Cosmopolitanism in Mexican Visual Culture

Art historian María Fernández redefines cosmopolitanism as a fluctuating complex of relations, material and virtual, where power plays a cohesive yet unstable role. Her study examines Mexican visual culture through eight case studies, from colonial monuments to modern 'relational architecture,' revealing how cosmopolitanism is intertwined with power, violence, and the haunting legacy of colonialism. A key finding is that the cultural valorization of ancient sites like Teotihuacan during the Porfiriato period was often built on the destruction of living indigenous cultures, illustrating the dual nature of modernization and its consequences.

González, C. C. (2015). Cosmopolitanism in Mexican Visual Culture. Hispanic American Historical Review, 95(1), 144–146. https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-2836976