Abstract
Over seventy years after Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán’s pioneering work, Afro-Mexican communities remain marginalized and largely absent from Mexico’s dominant historical and cultural narratives. This paper critically addresses this persistent erasure by highlighting the voices, cultural expressions, and sociopolitical struggles of Afrodescendants from the Costa Chica region of Guerrero and Oaxaca. Drawing on more than three decades of ethnographic fieldwork, archival research, and direct collaboration with grassroots communities, we trace the historical trajectory of Afrodescendant presence in Mexico—from forced labor during the colonial period and participation in revolutionary movements to the contemporary assertion of transnational Black identity. We analyze cultural expressions such as the corrido, son de artesa, and the dance of Los Diablos as powerful vehicles of memory, resistance, and cultural affirmation. The study also explores the interethnic dynamics between Afro-Mexican, Indigenous, and mestizo populations, and investigates how migration—particularly to the United States—reshapes Afro-Mexican identity and challenges traditional notions of nationhood and belonging. By blending rigorous academic inquiry with community-based knowledge, this panel calls for renewed scholarly engagement with the histories and lived realities of Afrodescendants in Mexico. We advocate for their rightful inclusion in the broader humanistic and cultural narratives that define the Mexican nation.
Presenters
Julieta Altamirano-CrosbyCo-Founder and Executive Director, Equity and Diversity, WAGRO Foundation, Washington, United States Ambar Varela
Investigadora Postdoctoral, Antropología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Unidad Iztapalapa, Mexico Magdaleno Manzanárez
Vice President and Professor, External Affairs, Western New Mexico University, New Mexico, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
AFRODESCENDANTS, AFRO-MEXICAN IDENTITY, COSTA CHICA, CULTURAL RESISTANCE, MIGRATION, COLLECTIVE MEMORY, STRUCTURAL INVISIBILITY, TRANSNATIONAL IDENTITY
