India Maria

[mario]

Quite true!

In the old radio "comedias", movies of the "golden era" of Mexican cinema, and
in past TV and radio commercials, the "indito" dialect was used by the mass
media to differentiate the strong class differences between the Euro-centric
dominant culture and the "indios, patas rajadas"...indians shredded feet... an
allusion to the indigenous people going barefoot... and thus barbarians)

Sometimes, as in the stories of la india maria, the indito dialect of Spanish
was used to exaggerate the "innocence" of the protagonists against the ultra
sophistication of their rich, powerful and evil antagonists.

But usually the indito protagonists succeeds and becomes part of the larger
dominant Mestizo culture in a tragic form of "happy ending"........

And we wonder why so many beautiful Raza finds it necessary to bleach their dark
hair, and demean our people who are "pobrecitos estan TAN prietos!!!"


mario e. aguilar
www.mexicayotl.org

Adriana Zavala wrote:

> Just my two cents:
> FYI
> the attribution of this mode of speech to "Inditos" goes much farther back
> that India Maria. In the "revistas" of the 1920s (vaudeville style comedic
> reviews) actors portraying Indians frequently spoke in this manner. And this
> in the context of the so-called postrevolutionary exaltation of Mexico's
> indigenous heritage.
>
> Adriana Zavala
> Ph.D Candidate
> History of Art
> Brown University
> adriana5 at earthlink.net