2010 marks the 200th anniversary of México's independence from Spain and the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. The state of Guanajuato is known as la cuna de la independencia - the cradle of independence - because it was here that the priest Miguel Hidalgo led the initial rebellion of the common people against the Spanish aristocrats. Banners and posters with the image of Hidalgo (above) adorn streets and buildings; TV and radio commercials promote pride in México. The government website for the anniversaries pulls out all the stops - it is an amazing multimedia extravaganza that provides a great history lesson. I recommend, in particular, the Ruta de la Independencia link which takes you on an audiovisual tour of Miguel Hidalgo's journey to the city of Guanajuato where he and his men attacked the Spanish stronghold at La Alhóndiga.
This afternoon in my literature class we discussed how national identity is constructed. Our focus is on western literature, and we discussed how the West's cowboy mythology has shaped a national identity for the United States, one that promotes rugged individualism, stoicism, and freedom. Then we drew parallels with México's bicentennial and centennial celebrations and promotions - another rich example of an illustrious national mythology, of how a country can rally around particular figures and events and symbols that provide a meaningful story of origin for a diverse group of people.
The U.S. has Paul Revere and George Washington and the Boston Tea Party; México has Miguel Hidalgo and Pípila and the Alhóndiga. Different figures and events, but similar cries for independence.
Love your blog. Keep inspiring us through this long winter.
ReplyDeleteA "story of origin" for northern Mexico, courtesy of Cormac McCarthy:
ReplyDelete"...there rose a fabled horde of mounted lancers and archers bearing shields bedight with bits of broken mirrorglass that cast a thousand unpieced suns against the eyes of their enemies. A legion of horribles, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery and pieces of uniform still tracked with the blood of prior owners, coats of slain dragoons, frogged and braided cavalry jackets, one in a stovepipe hat and one with an umbrella and one in white stockings and a bloodstained weddingveil and some in headgear of cranefeathers or rawhide helmets that bore the horns of bull buffalo and one in a pigeontailed coat worn backwards and otherwise naked and one in the armor of a spanish conquistador, the breastplate and pauldrons deeply dented with old blows of mace or sabre done in another country by men whose very bones were dust and many with their braids spliced up with the hair of other beasts until they trailed upon the ground and their horses'ears and tails worked with bits of brightly colored cloth and one whose horse's head was painted crimson red and the horsemen's faces gaudy and grotesque with daubings like a company of mounted clowns, death hilarious, all howling in a barbarous tongue and riding down upon them like a horde from a hell more horrible yet than the brimstone land of christian reckoning, screeching and yammering and clothed in smoke like those vaporous beings in regions beyond right knowing where the eye wanders and the lip jerks and drools.
Oh my god, said the sergeant."
...When I read this passage, it makes the whole idea that the frontier opened in 1805 and closed in 1890 seem rather narrow-minded...