top of page
I DREAMED I SAW JOE HILL LAST NIGHT--BIOGRAPHIES
ESSENTIALS
Some Words from Isabela Keyes (Dead Rising 2)
"You're the ones who caused this nightmare! You ruined Santa Cabeza and started all this!"
MARIPOSA ALVAREZ
WISE WORDS
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself--and you are the easiest person to fool."
--Richard Feynman
READINGS
CURRENT WORK
PAST
SIMULATIONS
Mariposa​ ​Perez​ ​Alvarez​ ​was​ ​born​ ​in​ ​Havana,​ ​Cuba​ ​in​ ​1853;​ ​her​ ​parents​ ​named​ ​her Mariposa,​ ​the​ ​Spanish​ ​word​ ​for​ ​butterfly,​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​plethora​ ​of​ ​rare​ ​and​ ​beautiful​ ​butterfly species​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​found​ ​on​ ​the​ ​island​ ​of​ ​Cuba.​ ​Her​ ​father,​ ​Roberto​ ​Alvarez,​ ​came​ ​from​ ​a Roman​ ​Catholic​ ​background,​ ​as​ ​did​ ​the​ ​majority​ ​of​ ​Cubans;​ ​however​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​practiced​ ​a mysterious​ ​religion​ with​ ​roots​ ​in​ ​Africa,​ ​but​ ​was​ ​introduced​ ​and​ ​practiced​ ​in​ ​the​ ​West​ ​Indies: Santeria.​ ​Since​ ​her​ ​father​ ​died​ ​of​ ​yellow​ ​fever,​ ​which​ ​was​ ​not​ ​uncommon​ ​in​ ​20th​ ​century​ ​Cuba, during​ ​Mariposa’s​ ​infancy,​ ​her​ ​mother,​ ​Estefania​ ​Perez,​ ​and​ ​her​ ​mother’s​ ​religion​ ​had​ ​a predominant​ ​impact​ ​on​ ​her​ ​upbringing.
​
After​ ​the​ ​death​ ​of​ ​her​ ​father,​ ​Mariposa​ ​and​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​moved​ ​to​ ​Palmira,​ ​Cuba, where Estefania’s​ ​parents​ ​lived.​ ​Mariposa’s​ ​grandfather,​ ​Stefano​ ​Perez,​ ​was​ ​a​ ​well-known​ ​santero, or​ ​priest,​ ​in​ ​his​ ​community.​ ​In​ ​their​ ​religion,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​common​ ​for​ ​sacred​ ​rituals​ ​and ceremonies​ ​to​ ​take​ ​place​ ​at​ ​the​ ​homes​ ​of​ ​the​ ​santeros,​ ​so​ ​Mariposa​ ​often​ ​witnessed​ ​rituals performed​ ​by​ ​her​ ​grandfather,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​very​ ​sacred​ ​and​ ​spiritual​ ​ritual​ ​of​ ​becoming​ ​a santero.​ ​Stefano’s​ ​position​ ​allowed​ ​him​ ​to​ ​support​ ​Mariposa​ ​and​ ​Estefania​ ​until​ ​his​ ​death​ ​in 1870.​ ​Estefania’s​ ​mother,​ ​Pilar,​ ​had​ ​passed​ ​away​ ​a​ ​few​ ​years​ ​earlier,​ leaving​ ​Mariposa​ ​and Estefania​ ​to​ ​fend​ ​for​ ​themselves.​ ​With​ ​the​ ​remainder​ ​of​ ​Stefano’s​ ​money,​ ​Estefania​ ​bought​ ​her and​ ​her​ ​daughter​ ​boat​ ​tickets​ ​to​ ​America.
