Liberal progress in Mexico and its consequences for the pueblos in dialog with Diego Riveira's Epopeya del pueblo mexicano

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36592/opiniaofilosofica.2025.v16.1208

Keywords:

Liberal reforms, Colonial Mexico, Indigenous and campesinos, Art and Resistance, Decoloniality

Abstract

Abstract: The research "Liberal advance in Mexico and its consequences for the pueblos in dialogue with the work 'Epopeya del pueblo mexicano' by Diego Rivera" aims to analyze the advance of liberalism in Mexico and its consequences for indigenous and peasant peoples. The problem addressed in the article is the analysis of the transformations caused by liberalism in Mexico and its adverse effects on indigenous and peasant peoples, that is, how liberal policies exacerbated social and economic inequalities, further marginalizing these communities. The study looks at how Diego Rivera, through his art, documented and resisted these changes. It first looks at the historical context of liberalism in Mexico: liberal reforms in the 19th century; the impacts of liberal reforms and the consequences of these reforms for indigenous and peasant peoples, highlighting the loss of land, the disintegration of traditional communities and the increase in inequalities. Next, the work of Diego Rivera is presented: 'Epopeya del pueblo mexicano', which portrays the history of Mexico from the pre-Columbian era to the Mexican revolution, highlighting his role as a social critic and defender of the oppressed. The liberal reforms in Mexico had a negative impact on indigenous and peasant peoples, exacerbating poverty and inequality. An analysis of Diego Rivera's work shows how art serves as a means of social and historical criticism, documenting the struggles and resistance of the oppressed classes, denouncing injustice and inspiring resistance against continued colonial oppression.

Author Biographies

  • Mariane Gehlen Perin, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)

    Mestre em Filosofia pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). Doutoranda em Filosofia na Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). 

  • Agemir Bavaresco, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS)

    Professor do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). Doutor em Filosofia pela Universidade Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne, 1997).

References

GÓMEZ-AGUADO, Guadalupe. Benito Juárez, o Estado laico y la creación del México moderno. Decires. Ciudad de México: v. 8, n. 8, p. 105-115, 2021.

JUÁREZ, Benito. Apuntes para mis hijos. Cidade do México: Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas, 2024.

PRADO, Maria Ligia; PELLEGRINO, Gabriela. História da América Latina. São Paulo: Contexto, 2014.

RIVERA, Diego. Epopeya del pueblo mexicano. 1929-1935. Afresco, Palácio Nacional, México.

SHOIJET, Esther Cimet. Movimiento muralista mexicano. Ideología y producción. México: Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana – Unidad Xochimilco,1992.

TLOSTANOVA, M. V.; MIGNOLO, W. D. Sobre hermenêutica pluritópica, pensamento trans-moderno e filosofia decolonial. Tradução de Vitor Gomes Lopes. Inter-Legere, [S. l.], v. 6, n. 38, p. c34067, 2023. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufrn.br/interlegere/article/view/34067. Acesso em: 16 mai. 2025.

Published

2025-10-08

Issue

Section

Artigos

How to Cite

GEHLEN PERIN, Mariane; BAVARESCO, Agemir. Liberal progress in Mexico and its consequences for the pueblos in dialog with Diego Riveira’s Epopeya del pueblo mexicano. Revista Opinião Filosófica, Porto Alegre, v. 16, p. 1–23, 2025. DOI: 10.36592/opiniaofilosofica.2025.v16.1208. Disponível em: https://www.opiniaofilosofica.org/index.php/opiniaofilosofica/article/view/1208.. Acesso em: 24 oct. 2026.