Sol, Sombra, y Media Luz: History, Parody, and Identity Formation in the Mexican American Carpa

Abstract

This paper analyzes a parody of the tango "A media luz" that was performed by Rodolfo García, a Mexican American comedian who worked in his family's tent show, the Carpa García, in the early 1940s. I argue that by juxtaposing the generic conventions of the tango with those of the canción ranchera and by introducing carni valesque humor, Mr. Garcia's parody articulated a distinctly local Mexican American identity which was strongly linked to a sense of working-class masculinity. In this way, the parody highlights the class- and gender-based contradictions that were inherent in ongoing processes of Mexican American identity formation at mid-century.