Latin American Theatre Review

Abstract:

This article studies the Baile o sainete del mercachifle, by Diego Molina, an entremés produced in the Audiencia de Quito, around 1750. This theatrical piece articulates the anxiety of the colonial elite regarding the access of subalternized groups—especially women of African descent—to objects that were considered exclusive to the ruling class, such as the textiles and luxury accessories in which the play's protagonist trades. The article highlights the socio-racial and gender tensions of colonial society as portrayed in the relationships between the main character and the female characters. The analysis of Molina's sainete reveals the urge of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment to control the apparent social disorder caused by sexual unions between people of different socio-racial status and by the transgressions that individuals considered to be of an inferior position were willing to commit in order to move up. This study highlights the complexities and paradoxes posed by interracial unions, the yearning of the colonial elite to move towards an ideal, predominantly White-Spanish society, and the efforts to define the identity of colonial subjects.