Notes on Chapter Five
EL PUEBLO QUE FUIMOS
"THE PEOPLE WE WERE"
Isaac Rogel

Some chinelos.  As you can see, they are so decked in finery that it's difficult to see that they're even human--which is perhaps the point.

A tortillería of not so long ago

 

Emiliano Zapata

Notes on Chapter 5 "El Molino del Pueblo"

(1)  Carnaval is the period just before Lent, and serves for one last fling before the fasting and deprivation of Lent.  Carnaval really gets going the weekend before Ash Wednesday, and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras in New Orleans).  Carnaval is a time for heavy drinking, dancing in the streets, and generally "partying".  Even those (probably a majority) who have no intention of suffering the privations of Lent enthusiastically take part in the revelry of carnaval.

(2)  Chinelos are people who dress in outlandish costumes for carnaval (and the other fiestas which every city, town, and village have) and dance through the streets spreading merriment.

(3)  Most cities and towns in Spanish speaking countries have an alcalde (mayor), whose office is the alcaldía.  In Mexico, however, that position is filled by someone called presidente municipal, and the office is the presidencia municipal.

(4)  "El norte" is often used in Mexico to mean the United States.

(5)  Every village (and every city neighborhood) until recently had its tortillería where housewives and servants would buy fresh tortillas every morning.  Nowadays, especially in the cities, tortillas are being sold pre-packaged in supermarkets.

(6)  A palenque in rural Mexico.  The handlers are just getting their cocks ready to fight.  Although illegal in almost every state, Mexican immigrants have brought cock-fighting with them.

(7)  Zapatista technically refers to a follower of Emiliano Zapata, one of the most famous leaders to arise in the Mexican Revolution (1910-20).  Although Zapata himself was considered one of the purest "revolutionaries" (i.e. more interested in social change than personal gain), his followers were responsible for some of the worst atrocities (see caricature by Guadalupe Posada, Mexico's greates caricaturist).

In the early 1990's another group sprung up in the southern (and almost 100% Indian) state of Oaxaca, calling themselves "Zapatistas".  As is common among "revolutionary" groups nowadays, it was a small group of middle and upper class adventurers leading a group of ignorant campesinos.  After some initial successes, the steam ran out of this movement, and they have reached an informal accord with the government to keep quiet, probably in return for subsidies.

(8)  Nixtamal.  Corn prepared by cooking with lime to make dough (masa) for tortillas.

(9)  Taco de sal.  A tortilla wrapped around a little bit of salt, taco style, to give it a bit more flavor.

(10)  Licenciado is the first university degree, roughly equivalent to a BA or a BS.  This is true all over Latin America, and is awarded in many fields of study.  In Mexico and some other countries, however, "licenciado" is almost always used to refer to a lawyer.

(11) The Mexican abrazo is not just a hug or embrace, but is carried out in a ritualized way.  It can mean anything from two politicians who hate each other posing for the press, to two long-lost brothers embracing with tears in their eyes.  If you can, get a Mexican or somebody who knows how to teach you how to give a proper Mexican abrazo.

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A group of chinelos in the midst of a typical carnaval crowd.

The old presidencia municipal (17th century) in Zacatecas, Mexico.  It is now a museum.

 

A famous caricature of a zapatista by José Guadalupe Posada.

Modern "zapatistas"