Re-Imagining the Nation

Abstract

Three Mesoamerican revolutionary movements each chose an early twentieth-century hero as their centerpiece for reinterpreting their national histories and constructing images of nations betrayed. Thus, they constructed their fights as the most recent chapter in prolonged struggles for control of their countries. This contrasted with detractors’ attempts to de-legitimize the rebellions by portraying them as puppets of recent international movements. To make their arguments, the rebels relied on a newspaper, Barricada, in Nicaragua; two radio stations, Radio Venceremos and Radio Farabundo Marti, in El Salvador; and the internet in Chiapas, Mexico. This article examines how the revolutionary groups used their media to reinterpret their countries’ histories in a way that vindicated their struggles while casting doubt on the legitimacy of their opponents.