The feminine legacy in the society of the first half of the twentieth century
Get to know a sample of outstanding women in the arts and science during the first half of the twentieth century through the documentary collection Artistic and Literary Property (PAL).
ReadClases de pintura dentro de la Escuela de Arte "La Esmeralda" by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, concentrados, sobre HMA/CN1/ 0008Archivo General de la Nación - México
Throughout the history of Mexico, women have created artistic, cultural and scientific proposals that have been registered under intellectual property law before public institutions, which allows us to make visible the work of women in various areas.
The conquest of spaces in the different spheres allowed women to stand out in areas and guilds that had dominated men, such as acting, composition, journalism, education, among other professions.
Rosaura Zapata
One of the first fields women entered was education. Rosaura Zapata, pedagogue and psychologist, was a precursor in the creation of kindergartens in Mexico and disseminated information about children's ed
Cantos y juegos para kinder garden y primeros años de primaria (1918) by AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 324. exp. 7489.Archivo General de la Nación - México
Rosaura also wrote works dedicated to children's learning through melodic and rhythmic activities. For her work, she was the first woman to receive the Belisario Domínguez medal in 1954, which distinguished her as an eminent citizen.
María Luisa Ross
In the intersection of the educational field and letters also highlighted María Luisa Ross, a teacher by training, who ventured into theater and cinema, wrote for various newspapers in Mexico and held some positions in the government such as ambassador of Art and Culture in Europe.
In 1916 he published the work Cuentos sentimentales, which was used for instruction for several decades at basic levels; in addition, it was awarded by the city of Seville, Spain. She was the founder of the Mexican Red Cross and the Ibero-American Women's Union.
Carmen Mondragón
In painting and poetry, Carmen Mondragón, also known as Nahui Olin, stood out, because her artistic work criticized the social, political and cultural problems of her time, as she stated in Cerebral optics: dynamic poems, a work published in 1922.
Through these poems, Nahui Olin portrayed the social, political and legal misogyny experienced by women, who were disciplined from birth to have a life according to the values imposed by the patriarchal structure.
Esperanza Iris
In the artistic and cultural field, women also began to have an increasing presence. Between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the singer and actress Esperanza Iris stood out, who marveled with her histrionics to the world of entertainment.
Planos del teatro Esperanza Iris realizados por Castellanos Luis y Romero Manuel (1918) by AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 317. exp. 5236.Archivo General de la Nación - México
Theater Esperanza Iris
Her consecration as one of the most popular artists in Latin America allowed her to be the first woman in 1918 to open her own theater in Mexico, El Teatro de la Ciudad Esperanza Iris, which became one of the most important in the city and the country.
María Grever
Within the musical field, in which the male gender predominated, María Grever broke the established paradigms by consecrating herself as the most important Mexican composer in the first half of the twentieth century.
Grever composed nearly 800 songs, including bolero, concert music and for films, in both English and Spanish. His first big success came when the Mexican tenor José Mojica recorded his song Júrame, thus becoming its first interpreter.
Consuelo Velazquez
Another outstanding woman in music was Consuelo Velázquez, who developed as a composer, pianist and music teacher at the National Conservatory of Music and consolidated herself as a soloist of very important orchestras such as the National Symphony.
However, his greatest hits came from popular music, boleros and romantic ballads. Pieces like Yo no fui achieved high national recognition, but, without a doubt, the most emblematic was Bésame mucho, which gave him a unique place in Mexican music.
Yolanda Vargas Dulché
One of the most read writers in Mexico was the playwright Yolanda Vargas Dulché, who began her career writing arguments that were published in national newspapers and magazines and were later adapted for film and television.
In 1945 Vargas Dulché created the comic Memín Pinguín, a work that consolidated it within the most consumed popular letters in Mexico and in several countries of the world. About 372 issues were published and reissued in color in the years after its creation.
Fotografía cinematográfica de la película El secreto de la abuela, de Cándida Beltrán (1928) by AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 487. exp. 11111..Archivo General de la Nación - México
Cándida Beltrán
The film industry saw the career of Cándida Beltrán, who was one of the first women to direct a feature film during the silent film era, grow. The film Grandma's Secret was made independently and with its own resources.
Magdalena Mondragón
Within Mexican journalism, the name of Magdalena Mondragón stood out in 1950 after assuming the direction of La Prensa Gráfica. She was the first woman to run a newspaper in the country; In addition, he stood out for collaborating in other publications and winning several awards.
Her work as a playwright was also recognized. Her work, when interpreted from feminist perspectives, stands out for its references to misogynistic symbols, as an example we have The Mermaid Who Carried the Sea.
Gabriela Mistral
There were also foreign women who stood out in Mexico, among them is the Chilean pedagogue Gabriela Mistral, who, at the request of the Minister of Education, José Vasconcelos, arrived in 1922 to work on the formation of a new educational system in Mexico.
Canciones de cuna, “La cuna”, “Botoncito” y “Corderito” (1924) by AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 443. exp. 24173.Archivo General de la Nación - México
During his stay in Mexico he recorded works in collaboration with some musicians, such as the work published in 1924 under the name of Seis canciones de cuna. In 1945 she became the first Ibero-American woman and the second Latin American woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Ficha de migración de Leonor Llach Trevoux (1917) by AGN, Secretaría de Gobernación Siglo XX, Departamento de Migración, españoles, Caja 135, exp. 083Archivo General de la Nación - México
Leonor Llach Trevoux
During the first half of the twentieth century, the Spanish writer Leonor Llach Trevoux also stood out, who was one of the first women to teach courses at the National School of Librarians and Archivists of the Ministry of Public Education.
Mujeres dibujando artesanías by AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, sobre HMA/CR1/ 16644.Archivo General de la Nación - México
This summary list allows us to give collective memory to women who, although not widely known today, stood out for their social contributions. Meet more Mexican and international artists who protect their work in the PAL fund.
Documentary references:
📜AGN, México Independiente, Gobernación y Relaciones Exteriores, Propiedad Artística y Literaria, caja 324. expedientes: 395, 760, 7489, 3564, 5236, 6153, 11111,14121, 14906, 24173.
📜AGN, Colecciones, Personas, Carlos Lazo Barreiro, Sección Segunda Revistas, Caja 25, Reg. 805.
📜AGN, Secretaría de Gobernación Siglo XX, Departamento de Migración, españoles, Caja 135, exp. 083.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Cronológico, Sobre: HMA/CR1/08665.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Alfabético General, Sobre: HMA/AG1/9270.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, concentrados, sobre HMA/CN1/ 0008.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, concentrados, sobre HMA/CN1/ 0677.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Alfabético General, Sobre: HMA/AG1/9838.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Alfabético General, Sobre: HMA/AG1/5822.
📷AGN, Archivos Fotográficos, Hermanos Mayo, Concentrados, Sobre: HMA/CN2/1296.