​
Perez​ ​Alvarez​ ​and​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​arrived​ ​in​ ​Miami,​ ​Florida​ ​in​ ​September​ ​of​ ​1871,​ ​just​ ​in time​ ​for​ ​the​ ​beginning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​orange​ ​harvest​ ​season.​ ​It​ ​did​ ​not​ ​take​ ​long​ ​for​ ​the​ ​women​ ​to​ ​find work​ ​in​ ​a​ ​citrus​ ​orchard​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Polk​ ​county​ ​area,​ ​where​ ​they​ ​lived​ ​in​ ​what was basically​ ​a​ ​shack​ ​on​ ​the farm​ ​along​ ​with​ ​other​ ​migrant​ ​laborers.​ ​Although​ ​they​ ​made​ ​very​ ​little​ ​money and​ ​the​ ​hours​ ​were​ ​long, they​ ​were​ ​grateful​ ​to​ ​be​ ​making​ ​anything​ ​at​ ​all.​ ​Life​ ​got​ ​a​ ​little​ ​easier​ ​when​ ​Mariposa’s​ ​mother fell​ ​in​ ​love​ ​with​ ​an​ ​orange-picker,​ ​also​ ​from​ ​Puerto​ ​Rico,​ ​named​ ​Luis,​ ​who​ ​helped​ ​support​ ​their small​ ​family.​ ​Mariposa​ ​enjoyed​ ​having​ ​a​ ​father​ ​figure​ ​around​ ​and​ ​he​ ​even​ ​taught​ ​her​ ​English, w​hose basics he​ ​picked​ ​up​​ ​fairly​ ​quickly.​ ​Luis​ ​also​ ​practiced​ ​Santeria,​ ​as​ ​it​ ​was​ ​popular​ ​in Puerto​ ​Rico,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​family​ ​looked​ ​to​ ​their​ ​religion​ ​for​ ​strength​ ​to​ ​cope​ ​with​ ​the​ ​realities​ ​of​ ​life as​ ​a​ ​migrant​ ​laborer.
​
Mariposa​ ​traveled​ ​with​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​and​ ​Luis​ ​up​ ​and​ ​down​ ​the​ ​eastern​ ​seaboard​ ​to​ ​work​ ​different​ ​harvests.​ ​While​ ​in​ ​New​ ​York​ ​during​ ​the​ ​apple​ ​picking​ ​season,​ ​Mariposa​ ​met Jesús,​ ​a​ ​fellow​ ​laborer​ ​who​ ​migrated​ ​from​ ​Mexico.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​thirty​-​four​ ​years​ ​old,​ and ​she​ ​was​ ​only twenty-five​ ​at​ ​the​ ​time,​ ​but​ ​he​ ​promised​ ​to​ ​care​ ​for​ ​her​ ​and​ ​she​ ​was​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​leave​ ​the​ ​security​ ​of her​ ​mother​ ​and​ ​start​ ​her​ ​own​ ​life.​ Between​ ​harvests,​ ​Jesús​ ​brought​ ​Mariposa​ ​to​ ​Chihuahua, Mexico​ ​where​ ​Jesús​ ​would​ ​see​ ​his​ ​family​ ​and​ ​give​ ​them​ ​a​ ​portion​ ​of​ ​his​ ​earnings​ ​from​ ​the harvest.​ ​Mariposa​ ​realized​ ​that​ ​Jesús​ ​was​ ​not​ ​the​ ​love​ ​that​ ​she​ ​always​ ​dreamed​ ​of,​ and ​in​ ​fact​ ​he​ (out of his devout Catholicism) ​could be quite​ ​cold​ ​towards​ ​her​, forbidding ​her​ ​from​ ​practicing​ ​her​ ​religion​.​ ​He​ ​also​ ​wanted​ ​a​ ​son;​ ​however​, ​Mariposa​ ​never​ ​conceived​ ​a​ ​child,​ ​which​ ​she​ ​was secretly​ ​happy​ ​about, since​ ​a​ ​child​ ​would mean​ ​another​ ​mouth​ ​to​ ​feed​ ​and​ ​she​ ​felt​ ​a​ ​migrant​ ​laborer’s life​ ​was​ ​no​ ​life​ ​for​ ​a​ ​child. That Mariposa ​never​ ​conceived​ ​a​ ​child​ ​made​ ​Jesús​ ​even​ ​more​ ​bitter toward​ ​her.