THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA Written by Luis Valdez

THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA Study Guide © Miracle Theatre Group, 2009 THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA Written by Luis Valdez May 8-30, 2009 Milagro Theatre, Portland, Oregon Pancho Villa (1878-1923) Campesino, bandit, guerrilla, martyr, general, head of the Northern Division of the Revolutionary Army, and finally, an undying legend. He is born and christened José Doroteo Arango Arámbula in the town of Rio Grande, Durango. In 1895, at 17, he killed an hacendado, a landowner and member of the ruling class who raped his sister. Doroteo was arrested but escaped, and changed his name to Francisco Villa. During the years between 1896 and 1909, the legend of Pancho Villa is born. He is a providential bandit, who robs from the rich to give to the poor. And the poor give him his faith. In 1910, the Mexican Revolution began, when the landless peasants rose up against the oppressive landowners. Pancho Villa and his bandits became a guerrilla force that grew into an army of trains, horses, guns and 50,000 men. Pancho Villa becomes known as one of the most brilliant military strategists of the 20th century. In 1914, he and Emiliano Zapata met in Mexico City in triumph for the poor, the campesinos, and the disinherited. However, in 1915, Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States permitted his rival, Carranza to transport troops over US soil in order to battle and defeat Villa’s División del Norte at Agua Prieta. It is the beginning of the end. In 1916, Villa retaliated with a raid in New Mexico, and President Wilson send General John J. Pershing into Mexican territory looking for Pancho Villa. Pershing fails, and Villa continues his guerrilla warfare, but his military strength was diminishing. In 1919, Emiliano Zapata was murdered. In 1920, Villa surrendered the remains of his army and settles in Canutillo to live peacefully. On July 23, 1923, he was murdered and died in the streets of Parral, Chihuahua. His body was dumped in an unmarked grave. Three years later, it was disinterred and the corpse was decapitated. The head was never found. This play is the story of people who followed him beyond borders, beyond death. The Head is Always Hungry, by Martín Milagro The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa is much more of a social commentary than a political instrument, though valid arguments could be made for the latter. Whereas Luis Valdez’ work with El Teatro Campesino was directed to the education of the farmworker regarding the political situations affecting them, Pancho Villa speaks more to the identity of the Chicano, depicting realistically the plight and conditions affecting each individual personality. It is a play that speaks to the core of the Chicano dilemma: "Are we Mexican or American?" In Pancho Villa, the farmworker family of Pedro and Cruz must confront this question daily, reminded that they are tied to their historical and cultural roots by the persistent, voraciously hungry presence of their first son, Belarmino, born, incidentally, in the same year that Pancho Villa`s assassinated body had been disinterred and discovered to be headless! Belarmino is just a head, no body, and must be constantly The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa ~ Miracle Theatre Group Study Guide , March 2009 1 cared for by the long suffering stalwart of the family, Cruz. After all, tradition in the Mexican culture, follows a matriarchal lineage; the woman provides the foundation while the man can enjoy the privileges of the spirit. Belarmino is symbolically the reincarnation of the spirit of Pancho Villa, embodied in the lost head, a head that must constantly be fed and attended to because it just won`t go away. Such is the condition of the Chicano. No matter what he does, whether he moves to Prune Blossom Acres, the middle class Anglo enclave, or assimilates and Americanizes his name, he will always carry the burden of his heritage. He will always be Mexican. Some claim that the head of Pancho Villa was stolen by the gringos or gavachos in revenge on the Mexican revolutionary giant who had the audacity to invade the United States, and the cunning not to get caught by Pershing`s relentless army. The fate of Pancho Villa is analogous to the fate of the Chicano. Robbed of his past and dignity by a society that validates only the European heritage, the Chicano either must deny his cultural roots to blend in, or remain Mexican, a foreigner. Neither choice is acceptable in this play, neither leads to peace of mind or to a dignified existence. Joaquin, the pachuco son that is always in trouble with la placa, can find no peace or dignity between the worlds of the Anglo and the Mexican. He rebels against both. He is neither Mexican since he was born and raised in the United States, and he is not an Anglo because language and culture have created an ever present barrier that makes him a Chicano. The Chicano is always considered a Mexican, regardless of the fact that he and his ancestors may have populated this country for generations. Even though the Chicano populations of the Southwest are by and large indigenous, dating back hundreds of years before they were, by and large, forcefully incorporated into the United States, these peoples are still popularly considered to be Mexicans, wetbacks who have swum the river in order to prey on the good will of the American. Luis Valdez repudiates the contention that all Chicanos are wetbacks: "We [the Chicano] did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us." Joaquin can never be