Afrolatinos: The untaught story

Is there such a thing as black Mexicans?  Who are Afro-Mexicans?  What are the contributions of African’s to present day Mexico?

These were just some of the questions the team hoped to have answered during their trip to Mexico. They learned about many theories, public and expert opinions and untaught stories that left them to decipher and search for the truth. In the documentary "Afrolatinos" the aim is to show the face of Afro-Mexican’s and share with you the history of how and when they arrived to Mexico.

History usually begins in Latin America after 1492… as if there were no other civilizations or societies that existed before that date.  One story tells us, that the reason we have Mexicans who look black, is due to the mixing of the indigenous with the escaped slave who crossed over from the United States and Cuba looking for freedom in Mexico.

Another story is that the slaves did in fact come with the slave trade during the colonial period, and that's how they mixed. But what if… there were African’s who settled in Mexico before the 15th century—before Columbus?  Which brings us to a third story discovered in the book titled, “They Came Before Columbus,” by Ivan Van Sertima, which discusses the theory that there were in fact African’s who arrived to Mesoamerica before Columbus’ journey.

Before traveling to Mexico the producer were excited about an exhibition that was taking place in Los Angeles, “The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present,” which showcased at the California African American Museum.  Utterly impressed by the images found in the exhibition halls, “Who Are We Now? Roots, Resistance, and Recognition”, and “Racism in Mexico: Exposing the Myth.” What this exhibition does right is that it successfully opens the floor to a more candid discussion on race relations and the inclusion of all of the history of Mexico - - not solely mentioning the Spanish and European contributions. 

This exhibit shows a side of history that has not been mentioned… the Afro descendant side.  The Mexican government is finally accepting the African culture as the THIRD ROOT – la tercera raiz of Mexican culture. The exhibit introduces the U.S. public to the history, culture and art of Afromexicanos.  Forcing us to look at the relationship Mexicans have with the US, as well as, with African Americans - - which is an excellent start. They’re on to something!

Did they come before Columbus?  By they we are talking about Africans.  Mexico is one of the most controversial countries visited during this quest for several reasons… the main purpose was to discover and uncover if in fact there is an African presence in Mexico.  First, there is a theory under huge debate that their was indeed an African presence in México thousands of years before Columbus.  In fact the date being argued is 1000 B.C. which takes us on amazing search to find out if there is validity in this theory. 

In Veracruz the Producers met Anthropologist, Sagrario Cruz-Carretero, who took them to the Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa.  They learned of the Olmec civilization who had a series of colossal heads. Of the eighteen (18) colossal Olmec heads that were discovered, they found them all to contain African features.  One in particular, "the Black One" / "El Negro", it was difficult to deny that they were staring at the face of an African - - when you see the nose, hairline, braids and lips of this monument.  They also visited the pyramids of El Tajin where they found hieroglyphics and other elements that remind you of the Egyption civilization.  

The pyramids that are found in Mexico have an incredible resemblance to those that are in Africa.  Could there have been African explorers who sailed to Mexico before the arrival of Christopher Columbus? Are the pyramids and Olmec heads found in Mexico - as sophisticated as those found in Africa?  The producers of Afrolatinos could not help but see the significant and direct connection that Mexico has to Africa.

The production team noticed many similarities in all of the Afrolatinos communities they visited, but there is one that stood out during the trip to Costa Chica, an Afro community in Mexico. What they noticed is how far these towns are from EVERYTHING. To get the Costa Chica, you land in Mexico City and take a plane to Acapulco. Then take an uncomfortable bus ride for five hours south to reach the town of Ciruelo.  Ciruelo is the pueblo where Father Glyn Jermmott lives. Father Glyn was kind enough to serve as guide for the team. 

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, he has dedicated his life to this community and has lived in Costa Chica for 25 years. Father Glyn has promoted and developed cultural and economic empowerment in the Costa Chica area.  Costa Chica is located on the West Coast of Mexico, which crosses the states of Guererro and Oaxaca. To get to Costa Chica by car is a total of five hours, and through out the entire trip you will find that Afro-Mexicans do in fact exist.  Who said, “There are no blacks in Mexico?” The producers want to challenge them!

