The history of the theatre in Mexico dates from the pre-Columbian period. Chronicles and memoirs of the 16th and 17th centuries indicate the existence of dramatic activities among the indigenous peoples prior to the arrival of the Spaniard. In the more advanced Aztec and Mayan civilizations, masks, dramatic enclosures with centrally placed stages, a chorus, and rudimentary stage settings were utilized. The Spanish, however, viewed these dramatic presentations as the fruits of a pagan culture which had to be discouraged. As a result, performances were for the most part forbidden, and manuscripts destroyed.
The priests, who accompanied the conquistadores, developed a religious theatre utilizing the dramatic ingenuity of the Indians as the base upon which their religious teachings were expounded. These early 16th century dramas were an interesting hybrid of the Old and New Worlds, resulting in unique stagings of biblical stories in which Adam and Eve, for example, were surrounded by ocelots, gold and plumed props, and native costumes. It will be interesting to consider these early Mexican works when we later focus on the contemporary play,
El Jard’n
which has as its setting the garden described in Genesis.
The second half of the 16th century saw the emergence of the “teatro criollo,” pieces written by people of all Spanish blood, born in the New World. These playwrights provided the earliest foundations for a genuine Latin American dramatic style since they chose not to imitate either the early religious plays or those of the emerging European Renaissance but strove for their own uniqueness. Fernán González de Eslava, who was born in Seville but spent the major part of his life in Mexico, is acknowledged by most authorities to be the foremost playwright of Latin America in the 16th century.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the stabilization of the colonial regime and a subsequent general prosperity. The new aristocrats imported plays of the Spanish Golden Age and repertory companies performed these pieces in Mexican theatres. Thus attempts to create a native dramatic style were overshadowed and the Mexicans, including Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, composed their works according to the formulas of the Spanish drama in vogue at the time.
The 19th century saw the first struggles for independence in Latin America, but the emergence of the new nations did not bring a complete break from traditional ways and in Mexican drama, romanticism was the order of the day, mirroring the European trends of the period. Mexican counterparts did exist, but the only plays which have survived are those of Fernando Calderón, again, based on pre-existing European formulas.
The first decades of the present century have provided two events which served as catalysts for the revival of the Mexican Theatre, giving it the foremost place among the centers of dramatic activity in Latin America—the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and World War I. Credit for the realization of change is due to the experimental theatre groups that were independent of the professional stage and Elena Garro, who is represented in this paper, is a product of this relatively new medium for the Mexican writer.
Born in Puebla in 1920, she has limited herself almost exclusively to the one-act play. Her theatre is a poetic one with echoes of folk tales and children’s games. She presents in a deceptively simple manner the universal problems facing all people-loneliness, love, death and time.