THE POTBELLIED VIRGIN, or, LA COFRADIA DEL MULLO DE LA VIRGEN PIPONA by ALICIA YOSSO
SUMMARY
In a small town there is a Spanish family named the Benavideses who oppose the Indian Pandos family in a small town. All of the Pandos' land was stolen by the first Benavides to arrive in the area, Both the Pandos and Benavides families are run by men, although the Benavides men run their family from abroad and allow the townspeople to believe that the Benavides women are in charge while maintaining order with a military force.
One member of the Benavides family, Manuel was told he was a bastard by his parents and defected to become a Pandos. Jose Pando is a longtime servant for the Benavideses. The two families share little in common besides devotion to a statue of a potbellied virgin.
The town's former priest, de los Angeles, founded the sisterhood of virgins for which the statue of a potbellied virgin stands. De los Angeles founded the sisterhood to purify young Indian girls the Pandos family was using to keep the Indian race alive. Since the creation of the statue, the Benavides girls have been charged with cleaning and dressing the virgin and cutting off their own blonde hair in turns to fashion the statue wigs. One day when the Benavides girls were dressing the statue they were attacked by the townspeople for dressing too provocatively, and Manuel Pandos came to their rescue.
Dona Carmen Benavides gained favor with de los Angeles. She sent her sons into the Priesthood and lobbied the Vatican for a deaconry. The sisterhood gained permission from the Vatican to excommunicate people. De los Angeles dies, and the town has not found a replacement by the time Dona Carmen decides to seize control, declaring herself leader of the town's church and enforcing with an old family hunting rifle in the hands of Jose. Carmen kidnaps three missionaries and bribes them to allow her to run the town's church.
A drought sweeps the area, and the bishop orders that another wooden virgin be carried to each drought-ridden town. After the virgin leaves town the drought returns, so villages begin fighting over the statue. The bishop decides to put the potbellied virgin into circulation, as well, to stop the bickering. After the sisterhood refuses to comply with the bishop's orders, the ishop sends in the Benavideses' troops who the townspeople band together to fight against with household items. Although many civilians are injured or killed, the townspeople drive the soldiers away. People whisper that the virgin lost her potbelly because she gave birth to a God during the battle.
Carmen hires a new organ player for the church named Figueroa. Magdalena Benavides and Figueroa run away together. To replace Magdalena as handmaid to the virgin, Carmen hires Manuel's daughter, Marianita. The virgin's potbelly returns.
Manuel Pando and the church's magistrate promote a communist agenda. Jorge Pando spraypainted the town's walls with communist graffiti and Carmen gives Jorge a bicycle so that Jorge will not spraypaint the town anymore. Under pressure from the sisterhood, the magistrate sends his daughters, Socialjustice, Surplusvalue, and Passionaria, to give thanks to the virgin. Carmen then orders all the books which Manuel Pando enjoys from the library and burns them. After Carmen catches the magistrate crossing out one of the sisterhood's signs, Carmen fires the magistrate and hires Nicasio Pando.
Townspeople argue about whether or not to resist the Benavideses. Jorge and his friends build Molotov cocktails and kill one of their opponents. Some communists murder Nicasio. Jose Pando defects from the Benavideses and tells Manuel Pando that the men run the Benavides family and that the army is paid by the Benavideses to suppress the Indians. Manuel spreads the word to the townspeople just as the military throws a parade to announce its good intentions. Everyone but the Benavideses leaves town.
ANALYSIS
The Benavides family is a symbol for the Spanish conquistadors of South America. The Pandos family is a symbol for the native inhabitants of South America. The interactions between the two families in this novel illustrate the injustice many native inhabitants of countries endure at the hands of colonists. In the end, the Indians leave the Benavideses' ill-gotten town, choosing to self-govern rather than be controlled by illegitimate rulers. It's not clear if relocating is a suggestion the author is making.
A communist interpretation of the word 'bourgeoisie' is used in this novel to emphasize that the entire production chain is corrupted for natives in a colonized society. In order to get a job, one must speak the language of their employers. If the employers are colonists who have stolen all of the nearby land, rendering the natives poor, then one must submit to being colonized in order to survive in the colonial society. Provided conquering the colonists is not an option, the only recourse for a native who does not wish to bow to an alien ruler is to leave.
The virgin symbolizes white purity to the Spanish settlers. To the Indians, it symbolizes hope. The statue gives birth when the Indians mount a resistance to the Spanish army, implying that the spirit which had been coiling within the townspeople had released. When Marianita, an Indian girl, became the virgin's new handmaid, the virgin became pregnant again. This second pregnancy resulted in the second rebellion of the town's desertion by its original rulers.
Although the metaphors in this book were entirely too heavy-handed, Cossio has an enjoyable writing style. There is very little dialogue and nearly all conversations are summarized. The obvious symbols and direct narrative waste little of the reader's time. viva la reabhloid
SUMMARY
In a small town there is a Spanish family named the Benavideses who oppose the Indian Pandos family in a small town. All of the Pandos' land was stolen by the first Benavides to arrive in the area, Both the Pandos and Benavides families are run by men, although the Benavides men run their family from abroad and allow the townspeople to believe that the Benavides women are in charge while maintaining order with a military force.
