Hispanic Renters and Credit Checks

If you are a renter or a landlord, then you know that your credit plays a key role in the process.  As a renter, it is important that you stay on top of your credit score and your past rental history.  A landlord credit check will break down several factors of your past credit history.  They will look at your credit score first. Your credit score needs to be at least above 600 to have a chance at renting a home from an individual.  If your score is below that, then you are better off renting an apartment until your score is brought up.  Credit scores above 700 will pretty much guarantee you a rental unless you have some other red flag.

Other area that landlords look at are criminal records, bankruptcies, foreclosures, and rental history.  If you have a criminal past, then you will need to work on selling yourself to the decision maker.  Depending upon the crime, it can be very difficult to overcome this in the applicant review process.  Bankruptcies are easier to overcome as long as you have a good story for the reason behind it.

Mottos of Mexican States

Here is a list of mottos of all the Mexican states.  If you would like more mottos, then you have to check out this mottos site.  It is loaded with great lists.

Aguascalientes:
"La cantina mas grande del mundo, cada Semana Santa" (feria de San Marcos)
"Every Holy Week, the world's biggest bar" (i.e. the San Marcos fair)

Baja California:
"La puerta principal to the USA"
"The main gate to the USA"

Baja California Sur:
"Proud to be parte de México" (note the bilingual motto)
"Proud to be part of Mexico"

Chiapas:
"La cuna de la locuras del Sub-comandante Marcos"
"The cradle of subcommander Marcos' madness"

Campeche:
"Nuestras selvas son bellas, pero no entre porque no le aseguramos que salga"
"Our jungles are beautiful, but do not enter because we cannot assure your exit"

Chihuahua:
"Gracias por su visita, por favor no mencione que Juan Gabriel es de Ciudad Juárez"
"Thanks for visiting, but please don't say that Juan Gabriel is from Ciudad Juarez"

Coahuila:
"En donde las mujeres no se casan, para no parir cab@#$%!"
"Where women don't marry to not give birth ass@#$%!"

Colima:
"Si dejáramos de existir nadie lo notaría"
"If we cease to exist nobody will notice"

D.F.:
"Ponga su slogan aquí, el nuestro fue robado"
"Put here your motto, our's was stolen"

Durango:
"Donde reina la aburrición, no hay playa ni equipo de fútbol"
"Where boredom is queen, there is no beach nor football team"

Guerrero:
"Si nuestras playas están sucias, culpe a los chilangos"
"If our beaches are dirty, blame to Mexico City people"

Guanajuato:
"Donde todo mundo se emborracha en nombre de la cultura" (Festival Cervantino)
"Where everybody get drunk in the name of culture" (i.e. Cervantino fair)

Hidalgo:
"Nuestra capital nunca es acertada en los exámenes de geografía"
"Our capital is never guessed right in geography exams"

Jalisco:
"Tierra donde se dan los hombres (pero unos con otros)"
"Land where men give (but one gives to another)"

México:
"Por favor aprenda a querernos, no nos odie por estar cerca del D.F."
"Please learn to love us, don't hate us for being close to Mexico City"

Michoacán:
"Un estado con una sola petición: A todos los indocumentados de
USA por favor vuelvan pues nos estamos quedando sin gente"
"A state with a single request: To all the wetbacks in USA, please return because we are almost without people"

Morelos:
"Viviendo con la gran desgracia de ser el estado donde más vacilan los chilangos"
"Living with the disgrace of being the state where people from Mexico City parties"

Nayarit:
"Bienvenidos al verdadero sub-desarollo, todavia no sabemos lo que es un slogan"
"Welcome to the real third world, we still don't know what a motto is"

Nuevo León:
"No quisimos gastar en un slogan"
"We didn't want to spend in a motto"

Puebla:
"Siéntase como en la ciudad de México, somos igual de insoportables"
"Feel yourself like in Mexico City, we are unbearable like them"

Oaxaca:
"El trasero de México" (está en la parte de enmedio y es redondo)
"Mexico's butt" (i.e. the state is round and centered)

Querétaro:
"Donde se ideó nuestra independencia y todas las tonterías que se han hecho en el gobierno"
"Where we devised our independence and all the foolishness that the government has done"

Quintana Roo:
"Dios salve a Cancún. Si no fuera por Cancún quien sabe que fuera de nosotros"
"God save Cancun. If there were no Cancun who knows what would be of us"

San Luis Potosí:
"Bienvenidos a la tierra del peyote y del mayate"
"Welcome to the land of the peyote and the mayate" ("mayate" is an active gay cf. with a passive gay)

Sinaloa:
"Dios salve el narcotráfico, sustento de nuestra economía"
"God save drug trafficking, sustenance of our economy"

Tabasco:
"Le debemos el slogan, nos dio flojera escribirlo"
"We owe you the motto, we are too lazy to write one"

Tamaulipas:
"Alabado sea el Señor y todos sus cárteles"
"Praised be the Lord and his (drug) cartels"

Tlaxcala:
"El estado mas 'X' de México"
"The most 'X' (dull) state in Mexico"

Yucatan:
"Mare, ¿qué es un slogan?"
"Mother, what is a motto?"

