www.luisjrodriguez.com
I'm Luis J. Rodriguez, the author of Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. and several other books in short fiction, children's literature, nonfiction, and poetry. On my web log I'll be posting all the latest news concerning my work as a writer, along with news and opinions on the many political, social, spiritual and cultural activities that I find interesting.
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 31, 2006
As many people know, at age 12 I began ingesting many mind and/or body altering drugs: sniffing toxic substances, weed, pills (downers, uppers, mescaline, LSD), to heroin. After my political awakening and rebirth into a conscious and active revolutionary before I turned 20, I gave up the illicit drugs. Hard as this was, I also [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 26, 2006
Peru has been so vital for me these days. Even with the layered world we find in places like Qosqo, where indigenous, colonial Spanish, Catholism, and the modern world integrate, collide, and create something new. We spent Christmas day taking a rest to prepare for our medicine ceremonies for the next three days. We did [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 25, 2006
For three days before Christmas, Qosqo´s main plaza is filled with people, plants, children, voices, and life. Indigenous people from nearby villages congregate here to take part in a massive marketplace, celebration, and the re-enactment of Christ´s birth. On Christmas Eve, our group walked around the Plaza de Armas, the main plaza in town, with [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 23, 2006
We arose extra early this morning — at 3:30 AM for Trini and I to shower and get ready — to leave our hotel in the Village of Machupicchu. Trini, unfortunately, had twisted her ankle while climbing one of the steep steps in the Machu Picchu citadel the day before. She was in pain coming [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 22, 2006
Julian Sasari is a 23-year-old Quechan. He has also been one of our guides in the spiritual journey that five members of the Northeast San Fernando Valley Sweat Lodge Circle — including yours truly and my companion, Trini — have taken to Peru. He is wise for his age. Most of us in the group [...]
Luis J. Rodriguez | December 21, 2006
The interesting thing about many of the old Quechan cultures in Peru, including the one most people called “Inca,” is that most of their cities, temples, and ceremonial sites were created in the shape of animals — the llama, the puma, the crocodile, the condor, and so on. Most of this can only be seen [...]
