Los Olvidados: Afro-Mexicans

MexicanosFrancisco Villa Emiliano Zapata

African MexicansVicente Guerrero

• At first, the crown permitted race mixing, but by late sixteenth century, colonial law began to restrict the rights of mestizos and mulatos.

• In addition, Indians and Africans were not allowed to socialize, because the Spaniards felt that they would conspire against them

• In order for Spaniards to have control of the population, the Spaniards set up the sistema de castas, which was a legal system that classified racial groups into castas (groups).

The Beginning of Race Mixing

• The effects of having a third cultural group in Mexico were seen immediately after the establishment of the slave system. The mixing of races began to happen as early as the 16th century; this was a product of necessity since Spanish women did not accompany the conquistadores to New Spain

The Caste System

The Caste Paintings• Pintura de castas with the 16 combinations

2. Mestizo con Española, Castizo3. Castizo con Española, Español4. Español con Negra, Mulato5. Mulato con Española, Morisca6. Morisco con Española, Chino7. Chino con India, Salta atrás8. Salta atras con Mulata, Lobo9. Lobo con China, Gíbaro (Jíbaro)10. Gíbaro con Mulata, Albarazado11. Albarazado con Negra, Cambujo12. Cambujo con India, Sambiaga (Zambiaga)13. Sambiago con Loba, Calpamulato14. Calpamulto con Cambuja, Tente en el aire15. Tente en el aire con Mulata, No te entiendo16. No te entiendo con India, Torna atrás

• The caste system created a hierarchy of social and racial divisions in New Spain, were Spaniards were at the top and Africans and Indians were at the bottom.

• The caste system’s ultimate goal was to “whiten” the races. Regardless of the social and racial division implemented by the caste system, Africans couldn’t improve their blood. The ability for Africans to improve their social standings was partially due to the lack of enforcement of the caste system.

Affects of Caste System

• During the end of the 18th century, mulatos and those of African descent could whiten themselves by purchasing a legal certificate called gracias al sacar.

• The need for morenos and mulatos to get rid of their African heritage and adapt a new racial identity, can strongly be attributed to the caste paintings.

• In addition, regardless of the lack of legal enforcement of the caste system, the system created this social and racial hierarchy that is still obvious in current Mexico.

Population by Castas in New SpainYear Total Europeans Africans Indians Euro-

MestizosAfro-Mestizos

Indo-Mestizos

1570 3,380,012 0.2% 0.6% 98.7% 0.3% 0.07% 0.07%

1646 1,712,615 0.8% 2% 74.6% 9.8% 6.8% 6.0%

1742 2,477,277 0.4% 0.8% 62.2% 15.8% 10.8% 10%

1793 3,799,561 0.2% 0.1% 61% 17.8% 9.6% 11.2%

1810 6,122,354 0.2% 0.1% 60% 17.9% 10.1% 11.5%

African Mexicans in the 19th Century

• 1812-abolition of Caste system– Africans and people of African descent as the lowest racial

group continued into the 19th century. Even though the 1812 constitution abolished the caste system and all racial laws, people of African descent were not considered an important aspect of society because at this time, “mestizo ultimately becomes ‘a source of pride rather than a stigma’ because much of the population was mestizo.

• 1821- War of Independence– In addition, after the war of independence in 1821,

Mexico’s African heritage began to disappear.

African Mexicans in the 19th Century

• 1829- abolition of slavery• 1829- Vicente Guerrero, second President of

Mexico (Mexico’s first president of African descent)– Mexicanos

• Guerrero believed that the people of Mexico should begin thinking of themselves as a nation rather than by individual race. As a result, there would no longer be categories of race (Caste System); people would begin to be considered Mexicans.

• This had a large impact on people of African descent, because it ignored their heritage. It was during this time that people of African descent were no longer considered African by heritage; they began to be considered African by appearance.

Mestizaje• The beginning of the twentieth century further erased people of

African descents from Mexico through the ideology of Mestizaje, which was nationally encouraged post-revolution and became the foundation of modern Mexico’s national identity.

• The ideology of Mestizaje was introduced by Jose Vasconcelos, who was Mexico’s minister of education from 1921 to 1924.