Zacatecas:
"El último en salir cierra la puerta"
"The last one leaving closes the door"

Hispanic Superstitions

The Hispanic culture do many things that are native to just their culture. Many people have superstitions, both Hispanics and non-Hispanics, but there are quite a few superstitions that the Hispanic culture holds true more so than most people. Following, I will share with you a list of some of these superstitions.

1. Facial distortion if you open the fridge with a hot head.
2. If you put your purse on the floor, you will lose money.
3. If you sweet a woman's feet, she'll never get married.
4. An upside-down broom behind your door will get rid of unwanted visitors.
5. If you give someone knives as a present, your relationship will die.
6. If you're a women and you're menstruating, you can't eat bananas because you will hemorrhage, you can't perm or wash your hair because you'll go crazy, and you can't hold a newborn because they'll get colic.
7. If you sleep with a dog or cat you'll become infertile.
8. If you cut a child's hair before they're one, they won't learn to speak.
9. If you dream about your teeth falling out while eating, it means someone is going to die.
10. Don't give your man shows while in a relationship because those are the shoes he'll walk out on you with.
11. If your hand is itchy, put it in your pocket instead of scratching it because it means you have money coming your way.
12. A full glass of water on top of your fridge or behind the door will help absorb bad spirits and energy in your house.
13. If you hit your parent, that hand will dry up.
14. To get rid of hiccups, use a small ball of red threat with saliva and place it on the person's forehead.
15. If you place a pair of open scissors under your bed when in pain, it will cut the pain.

Those are just a selection of the many superstitions that are out there. I am, personally, not Hispanic but have many friends who are. I even believe in some of these superstitions, and maybe you do too. Even if you don't, some of them might not be such a bad idea, just in case...

Hispanic Religious Jewelry

Hispanic religious jewelry is more than just simple crosses with diamonds and other embellishments. Their jewelry is very emotional. They have a lot of jewelry with depictions of Jesus and Mary. Following is an example of some of the kinds of jewelry that they design.

You can search for this type of jewelry and more online. They make a lot of rosaries, whether in the form of a bracelet or a ring, or a necklace, they make it all. So if you're looking for some amazing Hispanic religious jewelry, just know that they make unique and beautiful earrings and necklaces and more, which represent more than just their Christianity or Catholicism, but represent what is important within those religions.

National Hispanic Merit Scholarship

This is a fabulous award that is granted to special, qualifying candidates to help pay for college tuition. Some of the eligibility requirements include:

• Must be Hispanic or Latino
• Minimum of 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent)
• Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
• Be pursuing or plan to pursue your first undergraduate or graduate degree
• Must apply for federal financial aid using the FAFSA
• Be enrolled or plan to enroll full-time as an undergrad or graduate student at a U.S. accredited institution in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, or Guam.

The amount awarded can be anywhere between $1,000-$15,000, but the average is about $2,500 for students attending a four year institution and $1,250 for students attending a two year institution. This money can go towards tuition, fees, books, and other academic-related supplies, including room and board and transportation expenses related to school, and can even be applied to a program to study abroad, as long as you remain enrolled in your home university, the program occurs during the normal academic year, and you will be receiving U.S. college credits towards your degree.

You can apply online for this scholarship here by going to the scholarships link and click apply online. Once you click that, you will be directed to the students application site. If you're new, you'll have to register and create an account. They do not accept paper applications, so if you want to apply for a scholarship, you must do so online. There is no fee to apply for the scholarship, so what's stopping you? Go online now and try to get one.

Chicano Love Poems

Chicano poetry is a type of American literature that is primarily written about Mexican Americans and their way of life in society. The term "Chicano" is a term that identifies people of Mexican descent who are born in the United States. Chicano love poems can express love, admiration, and appreciation. They make references to Mexican-Americans and many times talk about their culture, stereotypes, and how they want to be defined.

Following I will show you an example of a Chicano love poem:

{Start}
Bashert
I am the catch
in your throat;
the wordless cry,
unexplainable.

I am the cloud
that follows you;
raining
at the slightest provocation.

I am the scar
that has
become a flower.

I am the pilgrim
you brought home;
the Jew you hid
from the fire.

I am your dark sleep.

I am your dream
of finding someone whose arms
will hold you
when daylight comes.
{End}


That is a poem written by Lisa Alvarado. She is one of several famous poets that write Chicano love poems. There are some more out there that are equally, if not more, great. Check out and see what else you can find out there.