Xtabentum: The Mexican Revolution

In the early twentieth century, Mexican society bore a great division in social classes. Although wealthy Spanish families were the minority of Mexico’s population, they owned most of the lands in the country. The tension between the people of European ancestry and the native Indians eventually led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Xtabentum: A Novel of the Yucatán by Rosy Hugener is a novel about the history of a family in Mérida, which interestingly reflected the serious conflicts between different classes as well as the major changes in the society before and after the Civil War. In her book, Hugener successfully described the relations of race and class in that period of time, the cost of henequen plantations as well as the two prominent
First of all, The Diaz family belonged to the elite upper class. The master Aurelio Diaz was an importer who bought luxury merchandise from Europe and then sold them to the rich Merida families (Hugener 20). His wife Norma Cirerol Diaz was from a rich haciendas owner’s family (Hugener 20). The two parents and their two daughters appeared to have light skin, which showed that they were from Spanish origin (Hugener 16, 18, 22, 36). The Diaz family was actually one of the most liberal ones in Mérida at that time. They allowed Cacho, daughter of Jovita, Amanda Diaz’s wet nurse, to go to school, let their daughter Amanda played with her and treated her almost like a family member. However, the Diaz family was apparently treated better by other people. Also, Amanda and Cacho were sent to different schools (Hugener 72). This proved that the two girls fell into two completely separate social groups even though the segregation was minimized to the lowest level in the Diaz
Henequen was a plant that “produced a rich fiber that was the strongest available for decades” and used to make rope and twine (Hugener 17). Because of its great value, the plant became the leading export of the Yucatan peninsula at that time (Hugener 18). Henequen trade was not a fair and free market but a monopoly system dominated by old hacienda families (Hugener 18). Furthermore, the henequen plants needed to grow seven years before they could be harvested. The plant had spikes at the end of its leaves, and the mature plant could be higher than an adult. All of the henequen workers were actually the Indians, and they were treated as slaves. They had to work on the farms without any protection clothes or gears. That was the reason why the henequen could be the source of wealth to the hacienda owners but a living hell to the Indian workers. Generally, the henequen was one of the causes leading to the