Tiempo de vals

Description

Located in Tlaxcala, central Mexico, Tetlanohcan was until recently a very poor agricultural village that remained largely isolated from the outside world. But following the establishment of some assembly plants in the vicinity and with the remittances sent back by migrants to the US, new wealth is flowing into the community. The villagers have decided to spend a considerable proportion of this new wealth on reinventing the quinceañera rite of passage fiesta, a celebration found throughout the Latin world at which 15-year-old girls are 'brought out' into society for the first time. The new fiesta at Tetlanohcan is a wonderful syncretic mix of the traditional Catholic mass with themes drawn from Disney and spaghetti westerns, all set to the Blue Danube waltz music. The event is all recorded by videographers so that even migrant villagers resident in New York can enjoy it. Tiempo de Vals mixes observational footage and testimonials from three generations of women to represent both the cultural and economic impact of globalization on this part of Mexico over the last 40 years.

Runtime

22 minutes

Subjects

Geography

Genre

Database

Alexander Street

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