Debra Blake Quote

Debra J Blake presents the struggles Chicana, US Mexican women face in her examination of various artworks and interviews. The book presents the narratives of working and middle class women in attempt to show how traditional Mexican figures, such as La Virgen de Guadalupe, have shaped their lives. The use of artwork, historical figures and interviews makes the narratives in this book very applicable to modern life and demonstrates how women have been subjugated by various methods.

In the first section of the book Blake presents historical figures and terms as precedent for the rest of the book. Blake defines cultural refuguring and countermemory to show how these concepts are being adopted by women to challenge traditional gender roles and representations of Mexica women figures. Mexica figures representation such as the Malinche, the Llorona, and La Virgen de Guadalupe varies across time and geographic location and is evolving to meet the needs of current believers. These figures were initially represented in various forms to facilitate the Conquistadors agenda, “ the woman of discord were necessary not only to historically justify the Mexica conquests and internecine conflicts… new order” ( Blake 17). For example La Malinche was initially well respected by both the indigenous people and Spanish, but later on was assigned the role of a traitor when the Virgen de Guadalupe became popular. Artwork depicting La Malinche as a strong woman that was not subjugated to Cortes, challenges her representation and acknowledges that she was given to him by indigenous people.