MexicanPhotography

Cultural Rel inquishment

Aldo Reyna Gómez – A01169073

Images of the Mexican Culture

Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Campus Estado de México – Escuela Preparatoria

Professor Andrea Rodríguez I.

04/04/14

Mexican Egypticism

Tianguis is a representatively unique element of Mexican culture. In

these colourful places

we can go to eat traditional Mexican food and buy faux clothing

and films; what’s more,

we can even go for a simple walk with our family. But there is a

hidden discourse that

we are disremembering. When did we stop offering our basic

essentials? When did we start selling foreign-brand clothing?

According to Samuel Ramos in El Método, at the Mexican Colonial

Age, the natives worked for the conquerors, they were drastically

exploited. Consequently, this ended up affecting our Mexican

psychology through the years and Tianguis eventually commenced

offering an alternative to the more expensive clothes: faux

clothing.

It is widely known that before the Spanish conquest, we used to

have a magnificent and flourishing culture based in our

craftsmanship and art. In the photograph1, we can observe to women

carrying

plastic crates with handicrafts inside them. A disconcerted woman

is gazing at them in a derogatory manner; furthermore, she is

contributing to piracy whilst looking down to Mexican female

workers. She should be very ashamed of herself for her attitude.

These workers are the pillars of our culture so we must respect

them; their labour is as valuable as a CEO position.

1 This normal shot is to give a sense of naturalisation amidst Tianguis.

Throughout the years, Mexico has adopted tradition as the sole

solution to an intimidating figure. This process of Egypticism

functions for the artisans as a way to continue producing

remarkable pieces of Mexican art without being criticised for not

adapting to bourgeoisie.

Absolutely, this is a colossal error since the Pre-Hispanic

culture, besides being a fundamental element of our historicity,

should not be remembered as part of our History, as mere

tradition.

Tianguis are part of our quotidianity, part of contemporary Mexico.

High Angle Shot

Dadaistic Education

Samuel Ramos found out that Mexico has a certain admiration for

France in that it is capable

of emancipation from huge ideologies, as well as for its

intellectuality. Since Charles the Third, Mexico has had the

labour to promote a highly-qualified education. The question would

be:

Is this education satisfactory? Not quite. In fact, poor education

is now part of Mexican culture.

Unconsciously, we are educated since infancy to obtain power; we

are seeded with ambition.

It is said that education is the one salvation in our days, that

education will open all doors,

that with education we will be “good people”. At what expense?

Maybe the world is perfectly

the way it is (imperfect). Education is futile (at least the way

Mexico is educated).

We are constantly educated to admire other countries above ours

when it is supposed to be totally the contrary, to respect and

venerate our beautiful Mexico. This can be appreciated by the way

institutes take advantage from their alumni by using impractical

evaluation methods.

For instance, the National Evaluation of Academic Achievement in

School Centres, ENLACE, functions perfectly as a theatre for both

alumni and magisterium. Institutions just use the obtained scores

to legitimise their exemplarity and proficiency, when the real

work is done by the students. This reflects that there is a

tendency to manipulate results in order to embellish a name,

rather than appreciating the effort and endeavour done by both

professors and pupils. Thereafter,

this photograph2 attempts to symbolise the nothingness behind

ENLACE examinations.

Dadaism serves as a mean to accomplish the veriest pure by

destruction and subtraction.

In other words, choosing the letters “D, A, D, A” repeatedly is

undoubtedly a call for attention.

In a desperate silence, the necessity to find meaning becomes

absolute. Suddenly, education lacks concrete significance for

Mexicans. Hence, we must restructure our educative systems.

2 This high angle shot shows our superiority to Dadaistic evaluations.

Low Angle Shot

Pedantry

It is curious how people consistently brag their latest device,

clothing, etc., but they barely say

“I’m proud to be Mexican”. It is really uncommon to find people

showing off their indigenous qualities; moreover, this is

psychologically castigated by nowadays society. Dark skin Mexicans

are widely discriminated, whereas light skin Mexicans are

tremendously accepted. This cruel vision is totally inherited from

the Spanish idiosyncrasy and seems unchangeable.

Additionally, it is excruciating how certain people deny their

Mexican identity by stating they are Spanish or Europeans. Their

entire appearance is a whole theatre. They are clinging to this

faked and prefabricated identity, and in most of the cases, they

are aware of it. By lying to themselves, these ludicrous people

think that they are going to be accepted in society. However, the

only truth

is that they are completely alone for their roughly social

inadequacy.

Adapting the genuine concept of “theatre” to Ramos theory, it is

inferred that Mexican identity

is an entire play. In this photograph3, three indigenous people are

rounding a pure woman

for a very special sacrifice. Of course, it is a play; it is

theatre. The actors know their roles are

3 This low angle shot evokes the praising of our indigenous identity

pre-written, and the audience identifies that as well. It is a

fact that our historicity cannot be changed, –it is pre-written–,

but we can recognise the elements that are threatening its

authenticity. Mexican culture seen as a theatre, where our lack of

identity acts as the imaginative characteristic

of a play, where actors can practice how to be the other, is a

plausible ending to pedantry.

