Hispanic Studies 443: Pre-Columbian dreams: Myth and Fiction in Latin American cultures

The disappearance of pre-Columbian memories after the European conquest has been a constant challenge for historical and cultural research on the Americas. Although some pre-Columbian key documents have survived, much of the pre-Columbian memory has been lost to time and oblivion. In the 20th century, some Latin American avant-gardes sought to reconnect with that memory, through literary and artistic creations that reimagined a pre-Columbian memory for the Continent while innovating languages, topics, and styles. Thus, the exploration of the pre-Columbian past through cultural creations dreamed of bridging the gap left by official history. In this seminar, students will first trace some colonial documents that retake the memory prior to the Conquest in Mesoamerica and the Andes, including Popol Vuh, Rabinal Achí, and Chilam Balam, among others. In a second moment, students will explore the contemporary approach to these memories through narrative and dramatic works, which appear as mythical references, or dreamlike images, in works by authors such as César Vallejo, Rosario Castellanos, Miguel Angel Asturias, Carlos Fuentes, José María Arguedas, and more recently Rafael Dumett. Students will also consider contemporary discourses of popular culture which have sought to dialogue with the pre-Columbian images, in animes, soap operas, Hollywood cinema, mostly with problematic results. May be applied to the Theatre/Performance requirement for the major in Hispanic Studies. Course taught in Spanish. Satisfies the 400-level requirement for the Hispanic Studies minor.