​ ​In​ ​her​ ​mind,​ ​however,​ ​Mariposa​ ​rationalized​ ​his​ ​temperament​ ​by​ ​acknowledging the​ ​draining​ ​non​-​stop​ ​work​ ​he​ ​did​ ​to​ ​support​ ​her​ ​and​ ​his​ ​family​ ​in​ ​Mexico.​ ​Mariposa​ ​did​ ​not see​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​for​ ​years​ ​after​ ​leaving​ ​with​ ​Jesús,​ ​but​ ​when​ ​Mariposa​ ​went​ ​to​ ​Mexico,​ ​as​ ​she did​ ​at​ ​least​ ​once​ ​a​ ​year,​ ​Jesús’s​ ​family​ ​welcomed​ ​her​ ​with​ ​open​ ​arms​ ​and​ ​Mexico​ ​began​ ​to​ ​feel like​ ​a​ ​second​ ​home​ ​to​ ​her.​ ​She​ ​even​ ​picked​ ​up​ ​the​ ​Mexican-Spanish​ ​dialect​, ​as​ ​Mexicans​ ​had​ ​a difficult​ ​time​ ​understanding​ ​her​ ​even​ ​though​ ​she​ ​was​ ​technically​ ​speaking​ ​the​ ​same​ ​language.
​
Mariposa​ ​had​ ​not​ ​seen​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​since​ ​she​ ​was​ ​twenty​ ​five​ ​years​ ​old,​ ​but​ ​she​ ​heard through​ ​the​ ​grapevine​ ​from​ ​workers​ ​in​ ​Florida​ ​that​ ​her​ ​mother​ ​had​ ​passed​ ​away​ ​in​ ​the​ ​late 1880’s​ ​from​ ​old​ ​age​ ​and​ ​that Jesús​ had ​died​ ​of​ ​an​ ​undiagnosed​ ​disease​ ​in​ ​1894.​ ​After​ ​his​ ​death,​ ​Mariposa stayed​ ​in​ ​Mexico​ ​for​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​years​ ​with​ ​Jesús’s​ ​sister​ ​and​ ​her​ ​family,​ ​who​ ​were​ ​really​ ​the​ ​only people​ ​she​ ​had.​ Jesús’s​ ​sister,​ ​Pilar,​ ​was​ ​a​ ​seamstress​ ​and​ ​weaver​ ​and​ ​taught​ ​Mariposa​ ​the​ ​trade, so​ ​she​ ​could​ ​earn​ ​some​ ​money.​ ​After​ ​spending​ ​the​ ​majority​ ​of​ ​her​ ​life​ ​traveling​ ​around picking fruit,​ ​Mariposa​ ​loved​ ​the​ ​stability​ ​she​ ​had​ ​in​ ​Mexico​ ​and​​ ​would​ ​have​ ​been​ ​happy​ ​to​ ​spend the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​her​ ​life​ ​there,​ ​even​ ​though​ ​she​ ​lived​ ​in​ ​a​ ​very​ ​impoverished​ ​village.
​
However, word​ ​spread​ ​in​ ​Chihuahua,​ ​via​ ​letters​ ​from​ ​Mexican​ ​workers​ ​in​ ​California,​ ​of strikes​ ​and​ ​protests​ ​for​ ​better​ ​labor​ ​conditions.​ ​​ ​Mariposa,​ ​having​ ​suffered​ ​all​ ​her​ ​life​ ​from stressful working​ ​conditions,​ ​was​ ​intrigued.​ ​For​ ​months​ ​Mariposa​ ​tuned​ ​in​ ​to​​ ​the gossip​ ​about​ ​these​ ​strikes and​ ​she​ ​slowly​ ​saved​ ​up​ ​a​ ​little​ ​money​ ​from​ ​weaving​ ​and​ ​in​ ​1902​ ​she​ ​decided​ ​she​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​go to​ ​California​ ​herself.​ ​For​ ​the​ ​next​ ​chapter​ ​of​ ​her​ ​life,​ ​Mariposa​ ​would​ ​be​ ​on​ ​the​ ​forefront​ ​of​ ​labor protests​ ​and​ ​strikes.
​
In​ ​1913,​ ​at​ ​a​ ​strike​ ​in​ ​Northern​ ​California,​ ​Mariposa​ ​ran​ ​into​ ​Joe​ ​Hill, a​ ​member​ ​of​ ​IWW and​ ​a​ ​prominent​ ​figure​ ​in​ ​the​ ​fight​ ​for​ ​better​ ​labor​ ​conditions.​ ​He​ ​mentioned​ ​to​ ​her​ ​how​ ​he​ ​was struggling​ ​to​ ​rally​ ​the​ ​people​ ​and​ ​Mariposa​ ​told​ ​him​ ​she​ ​might​ ​have​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​help.​ ​Having reacquainted herself​ ​with​ ​her​ ​Santerian​ ​roots​ ​since​ ​leaving​ ​Mexico,​ ​Mariposa​ ​remembered​ ​a​ ​sacred​ ​ritual her​ ​grandfather​ ​performed​ ​that​ ​could​ ​make​ ​someone​ ​into​ ​an​ ​ancestor​ ​of​ ​Santeria​ ​and​ ​allow​ ​him to​ ​touch​ ​people​ ​even​ ​after​ ​death.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​chaos​ ​of​ ​the​ ​strike,​ ​Mariposa​ ​lost​ touch with ​Joe​ ​Hill.​ ​She​ ​would not​ ​find​ ​him​ ​again​ ​until​ ​​1915,​ ​when​ ​she​ ​heard​ ​news​ ​that​ ​he​ ​was​ ​in​ ​a​ ​jail​ ​in​ ​Salt​ ​Lake​ ​City, Utah,​ ​on​ ​death​ ​row​ ​for​ ​a​ ​crime​ ​that​ ​many​ ​believed​ ​he​ ​did​ ​not​ ​commit.​
​
That​ ​November​ ​she​ ​made a​ ​trip​ ​to​ ​Salt​ ​Lake​ ​City​ ​to​ ​the​ ​jail​ where ​he​ ​was​ ​being​ ​held​.​ ​She​ ​visited​ ​him​ ​in​ ​the​ ​early​ ​hours​ ​of November​ ​18th​ ​with​ ​the​ ​intention​ ​of​ ​performing​ ​a​ ​Santeria​ ​ritual​ ​on​ ​him.​ ​No​ ​one​ ​knows​ ​exactly what​ ​happened​ ​in​ ​that​ ​jail​ ​cell,​ ​but​ ​the​ ​ritual​ ​is​ ​believed​ ​to​ ​have​ ​started​ ​with​ ​a​ ​cleansing​ ​with water​ ​and​ ​herbs; ​then​ ​she​ ​would​ ​have​ ​put​ ​a​ ​beaded​ ​necklace called an ilekes,​ ​also​ ​washed​ ​in​ ​herbs,​ ​around​ ​his​ ​neck. Then ​his​ ​past,​ ​present,​ ​and​ ​future​ ​would​ ​have​ ​been​ ​reviewed,​ ​and​ ​he would​ ​have​ ​ascended​ ​the​ ​throne,​ ​called​ ​asiento,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​the​ ​final​ ​step​ ​of​ ​the​ ​purification​ ​and divination​ ​process (although, since​ ​they​ ​were​ ​in​ ​a​ ​jail​ ​cell,​ ​Mariposa​ ​probably​ ​improvised​ ​many of​ ​these​ ​steps).​ Joe​ ​Hill​ ​was​ ​executed​ ​by​ ​firing​ ​squad​ ​soon​ ​after​ ​this​ ​and​ ​witnesses​ ​saw​ ​Mariposa leave​ ​the​ ​jail,​ ​but​ ​she​ ​was​ ​never​ ​heard​ ​of​ ​again​, ​so​ ​historians​ ​are​ ​not​ ​sure​ ​what​ ​became​ ​of​ ​the​ ​rest​ ​of her​ ​life.
bottom of page