El Pueblo Negro: Identity Politics in Mexico

Abstract

A growing conundrum facing Mexico is the underdevelopment of communities inhabited by Black nationals. The political consequences of marginalization, evident in present‐day conditions of poverty, stem from the historical and linguistic negation of the African presence in Mexico and its relevance in the country's overall social and political evolution. In national politics, the problem has seldom been engaged because the disparity in wealth distribution is considered a result of the exclusion of the Indian. When Blacks are considered, there is a popular refocusing on Latin American Afro‐descendants that “folklorizes” the “other” under a fictitious celebratory veil of multiculturalism. This article addresses the socioeconomic dynamics in Black Mexican communities, focusing attention on the burgeoning social movement in the Costa Chica that is addressing issues of invisibility and recognition of el Pueblo Negro in Mexico. By detailing a Diasporan account of Black identity, the authors argue that los Negros can strategically employ a vindication of Blackness in Mexico in their fight for social justice, ultimately uniting citizens in the quest.