Presentation

Abstract

The historical construction of the images that constitute a people's culture and shape their reality is a strenuous exercise, not without its controversies and theoretical discords. The dossier of this number of FIGURAS REVISTA ACADÉMICA DE INVESTIGACIÓN, comprised of one article and two essays, explores the controverted image of the last Mexican tlatoani. The academic article "El emperador de Ixcateopan: fraude, nacionalismo y memoria en el México moderno" (The emperor of Ixcateopan: fraud, nationalism and memory in modern Mexico) offers a critical view into the falsification of Cuauhtémoc's grave as an example of symbolic manipulation of the past. It highlights how different social actors participated in the construction of a national narrative. The essays on the section Escenas complement this thought, as they go deep into the complexities of the power and memory of prehispanic and modern Mexico. The article "El destino del guerrero capturado. Los casos de Tlacahuepan, Tlahuicole, Motecuhzoma y Cuauhtémoc" (The fate of the captured warrior: The cases of Tlacahuepan, Tlahuicole, Motecuhzoma and Cuauhtémoc) examines the destinies of nahua warriors, and how they imply the exceptions or ritualistic anomalies and politics between the living and the dead. "Cuauhtémoc y Hernán Cortés y la polémica entre la Antropología, la Arqueología y la Historia" (Cuauhtémoc and Hernán Cortés and the controversy between Antropology, Arqueology and History) , however, analyzes the sociohistorical conditions that surrounded the search for Cuauhtémoc's remains in the 20th century; this article shows how the ambiguity around Cuautéhmoc's death has fed academic interest and prompted ideological disputes that even now continue to shape our national imaginary. Together, these texts reveal that the past is not a neutral zone, but a strategic tool of power that involves a multitude of actors and disciplines.

In the section Perspectivas, two of the five articles also discuss historical grievances. "Dependecia ininterrumpida: la revolución pasiva y limitada de México (1910-1920)" (Uninterrupted dependency: the limited and pasive revolution of Mexico (1910-1920)) sustains that the Mexican Revolution was a process that did not manage to escape external dependece. At the same time, "La Universidad escindida" (The split university) analyzes how two academic and institutionalized groups, under the authority of Pablo González Casanova, boosted the creation of the Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades (College of Sciences and Humanities), consolidating an educational and innovative project in the UNAM. Both studies delve into the transformations that, in Mexico, have been marked by attempts of change within persistent structures. The remaining three busy themselves with kee methodological inquiries for Mexico's social research from different perspectives. The article "Impacto del perfil docente en la enseñanza crítical del arte: caso Zacatlán, Puebla" (Impact of the educator in the critical teaching of art: the  case of Zacatlán Puebla) explores how the specialized pedagogical practices of art contribute to the comprehensive development of public middle school students; "El federalismo con perspectiva de género en México" (Federalism with a Gender Perspective in Mexico) analyzes the uneven implementation of this perspective in State Development Plans, highlighting its limited effectiveness in addressing gender issues in a uniform manner; meanwhile, “Ciencia política experimental: causualidad en el análisis político empírico" (Experimental political science: causality in empirical political analysis) reviews the relevance of the experimental method in political studies and establishes causal, methodological, and ethical relationships.

Finally, in the section Resonancias, the critical reviews of the books Escultura sintecho by Günther Anders and Los intrusos by Alma Mancilla allow us a bare witness two great events of transformation: that of the aesthetic producing technologies and that of the narratives of displeasure. Both reviews demonstrate how art and culture can be critical devices that disturb the balance of conventional representation figures.