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A Mexican Drama of Late-Colonial Politics

A Mexican Drama of Late-Colonial Politics NaNcy Vogeley University of San Francisco A theater piece performed in Mexico City in 1796 as part of a public display of colonial loyalty can be read at one level as just that but also at another level as revelatory of thoughtful questioning of Spanish rule in the distant Americas, as expressive of new feelings of detachment; in 1810, Mexico would begin its independence war. The performance, which the viceregal government authorized and which therefore must be assumed to have conformed to official expectations, can be understood, when the play's text is read, as also reflective of that Mexican generation's awareness of opening rifts in the empire and thus ambivalence toward its colonial status. The protestation of loyalty to the Spanish king, which the play's scenario apparently teaches, is at the same time a staged disruption of the established order. The story line, when examined closely, reveals Mexican knowledge of metropolitan weakness at that historical moment and points to a breakdown in the trust that was supposed to join protector and protected. The play, La lealtad americana [American Loyalty], was performed in Mexico City's Coliseo theater on December 9, 1796, in celebration of the birthday of the Spanish http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Early American Literature University of North Carolina Press

A Mexican Drama of Late-Colonial Politics

Vogeley, Nancy J.
Early American Literature , Volume 48 (3) – Nov 8, 2013
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University of North Carolina Press
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Copyright © The University of North Carolina Press.
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1534-147X
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Abstract

NaNcy Vogeley University of San Francisco A theater piece performed in Mexico City in 1796 as part of a public display of colonial loyalty can be read at one level as just that but also at another level as revelatory of thoughtful questioning of Spanish rule in the distant Americas, as expressive of new feelings of detachment; in 1810, Mexico would begin its independence war. The performance, which the viceregal government authorized and which therefore must be assumed to have conformed to official expectations, can be understood, when the play's text is read, as also reflective of that Mexican generation's awareness of opening rifts in the empire and thus ambivalence toward its colonial status. The protestation of loyalty to the Spanish king, which the play's scenario apparently teaches, is at the same time a staged disruption of the established order. The story line, when examined closely, reveals Mexican knowledge of metropolitan weakness at that historical moment and points to a breakdown in the trust that was supposed to join protector and protected. The play, La lealtad americana [American Loyalty], was performed in Mexico City's Coliseo theater on December 9, 1796, in celebration of the birthday of the Spanish

Journal

Early American Literature – University of North Carolina Press

Published: Nov 8, 2013

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