Esperanza Rising: A Mexican Exploration

The novel Esperanza Rising tells the story of a young girl living in Mexico in the 1930s who finds herself transplanted to the San Joaquin Valley of California due to difficult family circumstances. While in California, she experiences life not only as a Mexican girl whose life is influenced by the customs and traditions of her heritage, but also as a migrant farm worker in the U. S. during the Depression.

As we read Esperanza Rising, we will be exploring various themes that are presented in the novel.  This WebQuest will allow you to dive deeper into issues involved within the story and learn more about Esperanza's culture, country and life experiences! This webquest will help you better understand the reasons for Esperanza's state of distress when she is forced to move from Mexico to the United States. Be prepared to come along on Esperanza's life changing journey! In order to explore Esperanza's culture and life, we will look at Mexican traditions, famous Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, migrant workers, labor unions, immigration, and the the Mexican Revolution.