The re-signification of Llorona through the ages: from myth to political performance

Abstract

Introduction: La Llorona is a legendary figure of Mexican and Latin American oral culture, the mother condemned to wander through eternity in search of her children. Over time, for socio-political reasons, La Llorona has undergone different re-significations. Methodology: This text, through a qualitative bibliographical analysis of primary and secondary sources and songs, aims to approach the symbolic evolution of this figure. Furthermore, through a focus on the evolution of the current cultural product, in relation to the context that has generated it, to analyse who is the Llorona of our time. Results: From the all-powerful pre-Columbian mother, to today's mothers of the disappeared in Mexico, who come to identify themselves and claim the Llorona, as did the relatives of the Ayotzinapa students. Today the mothers of the victims unite in socio-political movements, seeking justice. Conclusions: A figure as remote as the Llorona unveils its actuality by becoming a lens for analysing the Mexican socio-political and cultural reality, thanks to an interdisciplinary crossover between cultural analysis and politics.