One member of the Benavides family, Manuel was told he was a bastard by his parents and defected to become a Pandos. Jose Pando is a longtime servant for the Benavideses. The two families share little in common besides devotion to a statue of a potbellied virgin.
The town's former priest, de los Angeles, founded the sisterhood of virgins for which the statue of a potbellied virgin stands. De los Angeles founded the sisterhood to purify young Indian girls the Pandos family was using to keep the Indian race alive. Since the creation of the statue, the Benavides girls have been charged with cleaning and dressing the virgin and cutting off their own blonde hair in turns to fashion the statue wigs. One day when the Benavides girls were dressing the statue they were attacked by the townspeople for dressing too provocatively, and Manuel Pandos came to their rescue.
Dona Carmen Benavides gained favor with de los Angeles. She sent her sons into the Priesthood and lobbied the Vatican for a deaconry. The sisterhood gained permission from the Vatican to excommunicate people. De los Angeles dies, and the town has not found a replacement by the time Dona Carmen decides to seize control, declaring herself leader of the town's church and enforcing with an old family hunting rifle in the hands of Jose. Carmen kidnaps three missionaries and bribes them to allow her to run the town's church.
A drought sweeps the area, and the bishop orders that another wooden virgin be carried to each drought-ridden town. After the virgin leaves town the drought returns, so villages begin fighting over the statue. The bishop decides to put the potbellied virgin into circulation, as well, to stop the bickering. After the sisterhood refuses to comply with the bishop's orders, the ishop sends in the Benavideses' troops who the townspeople band together to fight against with household items. Although many civilians are injured or killed, the townspeople drive the soldiers away. People whisper that the virgin lost her potbelly because she gave birth to a God during the battle.
Carmen hires a new organ player for the church named Figueroa. Magdalena Benavides and Figueroa run away together. To replace Magdalena as handmaid to the virgin, Carmen hires Manuel's daughter, Marianita. The virgin's potbelly returns.
Manuel Pando and the church's magistrate promote a communist agenda. Jorge Pando spraypainted the town's walls with communist graffiti and Carmen gives Jorge a bicycle so that Jorge will not spraypaint the town anymore. Under pressure from the sisterhood, the magistrate sends his daughters, Socialjustice, Surplusvalue, and Passionaria, to give thanks to the virgin. Carmen then orders all the books which Manuel Pando enjoys from the library and burns them. After Carmen catches the magistrate crossing out one of the sisterhood's signs, Carmen fires the magistrate and hires Nicasio Pando.
Townspeople argue about whether or not to resist the Benavideses. Jorge and his friends build Molotov cocktails and kill one of their opponents. Some communists murder Nicasio. Jose Pando defects from the Benavideses and tells Manuel Pando that the men run the Benavides family and that the army is paid by the Benavideses to suppress the Indians. Manuel spreads the word to the townspeople just as the military throws a parade to announce its good intentions. Everyone but the Benavideses leaves town.
ANALYSIS
The Benavides family is a symbol for the Spanish conquistadors of South America. The Pandos family is a symbol for the native inhabitants of South America. The interactions between the two families in this novel illustrate the injustice many native inhabitants of countries endure at the hands of colonists. In the end, the Indians leave the Benavideses' ill-gotten town, choosing to self-govern rather than be controlled by illegitimate rulers. It's not clear if relocating is a suggestion the author is making.
A communist interpretation of the word 'bourgeoisie' is used in this novel to emphasize that the entire production chain is corrupted for natives in a colonized society. In order to get a job, one must speak the language of their employers. If the employers are colonists who have stolen all of the nearby land, rendering the natives poor, then one must submit to being colonized in order to survive in the colonial society. Provided conquering the colonists is not an option, the only recourse for a native who does not wish to bow to an alien ruler is to leave.
The virgin symbolizes white purity to the Spanish settlers. To the Indians, it symbolizes hope. The statue gives birth when the Indians mount a resistance to the Spanish army, implying that the spirit which had been coiling within the townspeople had released. When Marianita, an Indian girl, became the virgin's new handmaid, the virgin became pregnant again. This second pregnancy resulted in the second rebellion of the town's desertion by its original rulers.
Although the metaphors in this book were entirely too heavy-handed, Cossio has an enjoyable writing style. There is very little dialogue and nearly all conversations are summarized. The obvious symbols and direct narrative waste little of the reader's time. viva la reabhloid
- Two rival families live together in a small town
- One of the families siezes control of the church and oppresses the other family
- The oppressed family decides to leave the town
SOURCE
Cossío, Alicia Yánez. The Potbellied Virgin. Trans. Amalia Gladhart. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Book about the fight for domination of a small town.
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