The Duality of Mexico

The combining of two worlds seems like an impossible task only achievable by Gods and, in the case of the establishment of Mexico, the combining of worlds was done by Gods. Despite being seen as Gods by their followers, the Aztecs were mere men, and Hernan Cortes brought the entire Aztec civilization to this harsh reality that their Gods were mere mortals. “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” by Dagoberto Gilb is a letter from Mexico written in the perspective of a road trip in which Gilb explores his Hispanic roots from his mother’s side as well as the Mestizo side of Mexico. Gilb is attentive to how the small and subtle aspects of past history within Mexico have influenced modern contemporary Mexico. Gilb juxtaposes historical figures and contradictory parts of Mexico to argue that the stereotype of commonality in Mestizo Mexico is false and that Mexico has separate worlds.
Mexico is a place that was created through separate worlds coming together whether it be for better or for worse. The history that created Mexico has had a lasting influence on its contemporary society. In the letter Gilb states, “but for us there's another suppressed, subconscious drama of duality-- Cortes and Malinche, a man and a woman, the Spaniard and the Indian, miscegenous father and mother” (58) to show the history and duality that created Modern day Mexico. Hernan Cortes was a conquistador from Spain who conquered Indegenous Mexico through the help of La Malinche, an Indian who married Cortes and served as his translator. Their marriage combined the two worlds with the literal creation and the birth of their son Martin, who is the embodiment of the Mestizos as well as the first of his kind. Gilb uses the two historical figures to emphasize the eternal and external differences that make up Mexico. The rich wealthy Spaniards and Spaniard descendants and the poor “uncivilized” Indians and descendants of said Indians make up the entirety of Mexico's inhabitants in the form of Mestizos encompassing both worlds.
Throughout Gilb’s roots road trip he encountered a market that was full of different aspects of Mexico all in one place. As he strode through the marketplace he met a lady who was selling different types of food, and she asked about his companion; “and you are with esa guapa grinda, verdad...Por que siempre tienen ojos azules?” (60). By adding the conversation about his Caucasion appearing companion Gilb is demonstrating the racial divide that resides in the dual life styles of Mexico. As stated earlier by Gilb, Mexico was created by “the Spaniard and the Indian” (58) and thus created the Mestizoness and racism within Mexico. Because of the Spaniard’s idea of superiority, lighter skinned people tend to be racist towards their darker skinned brothers. This conversation embodies the common stereotype that all Mexicans are brown and that lighter skinned ones are “rare”; however, Gilb proves this stereotype to be a myth as he describes his companion as well as the nature of Mestizoness that encompasses all of Mexico. Gilb uses the market place as well as the conversation with the lady to emphasize the duality of Mexico as well as his main argument: the stereotype of commonality in Mestizo Mexico is false and that Mexico has separate worlds.
While the past of Mexico includes a Spaniard and an Indian, the future repeats itself with Gilb and his partner “la guapa gringa” (60). Gilb connects himself to Mexico’s past history with Cortes and la Malinche and relates it to his current life and situation with his companion while having the roles changed: “the woman beside me, a conquistadora” (58). Gilb calls his companion the very same name Cortes was called--conquistador--showing that she is of high Spaniard descent: her skin is white, and her eyes are blue--a complete juxtaposition of Mexico’s common look of brown eyes and brown skin. She is the embodiment of the Spanish world to the letter while being treated as if she was a mere facade by the common Mestizo. Gilb brags that “her Spanish is so perfect” even though she has the appearance that will say otherwise, meaning that in Mexico she is stereotyped as a white girl who knows nothing of Spanish when in reality she is proficient with the language. Her knowledge of Spanish does not mean she knows everything of Mexico--like the early Spaniards. She lusts for the clothing and luxury of what Mexico has to offer and despises the common Indian lifestyle that the Indegenous people have left behind.
