Desvenar

“Porque el comer chile duele, igual que ser mexicano” (Because eating pepper hurts, the same as being Mexican). On Tuesday evening Tim and I attended Desvenar (literally, “to separate the veins”), a play which took us through what it means to be Mexican by way of the pepper. The concept is intriguing because it indicates that food is a way of identifying an entire society. We were also intrigued in this production because Richard Viqueira, the playwright and director, is known for using alternative methods in his theatrical productions. For example, in this particular production he put a firecracker in his mouth while the other end spit out fire. He also spat gasoline to create a fire ball. It was quite an entertaining show.

(Richard Viqueira with a firework in his mouth)

(Richard Viqueira blowing fire)

The three actors embodied different aspects of Mexican society. For example, Valentina Garibay’s character, Adelita, represented the traditional Mexican woman with her patriotic ribbons, her long braids, and her long flowing skirt. Richard Viqueira’s character represented the Cholo, or gangster image of the Chicano. Finally, Ángel Luna’s character represents the Pacheco, or someone similar to a Cholo but differentiated by way of fine clothing (think “Zoot Suit”). Each person confronts their history through the pepper, and the play is divided by six different confrontations: the pepper in culture, history, music, language, society, and love.

(From left to right: Ángel Luna, Valentina Garibay & Richard Viqueira)

Throughout each section the characters described how the pepper affects their perception of Mexican identity. For example, in history the Aztec warriors ate peppers in preparation for battle. This act must have played some aspect in the valor of being an Aztec warrior, which in part plays into the contemporary perception of the "macho" Mexican. In another section they described how difficult love is, like eating a hot pepper. The pain found in relationships is to be expected for a true Mexican, or so they describe. In this particular scene, about love, they presented the pain families experience when their loved ones abandon them for the USA. In another part, in the section on society, they described how Mexicans have been oppressed for centuries, and that to put up with corruption is an essential aspect of Mexican identity. Again, it is like eating a pepper (which they actually did eat during the play, and not the sweet ones), it hurts as you eat it, but you eat it because it is expected. And since the pepper doesn't go away from Mexican cuisine, the corollaries between the pepper and society will also remain.

(The 1986 World Cup Mascot)

The directing decisions were fantastic and really moved the thesis of the play forward. The only exception, in which we both were a bit confused, occurred at the very beginning. The actors came in and sat down on chairs and immediately began to explain the framework of the play, that the pepper represented Mexican identity. Both Tim and I were quite confused as to why they chose this staging direction. The only thing I could come up with was the idea of us looking in on their play as if from behind. But even then it doesn’t support any other decision in the play later on. Other than this, the set was simple enough so that we focused primarily on the text and the acting. At one point the Pacheco character sang the Mexican National Anthem to the tune of the American National Anthem and it gave me chills. There was a lot of music throughout the show. On one hand it was wonderful to hear the tune (I had chills), and on the other, a bit scary to hear different patriotic words, sang in an ironic sense, as if saying that Mexicans are really just trying to be Americans. Another song was about solidarity with your people, which also gave me chills. Ángel Luna, who sang most of the music and played the guitar, was incredible. Richard Viqueira was more of a rapper. Valentina couldn’t hold a note. It was one of the more prominent flaws to the play. But again, the play was well written, and masterfully, if not a little eccentrically, performed. But that's to be expected, I guess, from a Richard Viqueira production.

But in the end we learned how the pepper can be used to teach identity, specifically Mexican identity. And more importantly, how food says a lot more than we think. For example, what do the foods we eat symbolize? Where did they come from? What does the food we eat say about who we are? I think these are important questions to consider.

For those still in Mexico City the play continues until August 4th, and each show is every Tuesday at 8:30 in the Foro La Gruta in the Centro Cultural Helénico.