“Benzulul”: traces of Chiapas regional identity and reality of the 20th century

Abstract

This article deals with "Benzulul" a story that gives its name to the first work of the Chiapas writer Eraclio Zepeda Ramos. This and other publications of the well-known “Ciclo de Chiapas” are linked to the sociohistorical environment of the authors who participated in the cultural projects and public policies of the government of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río to serve the indigenous population, delineating the national identity and homogenizing language. To question these notions, a historical analysis of the author's context and his work is presented; subsequently, a general literary review of the regional elements of "Benzulul" (1959) is carried out while values that scholars have expressed around the work are retaken and their considerations are elaborated based on the theoretical contributions emanating from the theory of literature, history, and cultural studies.

It's concluded that "Benzulul" is a work product of the context in which it arises. In it, the regional reality is articulated with the vision and voice of the author who, like others, became involved in the actions carried out by the government to serve the indigenous population with an acculturation project. It is worth saying that the objectives of these policies were modified with the intervention of artists and intellectuals, which resulted in a conception of identity-based on diversity and the resignification of indigenous and mestizo characters, no longer perceived as victims or being’s exotic but as universal subjects, with vices and virtues.