in Intercultural Representations of Mexicanidad

Representations of Mexicanidad are prolific in Europe and the Americas and, for the most part, they are “flat ” lacking in depth, complexity or difference. Despite the promises of a globalized and connected world that would facilitate revealing the authentic, the globally representative and common visual culture that defines Mexicanidad is fixed. The increasingly competitive tourism, commercial, and entertainment industries play a primary role in concretizing a homogenous and colonial representation of the Mexican imaginary. Mexico continues to be colonized for mass cultural consumption. This paper explores a range of contemporary visual culture representations that articulate and define Mexicanidad in a narrow framework of identity construction and strategies of resistance as a response to this “flatness ” in visual culture. Mexico is a traveler’s paradise, with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialized cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna. This mix of modern and traditional is the key to Mexico’s charm. (www.mexico.com)