D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
May
2009
You Say You Want a Revolution?
The new Museo Casasola in Mesilla commemorates the spirit of the Mexican Revolution.
By Jeff Berg
Perhaps my neighbor has the best outlook on how most people in this area view the diverse cultures that co-exist in southern New Mexico.
 |
"Revolution Times" (Mexiamerica Colection, Casasola Museum) |
Her observation is that for most of the incoming Anglos, and a fair amount of Anglo natives or long-time residents, it is enough for them to put a piece of art made by a Mexican artist on the wall, buy a basket made in Chiapas, enjoy an occasional plato of border cuisine, or attend a cultural event every now and again.
But hardly anyone bothers to really learn about the people in this culture — their history, their lives. (This goes both ways, actually.) It is not uncommon for many to mispronounce names and not even know the simplest of Spanish language words or phrases. Few if any know or understand that they live on land that was once part of Mexico and that, in the minds of some, should still be so.
The history is getting away from all of us — which is one of the observations of Carlos Vigueras, who has set up an enlightening exhibit/museum, Museo Casasola, in a small old adobe structure near the heart of Mesilla.
Within, Vigueras and many others, mostly fellow photographers, have made available about 200 photographs of Mexico, divided roughly into three areas: modern day, recent past and the Mexican Revolution period, which represents a majority of the images. The photos are part of a collection of more than 100,000 images kept in 1,000 cartons that Vigueras has access to. They come in part from the collection of Federico Casasola, a co-founder of the museum.
Mixed in with the photographs are any number of historical items including old newspapers, books, vintage cameras, riding gear, artwork of all types and even a "singing" pair of Dios de la Muerto skeletons who croak out an homage to Sonny and Cher with their rendition of "I've Got You Babe." There is also a copy of the inaugural issue of El Continental, the first Spanish-language newspaper to be published in El Paso and a former employer of Vigueras.
Present-day Mexico is also represented through photographs and art, including a diorama by Deming artist Paul Hoylen.
Hoylen's donation to the museum is somewhat unusual, as it depicts a scene using dolls to reflect the femicide crisis in Juarez. More than 500 women have been murdered over the last decade or so, all without justice, and the number of killings continues to rise, with an estimated 100-125 occurring in 2008. Hoylen's usual work is colorful and whimsical (his art is used on the menu of the Pink Store in Palomas, for example), but this piece clearly offers a different view of his capabilities.
Although the femicide issue has been somewhat pushed aside over the last year or so, it was the work of Vigueras and numerous other Mexican photojournalists that helped bring the subject to the attention of America. Their work was highlighted in Charles Bowden's seminal photo-essay book, Juarez — the Laboratory of Our Future, published in 1998.
The outside of the museum has a number of copies of reproduced fliers that highlight Pancho Villa, who is clearly one of the soft-spoken Viguera's most admired men.
Carlos Vigueras has several goals with this exhibit, entitled "One Hundred Years of Reality, 1910-2010." He emphasizes that it is not a museum about Mexico, but rather a place to share information about that important part of Mexican history that was the revolution.
"One goal we have is a reunion here in Mesilla [in November] of relatives of people who fought in the Mexican Revolution," he says. "It will allow us to see if things are any more in balance — if poverty and ignorance have disappeared, if things are better now or if they are still similar to the way things were 100 years ago."
The museum/exhibit will be around at least through the end of the year at its present location. Vigueras hopes that the Mesilla community will help in putting together a larger, permanent home for this collection. He is also working to attain grant funding.
Vigueras picks up a book by James Hurst entitled The Villista Prisoners. He fans through it as he tells a slightly different story of the famed raid by Pancho Villa on Columbus in 1916. Hurst's book is the story of the men who raided Columbus, nearly 500 — many of whom were allegedly forced to do so by Villa, being told to "fight or be shot." Later, some of these men were captured by pursuing American troops and tried for murder. Several were hanged, and others were imprisoned at the state pen in Santa Fe for several years before being returned to Mexico.
"The corruption and big power of government led to this," Vigueras says. "Villa escaped and the US Army was finding innocent people in Palomas to arrest without using translators."
Vigueras notes the passing of several fancy cars outside the museum. With a slight sigh he wonders aloud why anyone needs such a big shiny vehicle and if they know the history of the area in which they are motoring through.
"It's a little poetic to do this, to take the people a bit of history," he adds. "But that's what these paintings and photos do — take you down the street of history."
During my first visit to Museo Casasola, an acquaintance of Vigueras happens in, a gentleman flush with southwestern history and trivia. He proceeds to tell us stories about Pascal Orozco, a onetime commander of Villa, and relates how Orozco and Victoriano Huerta, both key figures in the revolution, were buried in El Paso. (Only Huerta — a marijuana-loving dictator hopeful considered a traitor by many Mexicans, is still buried there, as Orozco's remains were later taken back to Mexico.) He spins tales of "Frenchie," the gentleman who came to light in recent years as the man who supposedly built the famed and — until recently — mysterious spiral staircase of Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. Frenchie was a local, living in Dark Canyon, near Alamogordo — which leads to stories about Eugene Manlove Rhodes, a noted author also from that same area.
My second visit sort of picks up where the first left off, as Vigueras tells of other US connections to the Mexican Revolution, such as Venustiano Carranza's relatives and others who live in and around El Paso. Carranza was president of Mexico until his assassination in 1920.
"This could be a wonderful reunion with history between the two sides of the revolution," Vigueras says as he again speaks of the planned November event. "More than 1.5 million people died during the Mexican Revolution, and many others immigrated to the US; still others went back to Mexico to join the fight but then came back over the border. We need to know more about the soldiers of the revolution who might have died for their ideals — ideals that their families might not have understood. We need to have people speak out about the facts of the revolution and help bring dignity to them. They should be proud of their relatives who died."
It's been tough going so far, as donations and visitors have not been arriving in overwhelming numbers. But Vigueras remains optimistic. The Mexican Revolution has been going on for almost 100 years now, after all, and one or two more years might still be needed to complete it.
The Casasola Museum/Museo Casasola is located at 2222 Avenida de Mesilla, directly across the street from the Mesilla Village offices. Hours vary, but it is usually open from Thursday through Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. Call 312-0257 for more information, or visit www.casasolamuseum.com
Senior writer Jeff Berg remains at large in Las Cruces.