at rest for he cannot resolve the differences within himself, that he both Mexican and American. In opposition to Joaquin, we find the character of Mingo, the vendido, the sell out, the crooked labor contractor, Tio Taco. Mingo is not a rebel in the same sense as Joaquin, he is more of a victim, who seeks the surest and quickest path to success American style, believing all the time that he is doing it for the good of his family, La Raza. In order to accomplish this feat, he must cut himself off from his past, his Mexican culture and language, from all that is low and dirty. But in order to make his escape he also finds it necessary to climb over the backs of La Raza, the campesinos sweating in the fields. He seeks to become Americanized, accepted, one of the crowd because the pain and suffering of being different, of being invisible, is too much to bear. This journey of separation and assimilation leads inevitably to the loss of identity. And this is the crux of Valdez` play; that personal identity is not found in the escapist dreams of Pedro, the ex-villista; in the long suffering secrecy of Cruz, la madre; in the rebellion against the past and present of Joaquin; or in the breaking off of cultural and familial roots of Mingo. If the Chicano is to find his identity and place in this world, then he must search for it both in the past and the present. Regardless of the racism and alienation that is his lot as a member of the "invisible minority", the Chicano must acknowledge himself for what he is. The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa did not begin a social movement. It is rather an outgrowth of a social awareness that had been growing for generations and reached its flower in the turmoil of the 1960`s. It represents a change in attitude of the Chicano from silently enduring in hopes that conditions might change for the better, in order to be accepted, to one of vigorously acknowledging his worth, his difference and his identity. The "invisible minority", the "silent minority" began to find its voice. Luis Valdez When Luis Valdez sat down to write his first play, The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa, while still a student at San Jose State College, he might have been thinking about what he was, had been, and would be. He was after all a "Chicano," born in 1940 to a farmworker family in Delano, California, but instead of succumbing to the fate of so many of his friends and family, he not only graduated from high school, but was awarded a scholarship to college as well. Though he was fascinated by theater and writing, he enrolled as a major in math and physics. His decision to change his major to English, with The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa ~ Miracle Theatre Group Study Guide , March 2009 2 emphasis on playwriting, must have been a difficult one, after all, he was leaving security behind in favor of a profession that offers anything but. Little did he realize that this decision, culminating in his first play, would begin the process for him and others that would eventually catapult him to the forefront of a new kind of theatre, Chicano theatre. As Dr. Jorge Huerta of the University of California at San Diego points out, "No other individual has made as important an impact on Chicano theater as Luis Valdez ... it is impossible to discuss Chicano theater without talking about Valdez, for he initiated this vital movement." Valdez` odyssey after college led him to work with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, then to the Farm Workers Union in 1965. There he created a farmworkers theatre, El Teatro Campesino, "dedicated to the education and entertainment of striking farmworkers struggling against the powerful machine of California agricultural interests." The result of his first meeting with those striking workers is, as they say, "history." His involvement with the Farm Workers Union became the first phase of the Teatro Campesino`s career and the beginning of the Chicano theatre movement. The original function of this group of actor-laborers was to raise funds and to publicize the farm-worker strike and the grape boycott. Their efforts soon turned into a full-blown theatrical movement that spread across the country capturing the imagination of artists and activists. In 1967 he left the organization to pursue his theatrical craft with a dedicated core of individuals, changing the focus of El Teatro from political, one of dealing with the farmworkers` struggles, to a socially conscious theatre, exposing problems of the Chicanos in other areas. The choice to leave the union movement initiated the second phase of the Teatro Campesino`s development under Valdez. It was no coincidence that when El Teatro Campesino separated from the union, their first acto (a short play), Los Vendidos, dealt with the identity of the Chicano. Now that his theater was no longer intimately connected to the farmworker struggle, Valdez could dedicate his efforts to exposing the problems beyond the fields. This issue has always interested Valdez, beginning with the character of Dorningo/Mr. Sunday in The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa. All across America, Mexican American theatrical groups sprang up to stage Valdez`s actos. The actos explored modern issues facing Mexican Americans: the farm workers` struggle for unionization, the Vietnam War, the drive for bilingual education, the war against drug addiction and crime, and community control of parks and schools. In 1968, El Teatro won an Obie (a distinguished off-Broadway award) for "demonstrating the politics of survival." Valdez began writing mitos or "myths," such