The
English translation of
dama cívica ( = civic lady) cannot convey the
awe, the
fear, the
respect that that
term invokes in
Puerto Rico. I believe there is a formal organization called
"Las Damas Cívicas", but a
woman doesn't have to belong to it to be a true DC. The following
description admittedly is an untrue
generality, but a
dama cívica will
immediately recognize herself.
First, she sits on the right side of the
church toward the front, if she attends
Mass alone. She is well known in the town for her
piety, a veritable
pillar of the
church. She is the
keeper of
public morality and is ready to
punish any whose
behavor is an
affront to
traditional values. High in her
arsenal of weapons is
gossip and the
gentle art of
shunning. On the other hand, she is the first to start a
novena for the
respose of
souls. She is generous to her
guests and to
strangers.
She may feed those who
work for the
family, but she probably won't invite them to eat in her
kitchen. Her home is always
spotless even if she has to
clean it herself. Contrary to the impression we get from Puerto Ricans living in the States, her home is extremely
quiet and usually
dark and
subdued. The
sun is always shut out. When she is out of the home she will carry a
parasol and will frequently wear
gloves. She wants to keep her
skin light so that no one would say she has
black blood. I have seen a
grandmother rehearse her
pedigree back to
Spain to prove to the grandkids there isn't a
taint of black in their veins.
She is the Puerto Rican
repository of all that is
honorable,
dignified and
fino. Without her, the island would have become a mere
coffee republic without a
heritage.