Analysis: The Labyrinth of Solitude

In his story, The Labyrinth of Solitude, Octavio Paz details the existential crisis that appears to have gone on in Mexico for generations.  Mexico is a seemingly a country whose history was taken by conquest; however, it is also a country steeped in cultural tradition, mysticism, and religion.  “Our hermeticism is baffling or even offensive to strangers, and it has created the legend of the Mexican as an inscrutable being.” (65). The chapter, The Sons of La Malinche, delves deeper into events that caused this disconnect.

During the time of the Spanish Conquest (1519-1521), when Mexico was taken as a colony of Spain, and the Spanish-Aztec war raged, the Aztec empire fell.  A few hundred Spaniards wiped out millions of Aztec due to “non-native diseases such as microbes, smallpox, influenza, mumps and measles” (“How Much”).  The Spanish essentially destroyed the indigenous Mexican culture, captured natives as slaves and pillaged natural resources such a silver and gold.  They also forced Christianity on the native Aztecs, wiping away their autonomy, culture, and history. “Historical circumstances explain our character to the extent that our character explains those circumstances” (Paz 72).  

Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez also betrayed Mexico when he took La Malinche, an enslaved Aztec girl, as his mistress. (Mohammed).  It is clear, thorough his descriptions of her, Paz does not find much to like about this girl.  He calls her Chingada because she is passive, letting herself be taken and violated (Paz 86).  Where Guadalupe is the Virgin Mother, Chingada (La Malinche) is the violated mother (Paz 85).  He implies that the Mexican people have not forgiven her – that she is the open wound – the chingado – of Mexico (Paz 86).

Paz details many ways that many countries use the verb chingar.  The origins of the verb are most likely Aztec – chingaste – residue or sediment (75).  Paz suggests this word is “magical” taking on different meaning’s dependent on tone or inflection used for its delivery (76).  All seem derogatory, if not completely offensive, vulgar, and insulting.  Ultimately, in terms of the story of La Malinche, chingar is used to discuss the rape of native girls and women by conquerors who came to Mexico with Cortez – the most famous being La Malinche. Mexicans came to be known as los hijos de la chingada (the sons of the raped Indians) (“Chingar”). 

Another period of history when Mexico lost greatly at the hands of another country, was 1848 when the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty was signed. The treaty brought an end to the Mexican American War.  In this treaty, Mexico ceded almost half its land to the United States, which allowed the US to double their territory (“Lasting Effects”).  The treaty provided an opportunity for Mexican citizens living within the treaty boundaries to become American citizens – either by claim or silence.  This allowed those who chose to stay to become naturalized United States citizens and enjoy all the freedom and rewards as such. Along with the release of war prisoners and various civil agreements, the treaty also nullified previous land grants to Mexicans prior to the treaty.

Beginning with the Spanish colonization in 1521, Mexico has been a country at odds with itself.  The loss of autonomy, the introduction of new religion and language, the loss of the indigenous culture of the Aztec after colonization, dealt hard blows to Mexican culture and history.  Later, the Mexican-American War left Mexico broken in other ways.  The loss of over half its land and as many as 115,000 Mexicans becoming United States citizens because the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo created a both a smaller Mexico and an entire population of Mexican ex-patriots who were not fully American (Montoya).  Because of these tremendous loses, Hispanics today often find themselves on a quest to find their history, their culture and their identity.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

“Chingar: The Most Important Mexican Spanish Slang Word.” Speaking Latino. https://www.speakinglatino.com/verbo-chingar-the-most-important-word-in-mexico/

“How Much do you Know About the Spanish Colonization in Mexico?” Spanish Colonization in Mexico. http://spanishcolonizatioinmexico.weebly.com/colonization.html

“Lasting Effects of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.”  The National Park Service.https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/lasting-effects-of-the-treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo.htm  

Mohammed, Farah. “Who was La Malinche?” JSTOR Daily.  https://daily.jstor.org/who-was-la-malinche/

Montoya, Margaret. “American Latino Study Theme: Law” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/latinothemestudylaw.htm   

Paz, Octavio. “The Sons of La Malinche.” The Labyrinth of Solitude: Life and Thought in Mexico. Translated by Lysander Kemp, Grove Press, 1961, pp. 65-88.

“The Treaty of Gudalupe-Hildago.” The National Park Service.https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/Treaty-of-Guadalupe-Hidalgo-Transcript.pdf