as his 1967 Dark Root of a Scream, a condemnation of the Vietnam War and his 1973 La carpa de los Rasquachis, a story of the Mexican immigrant experience. In a sense, Valdez` journey had returned to his beginnings. His unique combination of acto, mito, and corrido, along with his personal brand of Brechtian self-consciousness, combined with his goal of socio-political change quickly brought Valdez to the forefront of Chicano theater, and he enjoyed success with nationwide tours of his works. Zoot Suit (1978) was produced with the Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles. With Zoot Suit, Valdez had the honor of being the first Chicano director to have a play produced on Broadway, and popular enthusiasm for the play encouraged him to take it on a successful national tour. This accomplishment marked the beginning of his rise as an individual artist, and he produced a well-received film version of Zoot Suit in 1981. In 1987, he directed the hit film La Bamba, which chronicled the short life of Latino rock star Richie Valens, and created several performances for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). In the 1990s, Valdez divided his time between screenwriting and teaching at California State University, Monterey Bay. Valdez holds honorary doctorates from San Jose State University, the University of Santa Clara, Columbia College of Chicago, and the California Institute of the Arts. He is also a founding faculty member of the new California State University Monterey Bay and a founding member of the California Arts Council. His awards include the George Peabody Award (1987), the Governor`s Award (1990), and Mexico`s prestigious Aguila Azteca Award (1994). Are Chicanos the same as Mexicans? Good question! Thanks to http://www.mexica.net/chicano.html we came up with some good descriptions to answer this complex question about labels and identity: The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa ~ Miracle Theatre Group Study Guide , March 2009 3 Spanish This term was used frequently in the United States to refer to any person that speaks Spanish. As such, it was imprecise and often inappropriate in that it included people from more than two dozen countries of the American continent, the Caribbean and Spain. However, the term does apply as the proper name for the native people of Spain. Hispanics This term is often used to refer collectively to all Spanish-speakers. However, it specifically connotes a lineage or cultural heritage related to Spain. As many millions of people who speak Spanish are not of true Spanish descent (such as native Americans), this term is incorrect, and may actually be cause for offense. The 1970 Census was the first time that a "Hispanic" identifier was used. The 2000 Census placed the "Hispanic" question before the race question asking if the person was "Spanish/Hispanic/Latino" and requiring a box to be checked "No" if the person was not Spanish/Hispanic/Latino. Latino This term is used to refer to people originating from, or having a heritage related to, Latin America, in recognition of the fact that this set of people is actually a superset of many nationalities. The term "Latin" comes into use in recognition of the fact that some romance language (Spanish, Portuguese, French) is the native tongue of the majority of Latin Americans, and this term is widely accepted by most. However, the term is not appropriate for the millions of native Americans who inhabit the region. Mexican Meaning, specifically, the nationality of the inhabitants of Mexico, the term is appropriate for Mexican citizens who visit or work in the United States, but it is insufficient to describe people of Mexican ancestry who are citizens of the United States. Mexican-American This term is commonly used to recognize US citizens who are descendants of Mexicans, following the pattern sometimes used to identify the extraction of other ethnic Americans (such as, "African-American). This term is acceptable to many Mexican descendants, but for those who do not identify with a Mexican heritage, but rather with a Spanish heritage, it is unacceptable. Also, for those who do not view themselves as "Americans" by choice, this term is problematic. Chicano A relatively recent term that has been appropriated by many Mexican descendants as unique and therefore reflective of their unique culture, though its first usage seems to have been discriminatory. The most likely source of the word is traced to the 1930 and 40s period, when poor, rural Mexicans, often native Americans, were imported to the US to provide cheap field labor in the Bracero program, an agreement of the governments of both countries. The term seems to have come into first use in the fields of California in derision of the inability of native Nahuatl speakers from Morelos state to refer to themselves as "Mexicanos," and instead spoke of themselves as "Mesheecanos," in accordance with the pronunciation rules of their language. Whatever its origin, it was at first insulting to be identified by this name. The term was appropriated by Mexican-American activists who took part in the Brown Power movement of the 60s and 70s in the US southwest, and has now come into widespread usage. Among more "assimilated" Mexican-Americans, the term still retains an unsavory connotation, particularly because it is preferred by political activists and by those who seek to create a new and fresh identity for their culture rather than to subsume it blandly under the guise of any mainstream culture. Vendido and Pachuco Two of the brothers in the play, Domingo and Joaquin, represent exaggerated Chicano stereotypes: the vendido