sense of harmony. “The denseness in the trees and plants of different colors gives the impression of a tropical oasis or hideaway on an island” (Ramirez 311). Colors that are so vibrant and vivid they seem to stop your breath. This helps to keep the community alive. You will find adults or children socializing or playing on the lawns and porches in the evenings. Then he goes inside. He talks about the oldest sons always contributing to the family. The Barrio is no different from anywhere else. Ramirez talks about the families who lived in poverty. They say that they’re stuck in the 19th Century and are doing their best to survive. The Barrio is no different than any other neighborhood. But the hardships are a little easier.
Barrios will always be places that locals feel at home. The Barrio is protected from the Anglo-Saxon world. The people who live here would never want to be anywhere else. Barrios are places of safety where people feel comfortable with family and friends. A barrio can be a place of contrasts where color laws are manipulated and streets dance in color. Every morning the place comes alive with vibrancy and life.
