Dancing Throughout Mexican History (1325-1910)

This book is a must read for anyone who would like to learn more about Dance in Mexican History. It is an especially important reference for teachers of Mexican Folkloric Dance who would like to incorporate Mexican Dance History into their teachings. Using the time frame of 1325-1910, Martínez-Hunter skillfully gives a brief overview of Mexican history accompanied by an analysis of the dances during this period. She begins by diving into accounts of the Aztec dances in Pre-Hispanic Mexico before and after the conquest. Then, she describes the Dance Dramas that arose when the Spanish began to Christianize the Indigenous people. During the Spanish colonization, Martínez-Hunter notes the ways in which theatrical dances were imported from Europe to Mexico; the influences of the court dances including the pavane, sarabande, and the chaconne which began in the New World and traveled to Europe; as well as the Indigenous, mestizo, Chilean, and African influences on the dances of Mexico. Then, covering the dances during the Independence of Mexico (1810-1821) until the beginnings of the Mexican Revolutionary War (1910-1920), Martínez-Hunter juxtaposes the popularity of the European ballroom dances with the dances of the peasant people known as jarabes and sones. To honor the life’s work of Martínez-Hunter all the photographs of the jarabes and sones included in this book feature her dancers of the University of Texas at Austin Ballet Folklorico from the 1970s. They document her many contributions to Dance when she was a faculty member at this institution.