and the pachuco. Vendido is a derogatory term, a vendido is simply a sell-out, someone who is seen as a traitor to their people. In Mexican-American or Chicano culture, a vendido has exchanged his pride for personal advance or personal financial reward from the European colonizer. A vendido can also be one who simply despises their own people and who only appreciates Europeans and things European, without financial gain. At worst, a vendido the struggle faces by people for their liberation from oppression. A vendido is someone who works against their own people, usually for personal gain. The pachucos were Mexican-American youths who lived in the barrios of East Los Angeles during the years of World War II. They created The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa ~ Miracle Theatre Group Study Guide , March 2009 4 their own style, featuring zoot suits and pompadour haircuts, and an attitude that expressed their defiance of mainstream America. They spoke their own language, asserting their difference from everyone around them. They were the first sub-cultural group to exhibit their rebellion by display—through their clothing and behavior on the street, and they were branded "delinquents" by the LA Police Department, and held responsible for the wave of juvenile crime that was sweeping the city at the time. The pachucos also incurred the wrath of their elders by their "degenerate" behavior of draft-dodging, marijuana-smoking, and their foppish attention to their clothes. As the first people to forge a position for themselves in opposition both to the American mainstream and their traditional Mexican backgrounds, the pachucos were the first Mexican Americans to self-consciously style and define themselves on exactly their own terms. The Sleepy Lagoon Case in 1942 brought the pachucos into the national limelight. This was a murder case in which 13 Mexican-American youths were convicted on varying charges, including first degree murder, for the killing of José Díaz. Luis Valdez`s 1981 film Zoot Suit, an adaptation of the stage musical, gives a part-fact, part-fiction account of the case from the perspective of Henry Reyna, the leader of the convicted gang of pachucos. The pachuco look was taken up by the mainstream and emerged in the 1950s greaser style. Within marginal groups, the pachucos served as inspirational icons for the Chicano Civil Rights Movement that fomented in the late 1960s. In the late 1990s renewed interest in swing music by groups such as the Cherry Poppin` Daddies brought "pachuquismo" back into vogue. The 1994 film The Mask, starring Jim Carrey, characterized the pachuco as the outrageous transformation of the wimpish bankclerk protagonist for the rebellious, maverick, and magical qualities that the style evokes. Quixotic, sinister, and theatrical, the pachuco is continually evoked as one of the mythic figures of American popular culture. What is MEChA? For students around the county, MEChA is a well known organization, founded in 1969 with the main purpose to encourage more Latinos to enter and finish college. There are estimated more than 1,000 chapters in the country, but there are no State Offices or officers. Each MEChA group operates independently, although there are often national, regional and state conferences. The most recent national MEChA conference was held in March, 2009 at the University of Oregon, in Eugene. Due to the fact that MEChA was formed when there were strong anti-war protests, there is a very militant rhetoric in the early documents. During this time, many Chicanos were being drafted into the military, and the community grew less tolerant of perceived racism and discrimination. MEChA was formed to protest for more Chicano professors and more Chicano studies courses in colleges and universities. MEChA does not advocate the overthrow of the US, or the “return” of the Southwest to Mexico, as some right-wing organizations state. Former MEChA members include many of the most successful people in the Chicano/Latino community, including veterans, entrepreneurs, and, in politics, the current Mayor of Los Angeles and the Lieutenant Governor of California The motto of MEChA is: La Union hace la Fuerza. Translated loosely and to get to the actual meaning, Together We are Stronger. The Chicano Movement and the Arts The heritage of people of Mexican ancestry in the United States stretches back thousands of years and includes European, Native and African influences. For many, their ancestral roots on American soil predate the arrival of the Mayflower. It has been said that the Chicano Movement has been fomenting since the end of the U.S. - Mexican War in 1848, when the current U.S-Mexican border took form and hundreds of thousands of Mexicans became U.S. citizens overnight. Since that time, countless people have confronted discrimination, racism and exploitation. The population grew as millions of Mexican immigrants settled in United States during 1900 – 1930. In California, almost all worked as agricultural laborers, believing that they could prosper by working hard as a farmer. The United States was seen as a land opportunity where one could find a better social and economic way of life. Many did not realize that there was a hidden division along class, gender, ethnic, and racial lines over who had access to economic security and freedom. The language and culture of their ancestors were seen as liabilities to be discarded along the path of assimilation. The Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1970s The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa ~ Miracle Theatre Group Study Guide , March 2009 5 ... - tailieumienphi.vn