Nos han dado la tierra. Palabras como preguntas

The story Nos han dado la Tierra by Juan Rulfo is about 4 farmers who have been given land during the distribution of land ending the revolution. The main problem of this is that they have not received good or fertile soil to be able to grow any crops, a dry land that in a way connotes emptiness and death; ““el llano no es cosa que sirva. No hay conejos, ni pájaros. No hay nada” (p. 9). This story, in a much deeper perspective subtly represents the injustice and oppression Mexican farmers went through in the early 1900s. 

“No decimos lo que pensamos. Hace ya tiempo que se nos acabaron las ganas de hablar” shows how they had barely enough energy to make it to the land and could not waste it on talking. This is most likely not exclusive to this moment in the story but describes the farmers’ lifestyles and the conditions they lived in. Throughout the story it is mentioned their firearms and horses were taken away from them, and even though they are trying to see the bright side about it they were left naked and vulnerable. Farmers had to survive rather than live and were not heard 

Palabras como preguntas witten by Yasnaya Elena talks about the relation between an indigenous woman and feminism. Yasnaya begins to explain the trouble and differences when translating different concepts into a different language. In this case, her mother tongue and spanish with the concept of “indigenous”, saying how they would never identify as “indigenous” per say, but had different words and concepts to refer to other cultures and nations. 

Then goes on to explain how feminism is also a troubling concept for indigenous women at first. They can not quite grasp the meaning or idea of feminism as they are not only being condescended for being women, but also for being indigenous. They find it hard to fight together as women as they do not identify with the women in higher classes who discriminate and condescend them for their roots and culture. 

Mexicans have had and still have a relationship with opression and discrimination (gender and indigenous wise) since its origins. It has been founded on the idea of a higher power and supremacy, built on eurocentrism and discrimination. In both texts the people in power abuse the vulnerable. In Rulfo’s text the government and the people in power are the oppressors and care little for the farmers. In the other text, Palabras como Preguntas, points out the same type of abuse but from mestizos, those most likely in power, towards indigenous people.

Canción Amarga, Gabriela Mistral

"La Mexicaneidad" Paz y Siqueiros

Paz is one of the most emblematic faces of Mexican Contemporary Literature. He is well known for being a diplomat, polititian, poet, and writer throughout the XX century.

He was intrigued by human interactions and the way history and morals make up different archetypes and the complex contemporary social structure we live in today. One of his most relevant works, El Laberinto de la Soledad, published in 1950 was an innovative antropological essay about mexican identity and ideology.

He attributes mexican history, made up of both Indigenous and Spanish culture, the main role in creating a unique Mexican culture and mind of its own..

He describes Mexicans as hermetic, sealing and distancing its inner self from the outer world in order to protect itself as a mexican's most precious thing is its intimacy. On the opposite side, the mexican perceives the one who opens up as weak and a traitor to himself and his intimacy.

José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros, better known as David Alfaro Siqueiros, (Mexico City; 29th December 1896 – Cuernavaca; 6th January 1974) was a paintor considered one of the big three mexican muralists as well as Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco. 

His murals were devoted to revolutionary and social issues, to inspire the lower classes as well as embracing and expressing what Mexico was. His colorful paintings represent figures full of intense emotions like in El Martirio de Cuauhtémoc.

El Martirio de Cuauhtémoc

David Alfaro Siqueiros.

This mural was created in the early 50s, and was dedicated to the pre-Hispanic ruler Cuauhtémoc. Siqueiros himself on the day of the inauguration mentioned: “it is a song to Cuauhtémoc and an image of the struggle that weak peoples have to sustain”. In the image you can see the torment of said ruler at the time he is tortured to reveal the great treasures of the region.

In this painting, a very clear image of what Paz described as what a mexican aspires is clear. The mexican must never give up nor beg, must not show emotions to its enemies as it is a sign of weakness. 

Cuauhtemoc is shown to be estoic, unmoved, undisturbed, to an external impression or stimulus that normally produces disturbance, triggers an emotion or induces a certain action, in this case, torture.

Next to Cuauhtémoc lies another man who seems to cry and beg God, which contrasts Cuauhtémoc's attitude looked up upon by mexicans and seen as heroic opposite to the man showing emotion.

Modernismo y la Muerte de la Emperatriz de la China

Modernism in Latin American literature was a poetic literary movement developed between the 19th and 20th centuries (1880-1920). The movement was characterized by creative rebellion as well as a cosmopolitan culturalism. It was a milestone in Hispanic literature as it brought the embracement and acceptance of one’s culture and roots influencing and even setting the tone for European literature. The concept and discourse at this time is important, as modernism professes a powerful disagreement with the bourgeois culture prevailing at the time and tries to deviate the reader's attention from the outside world completely to immerse it into the story it tells. La Muerte de la Emperatriz de la China by Rubén Darío belongs to Modernismo and is one of the first texts It tells the story of a deeply in love couple living happily until one day, the man receives a gift, beautiful oriental statue, the empress of China. From this moment on, the veneration and love that the artist once felt for his beloved, now goes to the beautiful statue. The woman turns jealous but through out the story this attitude is described in a way as endearing, this could be traced to latin american culture and the way some social interactions are perceived
When reguiding his attention to the statue, the concept of “art for art” is manifested in the story, because the story contrasts the love for the real woman with the artist's love for the formal perfection of art. In fact, an unreal world is described, in which everything seems to be perfect and wonderful and true beauty is achieved only through art. At the same time in the story we can find a strong influence of the oriental and the escapism, emblematic feature of modernism, the protagonist when placed in front of the statue wants to escape and thus loses the grip on reality.