Mexican Folk Art. Genealogy of a political category

Abstract

Mexican folk art is not a neutral category; it is a political concept that articulates identity, power, and economy. From the 1921 “Folk arts exhibition”, organized by Dr. Atl, Roberto Montenegro and Jorge Enciso, to the present the Mexican state —together with private and academic institutions— has used this notion to integrate Indigenous expressions into the national narrative. Nonetheless, these productions have historically been subordinated to colonial and racial hierarchies, placing them in a diffuse margin between “art” and “craft.” A genealogical analysis of the concept makes it possible to identify key periods (1921-2023) in which it has been instrumentalized under specific discursive logics generated by museums, cultural policies, support programs, and market dynamics. This analysis reveals the tension between nationalist valorizations and the economic exploitation of producing communities. Recent events, such as “Original” (2021) and the Federal Law for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities (2022), seek to reframe these categories, although the problem of cultural racism persists. I propose examining the category of Mexican folk art as a strategic device marked by colonial, racial, and economic disputes. I underscore the conflictive nature of folk art in Mexico, from which it becomes possible to question the current uses of this notion and its complex relationship with the State, the market, and institutions.