Changing View of the Indian in Mexican Literature

Abstract

The contrast between these two novels is interesting and illuminating because superficially they have much in common: the Chiapas locale; a view of the exploitation suffered by the Tzotzil Indians; the twentieth century setting in time; an implicit criticism of the Mexican Revolution; and finally, violent rebellion of the Indians. Both authors have received considerable international attention, with at least one work by each published in German, French, and English. While Traven, the older of the two, is not a Mexican national (his real identity and nationality are a continuing subject of conjecture), his novel is Mexican in the sense of the author's clearly first-hand experiences in the country, the authentic setting and plot, his influence and interrelationship with Mexican literature, and the wide circulation he has enjoyed in Mexico. The novel under discussion has undergone five Mexican editions, and was presented theatrically in Mexico City.

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