ENRIQUE KRAUZE
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of the average Mexican in the face of the present crisis, or Mexico's
internal stability, maintained without strong government coercion.
Nor can one sustain the idea that "individualism" is a funda–
mental trait of the "anarchic" Mexican . The reason that M,exican
athletes excel in such individualistic sports as boxing and distance
walking lies not in an inability to organize themselves in an Anglo–
Saxon manner, but rather in an ancient stoicism which has both
Hispanic and Aztec roots. Or, to take an example from the extended
Mexican family, one can admit that charitable activities in Mexico
are not organized: but charity is spontaneous when the need arises .
Solidarity is an old component of Mexican morality. In small com–
munities in Mexico, a roof and sustenance are usually available for
the relative , friend or colleague fallen on hard times, whether or not
that person belongs to the normal family circle . In 1938, for example,
thousands of ordinary people lined up to contribute some of their be–
longings to help pay for the expropriation of the oil companies. On
November 19, 1984, a huge gas explosion in Mexico City provoked
an impressive number of donations of goods and money, despite the
presumed impersonality of big city life . Ten months after, in the ter–
rible earthquake that killed tens of thousands and left homeless even
more, mutual help was common, regardless of social class. Everyone
shared the rescue work . The "I" of the average Mexican is - some–
times - "we."
Riding mentions some of these strains of human strength and
warmth in the Mexican character, but does not emphasize them,
perhaps because they are at odds with his superficial reading of
The
Labyrinth
of
Solitude,
to take one example on which his description is
based. In fact, the solitude Octavio Paz describes is a religious phe–
nomenon; Riding's is social. For Paz , the fiesta is an occasion for
purification, revolt , recreation, song, profanity, communion, and
death.
Fundamentally, Riding's attempted analysis of Mexico's culture
fails to distinguish between official Mexico and the people's Mexico.
One instance is nationalism. The nationalism propounded by the
government - in policy and doctrine - has become self-complacent
far beyond historical justification. The "eternal victim" attitude has
hindered Mexico's development, reduced competitiveness, and de–
stroyed confidence in dealing with the outside world . But beyond the
official culture, there is another culture which has little to do with
nationalism or even anti-American feelings. It has to do with roots:
