“In the Andes, the Devil merges with the image of the stranger.” If you were to replace ‘the Andes’ with ‘Latin America’, I believe it would still be a true claim. It was true with the natives that were “discovered” by Europeans; it was true with Guaman Poma; it was true in Guatemala with the Banana War; it was true in Cuba’s missile crisis; it was true when Mario Vargas Llosa wrote this… and it continues to be true today. In my opinion it’s not that Latinos see strangers as the Devil all the time, but when one of us feels threatened by a stranger, country or person, we tend to associate them with pure evil. The sad part is that, like in the text, we sometimes feel that even citizens of our countries are strangers, because of the huge cultural diversity that characterizes Latin America, and this has lead to war, murders and all sorts of crimes.
The red flag mentioned in Vargas Llosa’s is also a big problem in Latin America. I have lived most of my life in El Salvador and when elections come around people usually take sides, hardly anyone stays neutral, but the bad part is the antagonistic nature of left and right wing parties mixed with the hot blood that flows through most Latinos. We are, mostly, very passionate about our football teams, political parties, religious views, etc. and that just leads to plenty of violence. What struck me the most about this text is that Vargas Llosa mentions that guerrilla movements are born among intellectuals and middle-class citizens and I guess I had never thought about it this way. In my high school we were made to think of these movements as emerging from resentful poor people who all they want to do is make the rich pay for their crimes. It’s a different point of view that Vargas Llosa gives me and I think he could, and probably is, right.
It’s a shame that in Latin America we see each other as strangers even in our countries. I have felt that some people see me as a stranger in my country and it’s odd although I had never thought about it until now. I can’t even begin to imagine how a foreigner must feel when visiting Latin America, do you feel welcome or do you feel that people see you as the Devil?
That’s a very intriguing claim, especially with how divided in identity Latin America is, this makes for a lot of “strangers.” It’s easy to project fear and blame onto people and things unknown or contradictory to your own.
I am an American and have not visited Latin America yet, but it will be interesting to see when I do.
I have visited Latin America many times and never have I felt unwelcome. I have visited some of the poorest barrios in Lima and been to clubs in the richest districts. I have at times felt somewhat nervous in an area due to stories I have heard, but never unwelcome. In Lima there is a district called Barrios Altos. It is a quite poverty stricken neighborhood with a high crime rate. It is often considered quite unsafe. Rarely do the locals go out alone. I dated a woman who was raised in that district and would often visit her family who still lived there. On two occasions while walking alone in this district I was stopped by police. Both times I was asked “what the hell are you doing here?” I was viewed as a target by these police, as someone who would most likely get robbed. Yes there were people who looked at me as though I didn’t belong but I never felt unwelcome, for many other people welcomed me with open arms. I was invited into homes, to weddings, to parties, to quiceneras, I made lifelong friends and basically family. As far as I am concerned Peru is my second home, I will always visit and I always have a place to stay. Latin America in general and Peru in particular welcomed me with open arms. My experience may be vastly different from others due to many things, luck among others. Maybe I was just lucky that nothing ill befell me?
Daniel, I could perfectly understand when you mention that Latinos think of the evil itself when it comes to something or someone strange. I would add that not only in big events of our lives, like a soccer match, the national elections or so; but also in our daily lives… when we don’t know something or someone, like a different way of thinking, a different religious activity, Latinos first reactions is to judge and in most of the cases categorize it as something bad or evil. And I would also, agree that Vargas Llosa is accurate when he states a different perspective, not the one we’ve been tought (that poor and uneducated people are the ones involved in social movements) but, people who have been hurted, dissappointed and let down by their countries (governments).
When reading your post I remember that a few clases ago, the professor asked who was proud of their country, so I raised my hand (because I am truly proud of Mexico), then he asked who was ashamed/not proud of their country, and I also raised my hand, because there are many events in my country that actually hurt me, get me mad and make me feel ashamed of Mexico. Mostly because, I’ve participated in some social movements and nothing has been done from the part of the government, they just ignore, people. And I’m talking about students (from the best Mexican university, we, who are well-educated, informed, and have a positive and genuine goal to improve our country). We’ve been totally ignored many times…
What about you? Have you felt this way too?, Do you feel proud and ashamed at the same time?