Gilb continues to exemplify the different aspects of life in Mexico as he continued to describe his road trip through the roots of his family and Mexico. As Gilb and his companion made their way to a house viewing, he observed the differences in life between the worlds of Mexico as his low wage earning taxi driver remarked that the governor lives in a certain area, which means that the area surrounding it is not meant for the poor (62). Once Gilb reached the house he saw houses on both sides of the house, on the left “an unfinished, not abandoned at all edifice” (62) and “to the right, something finished, the oldest in the neighborhood, a three-story, each lower tier larger than the above one, each level painted another hideous color, and a massive, teetering television antenna at its apex”(62) Gilb uses the qualities of each house to demonstrate the dualities of Mexico. By doing so, Gilb is showing the audience first hand experience of the wealthy classes in Mexico and how the rich and powerful live in comfort while the poor working class live in unfinished houses.
Towards the end of Gilb’s road trip journey with the pursuit of his mother’s roots and Mexico’s history, he found himself walking along with a lady who “is dressed like a nun, or a retired schoolteacher, or a nurse, or a grandmother” (64) and proceeds to follow her as they go to the Basilica--a church that holds the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Gilb uses the Basilica and Our Lady of Guadalupe to fully encompass the dualities of Mexico as his road trip to discover the roots of his mother’s past as well as Mexico's past has led him here, a place of worship that was brought by the Spaniards and has been adopted by the Mestizos of Mexico. Our Lady of Guadalupe had combined the two worlds as much as Cortez and la Malinche had while creating a divide in Mexico by those who embrace the religion and by those who refuse it as seen with the “Indian inhabitants--in Tamulte de las Sabanas and Buena Vista--are against the government and the government is against them” (63). While most people of Mexico believe in Our Lady of Guadalupe and rely on the government, there are places where those two are despised and not welcomed further, proving Gilb’s argument: the stereotype of commonality in Mestizo Mexico is false and that Mexico has separate worlds
As a reader who has experience with dual cultures and lifestyles, I find Gilb’s letter relatable as well as informative to not only myself but to others who are struggling with their own identities. Gilb uses various historical pieces of Mexico such as Cortez and La Malinche to demonstrate his own duality along with countless other people who are from Mexico. I kept thinking about how there truly was not an author or journalist who expressed these problems of Latino identity in their own pieces of work;however, after reading Gilb’s road trip story about his roots and the roots of Mexico it made me realize my own naivety. As I read Gilb’s piece I kept smiling and telling myself that I went through similar events and felt that for once after all those years of not being able to truly relate to the peers around me I truly felt welcomed when reading his work. Gilb mentions the Spanish side of the Mestizos, which is arguably the most corrupt part of the Mestizo name, and I felt as if he had a negative connotation about Spaniards throughout his letter as I thought the idea of genocide to conquer a land and people was unjust. I felt the realism in the contrasts between the touristy side of Mexico against the underdeveloped side of Mexico because I have personally lived on both sides of the spectrum as I would visit family from the city and family in el barrio or a ranch surrounded by agriculture and unpaved roads.. I felt the disdain he felt having to deny street merchants a sale, the confusion he felt when he visited the house for sale that seemed incomplete, and the fear he got when the dogs were eyeing his throat. I have lived through it all, from feeling rude by ignoring the struggling merchants to feeling helpless as a dog twice my size began to study me. Gilb managed to confront the dualities he sees in the Mestizo culture (rich and poor, developed and underdeveloped and Cortez and Malinche) as well as getting his younger audience to realize these differences and to see that the Mestizo name is more than just a race.
While Mexico is stereotypically grouped into one common race, the truth is that defining said race is tough to do since the entire culture is made up of two different cultures. In the letter “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes,” Dagoberto Gilb, eradicates the common stereotype of everyone from Mexico being brown and instead replaces the misconception with the complex history of Mexico. Gilb uses juxtaposing historical figures and specific parts of Mexico that contradict each other to argue that the stereotype of commonality in Mestizo Mexico is false and that Mexico has separate worlds.
Work Cited
Gilb, Dagoberto. “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes.” Harper’s Magazine, June 2001, pp. 57-65.