Casta Series
During the17th and early 18th century, the Spanish coined the term “Casta” to refer to the categorization of mixed ethno-racial heritage occurring during colonization. This complex caste system was created when whites (Spanish/españoles) began marrying and having children with non-whites (Indigenous and African ancestries) in the “New World.” The purpose of the casta paintings was to define lineage pertaining to “purity of blood” and establish different categories of race intended for determining racial hierarchy.
My Casta series installations question societal constructs of racial categorization that continues to some degree today. The United States government struggles with identifying and quantifying those of Latin American descent. The Census tries to capture the information by classifying race and ethnicity as separate categories but is challenged on how to document those who are mixed. Terminology on how to define those of Latin American ancestry in the U.S. also varies greatly and can change depending on the region or the individual.
As a person of mixed race who considers myself Mexican-American, Chicana or Latinx, my interest is to explore the past concepts of Casta and the contemporary typological concepts of racial identity. My project is NOT meant to define how people should be classified, but instead to explore how people of Latin American diaspora express their own identity. My hope is that the work will inspire conversations about these historical references and what unifies Latinos today. The visual imagery is appropriated from Latin American legends, commercial packaging, the media, politics, comics, maps, currency, graffiti, and games. Her visual vocabulary is created by layering together clever bilingual plays on meaning. My art in this series is often humorous and yet simultaneously confronts the dark legacy and pervasive effects of colonialism and racism in the Americas.
La Malinche Conquistada
Screenprint
25.5"w × 26"h
The title of La Malinche Conquistada is an albur, a Mexican play on words (a double meaning). "Conquistada" means 1: the act or process of conquering; 2a : something conquered especially : territory appropriated in war. b: a person whose been won over romantically. La Malinche, a Nahua native woman, was a slave, translator and mistress with Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador credited with overtaking the Aztec empire. She gave birth to one of the first Mestizos (people of mixed European and Indigenous. In contemporary Mexico she is often considered a traitor even though the population is primarily of Mestizo descent and she was a victim of exploitation. The image of the couple is inspired by Mexican painter Jesus de la Helguera, known for his portraits romanticizing Mexican history and portraying indigenous people with European features. The images were often found reproduced on popular paraphernalia such as calendars. Surrounding the central image are four scenes from vintage comics and historietas referencing sexual violence and family trauma. These juxtaposed images reference many related issues that continue to exist today such as violence against women, human trafficking, intergenerational cycles of violence, and internalized racial oppression (self-loathing of ones own identity).
La Malinche Conquistada, Screenprint
Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche exhibit, examines the historical and cultural legacy of La Malinche. Both reviled as a traitor and hailed as the mother of Mexico, Malinche is an enigmatic figure whose legacy has been the subject of controversy and adulation from the 1500s through the present day. Denver Art Museum, Colorado, February-.May 2022 and then traveled to Albuquerque Museum, New Mexico, June 2022 - September 2022 and then San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas, October 2022- January 2023
Rarotonga
Mixed media
20” w X 25.25” h'
Rarotonga, is a character in one of Mexico’s most popular Mexican historieta or comic books, entitled Lágrimas, Risas y Amor (Tears, Laughter and Love). She fulfills the stereotype of an exotic woman: a brown-skinned sensual, hypersexualized woman with mysterious eyes, and afro hair. The narrative is she is repeatedly objectified, displayed scantily dressed in a jungle on an island. In this print, Rarotonga’s pose is unflinching challenging the viewer and is paired with genetic charts that delineate the genes necessary to result in her brilliant green eye color. The charts express identity through our physical characteristics referencing genotypes and phenotypes of our inherited genetic identity. The graphics highlight the intersectionality of the biological and the socially constructed correlations between race, ethnicity, and physical appearance.
La Sirena Engañada
Screenprint
20"w X 25"h
The sirena resembles the mermaid from Loteria, a traditional Mexican game of chance similar to Bingo. The game originated in Italy in the 15th century and was brought to New Spain (Modern Mexico) in 1769. Initially the game was for upper class society. Currently the images of card game are iconic as well as a part of popular culture. La Sirena, (the Siren/Mermaid) is a warning to not be swayed- Con los cantos de sirena, no te vayas a marear. In this interpretation, she is embraced by a pirate disguised as a Spanish dancer questioning who is being swayed and deceived. Behind them are maps of conquered and colonized lands.
En Busca de Pancho Villa
Screenprint with sharpie mustache drawing
30”w X 22"h
A screenprint of distinct mustaches, is a commentary on whether physical traits can be assigned to a race. The mustaches (left to right on top) Germán Genaro Cipriano Gómez Valdés de Castillo, better known as Tin-Tan (actor, singer and comedian); Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera (Mexican writer/poet and political figure); Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno-Reyes known professionally as Cantinflas (Mexican comic film actor); (Bottom row, left to right): Pedro Armendáriz (Mexican film actor of the 1940s-1950s); Emiliano Zapata Salazar (leader in the Mexican Revolution and inspiration for Zapatismo) and the actor Orlando Bloom with sharpie mustache. Raises the question: Can Orlando Bloom become Mexican when adorned with a Pancho Villa mustache?
Doña Pepa
Screenprint
26"w X 23"h
Josefa Marmanillo, a dark-skinned slave of the 18th century and culinary arts specialist, began suffering from paralysis in her arms. Hearing of Christ Pachacamilla miracles, she decided to travel to her native Lima Cañete, Peru. She recovered, and in appreciation, prepared a colorful sweet cake to offer in exchange for the Miracle. The traditional cake is now known as Turrónes de Doña Pepa and is popular for holidays.