Zenithal Shot

Inferiority

In accordance to Samuel Ramos, self-denigration has being acquired

in Mexico since the gigantic leakage of what used to be our

territory. The imposition of European culture has created

dialectic

in our national emblems. Our feeling of inferiority is deeper than

it might be thought.

On one hand, after Mexican independence, patriotic symbols such as

the flag in the photograph4

have represented our enhanced nationalism. Simultaneously, we have

lost this sense of belongingness to our country and the ideals

have vanished thorough the years. However, the Zeitgeist of both

independence and revolutionary eras is still affecting our current

lives. So the mélange of Mexican ideals with European culture has

brutal influences in our psyche.

On the other hand, we are not enthusiasts towards the Mexican

flag. Since childhood, we are taught to render honours to the flag

every Monday. Nevertheless, the number of children that are

actually moved by Mexican symbolism and what it represents is

considerably low. Thereafter, Mexican flag is failing to represent

our culture. It is meant to symbolise the Promised Land, our new

life;

yet, this promise was to be broken since its formulation.

4 This zenithal shot represents how far are we from reaching our true ideals

Lastly, Mexico was condemned to a sense of inferiority since the

very beginning. Power ambition

is non-fructiferous and Mexico is based over supremacy spirit.

Thus, it is not of great surprise

that a society like ours teaches to worship its insignia, but

lacks a feel of representation.

Nadir Shot

Utopic Youth

Mexico’s literary foundation was an incongruous mixture of

European Romanticism

and Neoclassicism. Accordingly, we were formed over utopic ideals

as well as rigid standards. Natheless, Mexico continuously

“fights” for its civilisation and emancipation.

Two literary characters that represent our culture are Voltaire

and Victor Hugo. Stoicism in Mexico is undeniable, so it is a

gigantic mistake to think that Mexicans always are unwilling to

work.

When performing a determinate task, at first we localise that

endeavour above our pleasures. Eventually we opt for plain

observance, rather than taking into action that internal desire

that imperiously pushes us for combat, for collision towards

societal established rules. This photograph5 is the representation

of our Romanticism in death drive, of our still life.

Notwithstanding, there will always be that tiny spark, that green

nature in our spirits: hope. We are a culture of faith.

Mexican nature is extremely passive, but it is due to the process

of paternalism through which we have being subjected to.

Frequently Mexicans are waiting for a solution for their problems,

or an absolute response for their ultimate question: “Who am I?”

Parents’ authority, Europeans’ authority, makes Mexicans feel

stuck in lowliness, resulting in a lack of progress.

5 This nadir shot denotes how our utopic youth is over the ground

Mexican personality, in accordance to what Ramos states, is

characterised by impoliteness and lack

of values and self-confidence. Finally, our civilisation is built

by mimicking the development

of other cultures and potential nations. Mexican culture falls

into mimicry.

As a result, the actual absence of rigid standards ends up in

radicalism. In other words, Mexicans’ lack of reality affects our

interests and motivations. Somehow, our culture embraces both

inaction and procrastination. We have created an imaginary

fidelity to this “fight” for our civilisation.

Aberrant Shot

Baroque Interest, Mexican Passion

The purpose of this photograph6 is to demonstrate our brutal

necessity to fill each and every available space to be filled.

This interest was insidiously gestated since the early European

Baroque. So it is coherent to establish a relationship between

Baroque Church and today’s media.

Our occidental ideologies determine seamlessly our perspectives

towards blank spaces. In order to solve our internal vacuity, we

fill everything. Baroque church used the same principle, so as to

hide their inner flaws. By flamboyantly ornamenting this

significant religious place, parishioners began to forget the real

concept of attending to mass. Equally, the amount of public

actions held in Mexico serves as an example to demonstrate the

idea of passion in our country.

Being “passionate”, a word that many Mexicans use to define

themselves, is actually a synonym for saying “I have forgotten my

genuine conception, I am Baroque”. Naturally, this is customary in

our culture and is ought to be positivised, rather than

criticised. Thence, our fake passion is at the end,

a need to maintain our Baroque rationale; an interest, in terms of

Samuel Ramos. True passion

is feeling pride for our standards and ethics, feeling self-love.

Far from being passionate,

Mexican culture is self-interested and self-centred, for its

ontological basis.

6 This aberrant shot gives a sense of instability in our need for stuffing

Likewise, the orientation of our thinking is manipulated by media

–as parishioners’ thought was handled by Baroque church–. Instead

of using our reason as a tool to remember our historicity

and experiences to seek for a better future, we let us be

conquered by Television media. Our actions are no more motivated

by the inspiration of our spirit, but by plain media. Our

psychological evolution is tremendously affected by mass media,

and our culture has assimilated this to the letter.

Media culture reigns Mexico, and as long as it prevails, we will

not quit stuffing blank spaces.

Consulted Works

Ramos, Samuel. El Perfil del Hombre y la Cultura en México.

México, D.F.:

Colección Austral, 2001.