2021/12/06 by Cécile Brochard, Brochard, Cécile
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Ceremonias del alba #Comparative Literary Analysis and Criticism #Latin American Literature Studies #Literature, Magical Realism, García Márquez #Marina #Otherness #conquest #tragedy
paper · doi:10.23692/imex.6.3
openalex publication_date 2021/12/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
pp. 15-26. In Carlos Fuentes’ Ceremonias del alba, glocalization is to be understood as a language issue: on the one hand, there is the language of the conquistado, on the other hand, the language of the conquistador. From this cultural encounter rises not only a critical interrogation of identity and perceptions of Otherness, but emerges the question of incommunicability. Cortés and Moctezuma face each other in their quest for absolute power and between these two masculine figures, a feminine character appears: Marina. Considering the fundamental issue of identity and Otherness, my paper explores the meaning of Marina’s voice in Ceremonias del alba. Key questions are: 1) to what extent does Fuentes follow an established path in the interpretation of La Malinche? 2) how much does the play define contemporary Mexican identity and remain relevant outside Mexico or Latin America? This paper shows how Marina’s traditional symbolism is overtaken by her active role, and how Fuentes rehabilitates her by giving her depth as a tragic character: Through Marina, Ceremonias del alba reflects the specificity and the complexity of Mexican identity, while at the same time the tragic form enables the play to reach a global dimension.