Down Mexico Way : identity, community and deracination in post-1960s Mexico and Chicano cinema

Abstract

Much attention has been paid to the complex and frequently antagonistic relationship between Mexico and the United States. These neighbouring nations share the longest border in the world and have had close contact over many decades through commercial, political and cultural dealings. There remains a deep distrust of the ‘other’ in the minds of the inhabitants of each country, however, which has led to negative stereotyping and racism. Hollywood, the creator of North America’s national identity to a considerable extent, has not been exempt from the tendency to portray Mexicans in a profoundly unflattering light. Not surprisingly, Mexican cinematographers have sought to counteract such images of their people, both by celebrating their national culture, especially in the golden age era of filmmaking, and by creating their own negative stereotypes of Americans. The depiction of Mexican-Americans in Mexican cinema has proved even more problematic than the portrayal of North Americans, as it is difficult for Mexicans to relate to a people of Mexican origin who inhabit a space between cultures that is neither truly Mexican nor completely North American.