Figure 1 – Night of the Rich by Diego Rivera

In José Vasconcelos’, “The Race Problem in Latin America”, he asserts that mestizo culture, the combination of European and native Mexican influences referred to as mestizaje, was the way forward for Mexico’s cultural identity during the revolutionary period. The Mexican Revolution was premised on this notion, exhibiting a shift in cultural away from that of European elitism and toward a celebration and appreciation of the Mexican populous’ racial mixture of European and indigenous backgrounds that resulted in mestizaje.

In Mariano Azuela’s, The Underdogs, mestizo culture is referenced and contrasted with the curro culture of the elite sectors of Mexican society. Diego Rivera’s fresco, Night of the Rich (Rochfort 64), further depicts this divide, showing the European elitists as gluttonous, juxtaposed against images of quintessential Mexican revolutionary figures. Despite outlining this motivation, these works both allude to a concern in the extent of the revolutionaries’ violence and whether this behaviour transgressed the righteousness of their cause. In The Underdogs, this question is raised through Luis Cerventes conversation with Señor Solís. More tacitly, this suspicion is found in Rivera’s depiction of the revolutionaries pointing rifles at the unsuspecting curros in the foreground of the mural. Azuela and Rivera express their opinion that the revolution’s driving force was the disparity between the lower class indigenous and mestizo people and the bourgeoisie. The result of this class driven revolution was the creation of mestizaje becoming a prominent aspect of Mexican national identity.

Where the evidence of mestizo culture and class divide lies in The Underdogs is in the depiction of the behaviour of the soldiers. Tequila, the preferred drink of the common man, is used within the novel as a symbol of mestizaje, and is juxtaposed against the champagne and wine of the rich elitists who the revolutionaries raid. This is seen most overtly in the opening scene in the novel, when disheartened men whose homes have been burned by los Federales meet Demetrio Macìas. Azuela writes, “he brought a bottle out from his shirt, took a drink, wiped it with the back of his hand, and passed it to the man next to him. The bottle went around from mouth to mouth and was quickly emptied. The men licked their lips” (Azuela 10). This scene exemplifies unification coming through this bottle of tequila. Shortly after, the previously disheartened men were “howling with joy” (Azuela 10), indicating their ability to rouse themselves for battle through a symbol of their nationalism. Azuela also establishes imagery of the true form of mestizaje through his description of Demetrio’s clothing. Azuela describes Demetrio as “a bright, beardless red face”, wearing “a coarse cotton shirt and trousers, a wide-brimmed straw sombrero, and leather sandals” (Azuela 6), immediately alerting the reader that this protagonist and story will perpetuate traditional Mexican values, as opposed to the European ideals governing upper class Mexico.

In order to introduce the notion that perhaps the revolutionaries began to extend themselves past their cause and commit senseless violence, Azuela inserts a conversation between Señor Sofís and Luis Cerventes, where Sofís explains his disillusion with the revolution. Sofís claims that “there are events and men out here who are nothing but pure bile” (Azuela 59), and that “the revolution is a hurricane, and when a man surrenders himself to her, he ceases to become a man” (Azuela 60), outlining his belief that the circumstance of the revolution has led these men to forego their morals and behave monstrously. Despite this view, Sofís does assert that despite sinister, this path is predictable, as the mestizo revolutionaries represent the “frightful grimace…of a race still waiting for its redemption” (Azuela 60).

In Diego Rivera’s Night of the Rich, these same sentiments about the revolution are expressed. In the foreground, elitists are seen basking in European influence. The characters are seen to be drinking champagne and wearing clothing with European stylization. Rivera clearly outlines the divide between the Mexican population by depicting revolutionaries from the lower class, presumably of indigenous and mestizo ancestry, directly behind the curro figures. These revolutionaries are dressed wearing traditional Mexican clothing, symbolic of their standing as true Latin American culture. Rivera enhances this comparison by juxtaposing the solemn, focused facial expressions of the revolutionaries against that of the curros, which are shown to be smug and jovial. This indicates Rivera’s view that the revolutionaries fought with a determination to change Mexico, whereas the curros had less of a stake in the conflict and less of a cause to fight for. Although a more reserved depiction than Azuela’s The Underdogs, Rivera comments on the violence of the revolutionaries in the piece. A revolutionary is seen holding a rifle towards the curros and another points to them as he speaks with his cohorts. By placing the weapons solely in the hands of the revolutionaries, Rivera sets the precedent that the perpetrators of most excessive violence were these indigenous and mestizo soldiers.

When examining Mariano Azuela’s The Underdogs, and Diego Rivera’s Night of the Rich, it is evident that both works outline the difference between lower class Mexicans of indigenous and mestizo heritage with that of the European influenced curros. Azuela and Rivera assert that this divide was a catalyst for the revolution.

Works Cited

Azuela, Mariano. The Underdogs, a Novel of the Mexican Revolution. New York: New American Library, 1963. Print.

Rochfort, Desmond. Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros. New York: Universe, 1994. Print.