Hospicio Cabañas

Cabañas Cultural Center, from the court yard. Photo by the author

During my recent trip to Guadalajara, Mexico I took some time to visit a few of the cultural attractions they have there.  Jalisco is the birthplace of many of the things we associate with Mexico, like Mariachi music, much of the traditional folk dances, such as the Hat Dance and, of course, tequila.  One of the main attractions is the Cabañas Cultural Center, housed in an eighteenth century building that used to be an orphanage.  On the ceiling of the main hall are murals by one of Mexico's most famous twentieth century painters Jose Clemente Orozco.  He, along with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueros are considered the "Big Three" Mexican muralists of the last century.  All three were politically minded, using their work to promote the ideals of Mexican Revolution.

Diego Rivera's mural in the National Palace, Mexico City

When we think of the birth and spread of communist or Marxist movements in the 1900's our minds usually turn to Russia first.  But Mexico's has been called the first "progressive" revolution in history, and while I'm not sure the revolutionary leaders ever called themselves "Marxist" or communist, the goals were very similar to those of the Soviets: redistribution of land, government control of certain key industries, like oil, and the creation of a radically secular state and society.  In Rivera's paintings we can clearly see the Marxist influences as well a strong anti-clericalism.  He is very enthusiastic in his support of the Revolution and it's aims.  Man, without reference to God or encumbered by religion, is the controller of the universe, and the revolution will rid Mexico of the old imperialist and capitalist oppressors.  There is a worker's paradise ahead if the people have the courage to grasp it, and the evil forces of the West don't suppress it.

Man, Controller of the Universe, Diego Rivera

In Orazco's work there is a greater caution about the whole thing.  He seems less optimistic, and some of his paintings seem downright pessimistic.  The images appeared to me as grotesque and oppressive.  I took them as criticizing industrial capitalism in general, but I was to find out his point was somewhat more subtle than that. My raw impression, knowing next to nothing about him or his art when I walked in the place, was that the old culture has been thrown out, but what has really replaced it?  The Cabañas was a Church sponsored orphanage, a grand structure named for the Catholic bishop who founded it.  On the official website no references are made to its past religious affiliation.  Even though the people are overwhelmingly Catholic the government and cultural elites still want to act like Catholicism played no positive role in the cultural development of the nation.  Like many post Enlightenment European historians, they glorify pagan antiquity (in this case the pre-Colombian period) and post Revolutionary times, but act as if what came between was a dark age.  In reality, what is left are cultural expressions devoid of real beauty or grace.  When humanity is separated from the source of its life it can never be truly glorified.  What we are left with are charactatures of reality.  Human beings can only be seen as cogs in the machine of life, with no individual destiny or purpose apart from the group. 

One of Orozco's murals from the Cabañas. Photo by the author

The Man of Fire. Photo by the author

As I found out later Orozco was trying to show Man as being devoured and torn apart by the encroachments of progress. The center painting, one of his most famous, shows the self sacrificing artistic man through whom salvation will come.  To my naked, admittedly uninformed eyes, I saw the suffering, but could not see any hope.