There are several other towns with Afromexican presence, such as Huehuetan, Los Metates, Quiterios, Cuajinicuilapa, Pinotepa Nacional and many more. These communities are very humble places where the heat makes it difficult for the people in these areas to function. There is a lack of resources, some places don’t have water and most people have to walk for hours just to buy food and basic needs.  Hospitals and Health Clinics are desperately needed in most of the towns in Costa Chica.

The roads are dusty and there is no industry in these areas, there are NO JOBS for the people of these towns. In Ciruelo we found that people make some money by loading a huge trucks with sand. There is a lot of sand! Four men with shovels pick up sand and load it to a truck--for 45 minutes, they get paid three dollars. Three dollars a day, this is daily life in these Afromexican communities. The crew took some incredible pictures of the diverse faces of Afromexicans thanks to photographer Sal Rojas (www.salrojas.com). Every town had its unique flavor, food was delicious and the town was very peaceful.

It is unbelievable that most people think that there are no blacks in Mexico. The Mexican census has no category for Afro-descendants.  There is an estimated percentage of the Afro-Mexican population quoting 3% to 9% percent. If the number is higher than 3% percent then why are Afromexicans still invisible?  This is a significant difference than what we have been taught. Over all, Costa Chica is a beautiful place with people full of life and rich culture. The producers suggest more people visit this part are Mexico and see with their own eyes that Mexicans are not all white as Mexican television would like to portray.  Mexicanos have their African roots and should be proud of it.

During the visit to Mexico the topic of “integration” was brought up.  Integrating these two societies, the black and the indigenous, who for years have received all of the attention and support of the government. The indigenous that have been celebrated compared to that of the black or Afro-mexican communities who have been excluded, ignored, struggled, and have had great difficulty obtaining jobs.  We are asking them to integrate into what? 

Are we asking these Afromexican communities, to INTEGRATE into a more indigenous way of life? Currently, the largest group of Afro-Mexicans lives on the Pacific Coast, in Costa Chica. But also in the regions of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Veracruz, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and the Yucatán, which are all towns that are isolated making it difficult for them to integrate with major cities.  

The crew visited the town called Yanga, located near Veracruz and when asked “Do you know who this town is named after?,” some children did not know how to respond; they did not know who Yanga was.  They have not learned about Yanga in their schools.  It was sad to discover that these beautiful children had NO IDEA the incredible contributions of Gasper Yanga to their history.  That Gaspar Yanga provided them with freedom.

He was a leader, a Cimarron (a slave who escaped) who fled to the mountains, forming a palenque (communities) where slaves joined him for a mutual cause, revolt and resistance. Yanga was a revolutionary born of royal blood and forced to slavery. These children who live in the town of Yanga are unaware that they are his legacy. If more children understood their history; they would aim for more, strive to be better, realize their potential, and fight for their rights as Yanga did for so many years. It is because of this that Yanga is considered by some, as the first free town of slaves in the Americas. (Haiti was the first free country (republic) of Latin America and the Caribbean.  Some consider that San Basilio de Palenque (Colombia) was the first free town of enslaved africans of the Americas.)

YES, integration is very necessary. How do we integrate a history so that all sides of the story are included and taught in schools?  For INTEGRATION to work lets start at home, with the history books. Lets start by telling the complete unabridged story.  Lets start by searching for the truth. In order for people to be fully integrated into society we must do away with the racial caste system and work towards a more unified Mexican identity, and that includes all three roots.  Integration is not exclusive it is inclusive, and we hope our sisters and brothers of Mexico will include in their history, that not only do they have Indian and Spanish blood, but African blood as well.

Sal Rojas is a renowned photographer in the U.S. This Chicano is the creator of www.brownpride.com, the most popular website that embraces the essence of being Latino in the U.S. Sal went with Renzo Devia, director of AfroLatinos to Costa Chica Mexico. They captured unique images of AfroMexicans.

CLICK HERE FOR SAL ROJAS IN COSTA CHICA, MÉXICO GALLERY