Nilda Flores Rogel and Carmen Rogel

Nilda Flores Rogel and her sister, Carmen Rogel, recently spent five weeks in Argentina, including a stop in their hometown of San Martin de Mendoza. The family moved to the United States in 1990 and settled in Downey, a city not unlike San Martin, they said. "Everyone seems to know each other, very tight-knit community," said Valentin Flores, Nilda's son. "It's 40 minutes from Mendoza, one of the biggest cities in Argentina. Very similar to the L.A.-Downey dichotomy. In the last few years, with my brother (Matias) and I getting more involved in our community, my parents have come to love and adopt a lot of our local cultural customs." Nilda and Carmen spent an entire morning walking around San Martin taking pictures with the Patriot. ********** Published: Sept. 12, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 22