Pelado
Encyclopedia
In Mexican culture in society, pelado is "a term invented to describe a certain class of urban "bum" in Mexico in the 1920s."
Mexico has a long tradition of urban poverty, beginning with the léperos, a segregated caste
of Mestizo
s, Central American people
, and illegitimate Criollos during the colonial era. The léperos, viewed as unrespectable people by polite society, supported themselves as they could through vending or begging, but many resorted to crime. They established a thieves market across from the viceregal palace, which was later moved to the Tepito
area of the working-class Colonia Guerrero. They spent much of their time in taverns, leading to the official promotion of theatre as an alternative.
Initially, many of these plays were organized by the church, but the people soon set up their own theaters, where the humor of the taverns survived. The rowdy, often illegal stagings were no place for sophisticated plot lines or character development, and the carpa
("tent") theatre relied heavily on stock characters who could deliver quick laughs. The pelado became one of them.
Literally meaning "peeled" (barren, bleak, or exposed), the term referred to the penniless urban slum-dwellers, uprooted from the countryside and un
- and under
-employed. Like the léperos before them, they represented an underprivileged element with criminal tendencies — a threat to Mexican society. But in addition to their predecessors' problems adjusting to urban life and surviving, the pelado of the early twentieth century was also wedged between traditional and modern societies. "Pelado" also means "cut hair", referring to the custom in jails and assistance institutions to cut the inmates' hair in order to prevent lice and other parasites. Thus, "pelado" becomes a catch-all term for low-class and low-culture people.
As Mexican government sought to define itself as modern, the philosopher Samuel Ramos saw the pelado as a symbol on Mexican identity. "The pelado belongs to the lowest of social categories, and represents the human detritus of the big city."
In philosopher Samuel Ramos
' 1934 ontological study of the Mexican character, the pelado is described as "the most elemental and clearly defined expression of national character."
One shrewder, gentler subgenre of the pelado archetype
is the peladito, a type epitomized by Cantinflas
. According to the comedian, "The peladito is the creature who came from the carpas with a face stained with flour or white paint, dressed in rags, the pants below the waist and covered with patches, the belt replaced by an old tie, the peaked cap representing a hat, the ruffled underwear that shows at any provocation, the torn shirt, and gabardine across his left shoulder."
Mexico has a long tradition of urban poverty, beginning with the léperos, a segregated caste
Casta
Casta is a Portuguese and Spanish term used in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries mainly in Spanish America to describe as a whole the mixed-race people which appeared in the post-Conquest period...
of Mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
s, Central American people
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
, and illegitimate Criollos during the colonial era. The léperos, viewed as unrespectable people by polite society, supported themselves as they could through vending or begging, but many resorted to crime. They established a thieves market across from the viceregal palace, which was later moved to the Tepito
Tepito
Tepito is a barrio located in Colonia Morelos in the Cuauhtémoc borough of Mexico City bordered by Avenida del Trabajo, Paseo de la Reforma, Eje 1 and Eje 2. Most of the neighborhood is taken up by the colorful tianguis or open-air market. Tepito’s economy has been linked to tianguis or traditional...
area of the working-class Colonia Guerrero. They spent much of their time in taverns, leading to the official promotion of theatre as an alternative.
Initially, many of these plays were organized by the church, but the people soon set up their own theaters, where the humor of the taverns survived. The rowdy, often illegal stagings were no place for sophisticated plot lines or character development, and the carpa
Carpa
In Mexico and the Southwestern United States, the carpa theater flourished during the 1920s and 30s. Like its American counterpart vaudeville, performances were varied, including comedic sketches, puppet shows, political satire, acrobatics, and dance.Some well-known carpas include Carpa Valentina...
("tent") theatre relied heavily on stock characters who could deliver quick laughs. The pelado became one of them.
Literally meaning "peeled" (barren, bleak, or exposed), the term referred to the penniless urban slum-dwellers, uprooted from the countryside and un
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
- and under
Underemployment
Underemployment refers to an employment situation that is insufficient in some important way for the worker, relative to a standard. Examples include holding a part-time job despite desiring full-time work, and overqualification, where the employee has education, experience, or skills beyond the...
-employed. Like the léperos before them, they represented an underprivileged element with criminal tendencies — a threat to Mexican society. But in addition to their predecessors' problems adjusting to urban life and surviving, the pelado of the early twentieth century was also wedged between traditional and modern societies. "Pelado" also means "cut hair", referring to the custom in jails and assistance institutions to cut the inmates' hair in order to prevent lice and other parasites. Thus, "pelado" becomes a catch-all term for low-class and low-culture people.
As Mexican government sought to define itself as modern, the philosopher Samuel Ramos saw the pelado as a symbol on Mexican identity. "The pelado belongs to the lowest of social categories, and represents the human detritus of the big city."
In philosopher Samuel Ramos
Samuel Ramos
Dr. Samuel Ramos was a Mexican philosopher and writer.Ramos was born in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, and in 1909 entered the Colegio de San Nicolás in Hidalgo. He published his first works in the school's student publication Flor de Loto...
' 1934 ontological study of the Mexican character, the pelado is described as "the most elemental and clearly defined expression of national character."
One shrewder, gentler subgenre of the pelado archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
is the peladito, a type epitomized by Cantinflas
Cantinflas
Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes , was a Mexican comic film actor, producer, and screenwriter known professionally as Cantinflas. He often portrayed impoverished campesinos or a peasant of pelado origin...
. According to the comedian, "The peladito is the creature who came from the carpas with a face stained with flour or white paint, dressed in rags, the pants below the waist and covered with patches, the belt replaced by an old tie, the peaked cap representing a hat, the ruffled underwear that shows at any provocation, the torn shirt, and gabardine across his left shoulder."