• Vasconcelos wrote an essay titled La raza cósmica: misión de la raza iberoamericana.– In this essay, he argued that the cosmic race, which was the superior race. – The central goal of Vasconcelos’ cosmic race was to normalize all the races

in Mexico under Mestizaje, which was necessary during this time, when Mexico was trying to rebuild itself as a nation.

– Vasconcelos’ emphasized the importance of Mexico’s white traits that would dominate over the African traits and make the cosmic race superior to all other races.

Mestizaje• Vasconcelos’ ideology of Mestizaje and its effect on people of

African descent was principally felt when his idea was put into practice by a government campaign in Mexico through education, art, and the mass media.

• African Mexicans were completely ignored in education, the arts, and the media.

• However, only mestizos that had “white” characteristics were portrayed. These actions in education, the arts, and the media, emphasized that the ideal Mexican was a “white” mestizo.

• The lack of inclusion of African heritage in these important social areas of Mexico’s society caused Mexicans to forget about the African presence. In addition, this process of Mestizaje caused many African Mexicans to forget or deny their heritage.

20th Century-Rediscovery of African Heritage• Mexican Anthropologist Gonzalo Aguirre Beltran

– It was not until the 1940s that Mexico’s African heritage was rediscovered. Mexican Anthropologist Gonzalo Aguirre Beltran began to document the communities that had a heavy population of African Mexicans.

– 1946: La Población Negra De México• Beltran’s work focused on the history of Africans in Mexico with much

emphasis on slavery. His book was the first of its kind, and has been the basis of many works on Mexico’s African heritage. After its publication the book became widely accepted, but it was soon forgotten.

– 1957: Cuijla • About ten years later, Beltran published his ethnographic study on Cuijla,

a small province located in Costa Chica (Oaxaca & Guerrero). • His work was supposed to educate the people of Mexico about the

survival of African heritage .• There was a large problem with both of Beltran’s books. His ethnographic

studies did not embrace the African Mexican culture; it further emphasized the differences between African Mexicans and the population outside of Veracruz and Costa Chica.

20th Century-Rediscovery of African Heritage

• Cinematography- Rumberas y Arrabal (after WWII): – Another part of American society that brought into light African

heritage in Mexico was cinematography. After World War II, the period of cinematography known as “Despues de la Guerra” was dominated by films known as Rumberas y Arrabal ( African Cuban Rhythm ).

• Unfortunately, these films further discriminated African Mexicans, since they only played minor and stereotypical roles. – Angelitos negros (1948)– Negra Consentida (1948),– La Negra Angustias(1949),– Negro es mi color (1951), – Pintame Angelitos Blacos (1954)

Angelitos Negros

< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcI_tkWKSWQ&feature=related>

La Tercera Raíz

• Recently, Mexico’s African heritage has once again been rediscovered, this time with a movement coined La Tercera Raíz. The goal of the third root is to acknowledge the fact that Mexican people have an African heritage which is important for national and cultural identity.

La Tercer Raiz,Positive or Negative impact on Mexico?

• Negative impact:– Historians, anthropologist, and ethnographers are only looking at

the physical differences between these races. They only focus on Mexican communities that contain visible characteristics of African culture, ignoring the fact that Mexicans with African descent can exist outside those communities. Consequently, they are creating the perception that Mexicans of African descent are rare and that their culture should belong in the museums.

– In addition, many of these researchers are going into these villages and telling the inhabitants that they are Afro-mexicans because of their appearance and because of the ethnic enclaves that exist in their village; although the inhabitants might not identify themselves as Afro-mexicans.

• Positive Impact: – Re-informing Mexican people that they have African heritage. – Historians, anthropologist and ethnographers, should use education, the

arts and the media to promote that not only are there Mexicans of African heritage in certain communities/villages, but that everyone in Mexico has a African blood.

– Also, historians, anthropologist and ethnographers have to move away from just focusing on physical appearances and focus more on African influence on all of Mexico.

– Historians have to go back and rewrite México’s history books and include the contributions of Africans to Mexico, this way Mexicans will have a positive view of their African heritage.

– However, the first step to take is for Mexicans to recognize that Mexicans of African descent due exist.

La Tercera Raiz

Costa Chica