Building Mexico as a Creole nation: anti-exploitative colonialism and mestizaje in the historical novel "Xicotencatl"

• Jongsoo Lee ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Texas
• Localización: CiberLetras: revista de crítica literaria y de cultura, ISSN-e 1523-1720, Nº. 43, 2020 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Imaginarios económicos en la literatura y el cine de España y Latinoamérica), págs. 109-123
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article studies the historical novel Xicotencatl as a representative example of the Creole nationalist discourse of Mexican independence. By narrating the efforts of the sixteenth century Tlaxcalan general, Xicotencatl the Younger, who defends his nation and his betrothed from the Spanish invasion, Xicotencatl allegorically addresses political issues of the Creoles in the nineteenth century. The narrative seems to take an anti-colonial stance that denounces the barbarity and cruelty of the Spanish invaders. Yet, by praising virtuous conquistadors, Xicotencatl actually defends another type of colonialism, an anti-exploitative colonialism that criticizes arbitrary and abusive Spanish colonial practices, but it never denies or rejects the colonial system itself. This contradictory position of the novel allegorically represents the attitude of the Creoles who only sought political autonomy under Spanish colonial rule while leaving the colonial order intact. In addition, by presenting a virtuous mes,zaje that inherits only the good aspects of indigenous and European race and arguing that the Creoles should lead and educate this mestizo race, the novel promotes the Creoles as the post-independence ruling class. Xicotencatl’s anti-exploitative colonialism and its mestizaje reflects how the Creoles tried to establish a nation that would protect their social privileges in the process of independence and nation building in Mexico