Staging Frontiers: The Making of Modern Popular Culture in Argentina and Uruguay

296 Pages·2019·7.289 MB·English

by  William Garrett Acree Jr.

Staging Frontiers
Diálogos Series
Kris Lane, Series Editor
Understanding Latin America demands dialogue, deep exploration, and frank dis-
cussion of key topics. Founded by Lyman L. Johnson in 1992 and edited since 2013 by
Kris Lane, the Diálogos Series focuses on innovative scholarship in Latin American
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Also available in the Diálogos Series:
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For additional titles in the Diálogos Series, please visit unmpress.com.
A c r e e Jr.
G a r r e t t
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W i l l i a n t i e r s
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Sta g i u l a r
The M a k i nAgr go ef nMt iondae ra nn dP oUpr u g u a y
Culture i n
University of New Mexico Press • Albuquerque
© 2019 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2019
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-8263-6104-2 (cloth)
ISBN 978-0-8263-6105-9 (paper)
ISBN 978-0-8263-6106-6 (electronic)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019948070
Cover illustration: cover of Caras y Caretas, September 9, 1905(cid:1)
Designed by Felicia Cedillos
For
Sophia Acree
Mi sol, mi luna, fuente de alegría, mi alma, mi hija—
te amo hasta el infinito
Cecilia Hanan Reyes
Exemplar of resilience and courage, whose smile and laughter can change
the world; master teacher; and my dearest friend
Rebecca Lynn Chiz Acree
Pillar of strength; remarkable storyteller; endless source of creative energy;
giver of boundless love; and my mother

Contents
.
List of Illustrations
ix
Acknowledgments
xi
Introduction
Heterogeneous, Mundane, and Transformative
1
PART 
A Cultural History of Popular Entertainment (1780s–1880s)
Chapter 1
Royal Impressions and Patriotic Diversions
The Social World of Entertainment
15
Chapter 2
Hemispheric Travelers
37
vii
viii contents
PART 
Equestrian Showmen Onstage and Off (1860s–1910s)
Chapter 3
The Best Show in Town, Straight from the Countryside
67
Chapter 4
Going Creole
97
Chapter 5
Playing Gaucho and the Making of Tradition
129
PART 
Consolidating the Popular Culture Marketplace (1890s–2010s)
Chapter 6
Debating Cultural Representation
161
Chapter 7
Downfall and Legacy
185
Curtain
209
Notes
223
Bibliography
249
Index
267
Illustrations
.
Map
1.1. Map of the regional performance circuit. xvi
Figures
1.1. Carlos Enrique Pellegrini, representation of the fiestas mayas
in Buenos Aires, circa 1841. 32
2.1. The Teatro Solís in Montevideo, circa 1860. 45
2.2. Juan León Pallière, Cazuela del Teatro Colón, circa 1858. 46
2.3. An advertisement for the showman Monsieur Robert, 1842. 50
2.4. Sketch of the Carlo Brothers Circus, 1882. 61
3.1. Poster for an 1892 performance of Martín Fierro. 68
3.2. José Podestá as Martín Fierro in 1890. 70
3.3. A payada scene from Juan Moreira. 76
3.4. Moreira confronts the storeowner Sardetti in a classic
knife fight. 76
3.5. The joyful fiesta campestre in Juan Moreira. 89
4.1. Dr. Roberto Bouton displaying sabor criollo, circa 1890. 101
4.2. Gabino Ezeiza with one of his payador opponents in 1889. 103
4.3. Poster for Podestá-Scotti performances of Juan Moreira and
El Entenao. 121
4.4. Poster for a Podestá-Scotti performance of Juan Moreira. 121
ix