Heroes of the Borderlands
Heroes of the Borderlands
The Western in Mexican Film, Comics, and Music
Few genres were as popular and as enduring in twentieth-century Mexico as the Western. Christopher Conway's lavishly illustrated Heroes of the Borderlands tells the surprising story of the Mexican Western for the first time, exploring how Mexican authors and artists reimagined US film and comic book Westerns to address Mexican politics and culture. Broad in scope, accessible in style, and multidisciplinary in approach, this study examines a variety of Western films and comics, defines their political messaging, and shows how popular Mexican music reinforced their themes. Conway shows how the Mexican Western responds to historical and cultural topics like the trauma of the Conquest, mestizaje, misogyny, the Cult of Santa Muerte, and anti-Americanism. Full of memorable movie stills, posters, lobby cards, comic book covers, and period advertising, Heroes of the Borderlands redefines our understanding of Mexican popular culture by uncovering a vibrant genre that has been hiding in plain sight.
Heroes of the Borderlands will make lively and informative reading for students and scholars of Mexican popular culture as well as fans of US Westerns and their global reimaginings.'--Rielle Navitski, Bulletin of Latin American Research
Heroes of the Borderlands builds an effective framework for identity and opposition in the Mexican Western and makes a strong case for its value to academic study. . . . [Conway's] exploration of 'key landmarks in the cultural history of the Mexican Western through film, comics, and song' will have a lasting impact on future research.'--Jeff Basile, Journal of Popular Culture
Gleefully illustrated with posters, stills, and advertisements for Mexican Western films and comics, Heroes of the Borderlands is a beautifully produced book filled with insight on a variety of topics from Borderlands studies to Mexican comedy.'--Jason Strykowski, New Mexico Historical Review
Including wonderful illustrations, this exhaustive and accessible book will be valuable for those interested not only in Spanish film but in film and Mexican culture generally. Highly recommended.'--I. Portaro, Choice
Christopher Conway is a professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the author and editor of several books, including Nineteenth-Century Spanish America: A Cultural History.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Western in the Borderlands
Chapter One: The Roots of the Mexican Western
Chapter Two: The Rise and Fall of the Matinee Idol
Chapter Three: The Myth of the Tragic Gunfighter in Film and Music
Chapter Four: Spaghetti con Chili
Chapter Five: Comic Book Indians, Race, and Nationalism
Chapter Six: El Solitario and the Cult of Santa Muerte
Conclusion: Go West, Cantinflas
Notes
Bibliography
Index
