50 pages • 1 hour read
The Hacienda
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Themes
The Trauma of Colonial Oppression
The effects of colonialism appear throughout the novel through the presence of racism, colorism, and discrimination. The main characters experience these effects from society and within their own families, making it impossible for them to ever be free of the weight of colonization, even after Mexican independence.
The dehumanization Beatriz Hernández Valenzuela experiences from Tía Fernanda due to her race causes her to lose her sense of identity. In Tía Fernanda’s house, Beatriz becomes nothing more than “a body without a voice, a shadow melting into the walls of a too-crowded house” (19). This feeling makes Beatriz rationalize her decision to marry Rodolfo despite her mother’s warning against him. However, Beatriz discovers that the Spanish community will always treat her as inferior, no matter who she marries, because of her skin color. Doña María José reinforces this when she tells Beatriz that she is “nearly as lovely as Doña María Catalina, though quite darker” (27). Cañas ties this dehumanization to the colonial obsession with “pure” bloodlines.
Despite the abolishment of the casta system, the interactions between the characters and the state of the society show that the belief system still exists in the minds of individuals. María Catalina and Rodolfo both ignore Mestizo people as if they “[do] not see faces that [are] not peninsular or Criollo” (40). The Criollo characters are aware of their privilege and use systemic racism to their advantage. One of the only reasons Juana accuses Beatriz of Rodolfo’s murder is because she knows that “the word of a criolla […] [is] still worth that of two Indios in court” (279). She knows that no one will take the word of Beatriz, the servants, or even Andrés over her own. Even though the insurgents won the war, the colonial mindset continues to harm Mexican society with its dehumanization of Mestizo and Indigenous people. This lingering harm is symbolized by María Catalina’s ghost, who terrorizes Beatriz and others even after her death.
Every character—except the Spanish individuals—experiences dehumanization through the racist structure of the casta system. The fracture of Beatriz’s family over her parents’ marriage reveals how difficult it is to unlearn and restructure society after colonial oppression. Beatriz’s mother’s family becomes preoccupied with the idea of “cleanliness of blood,” which is the “poisonous Criollo obsession with casta, the belief that any non-peninsular heritage spoiled what was desirable and pure” (135). Due to racism, Beatriz must live with the repercussions of colonization for the rest of her life because the society she lives in values white supremacy over cultural diversity. However, these effects can be mitigated by confronting racist beliefs head-on. This is represented in Beatriz and Andrés’s actions in the book’s climax. Rather than fleeing, they confront María Catalina, risking death. In the end, they banish her from San Isidro and Beatriz returns the hacienda to the Indigenous people, symbolizing a step toward resolving colonial trauma.
The Importance of Honoring Cultural Identity
The main characters of The Hacienda must choose between surviving in a racist society and preserving and honoring their cultural heritage and identity. Beatriz and Andrés both struggle with prioritizing self-preservation as a means of survival, yet Cañas uses the climax of the novel to highlight the importance of honoring cultural identity in the face of colonial oppression. This theme ties in with The Trauma of Colonial Oppression.
The spread of Catholicism in Mexico led to the loss of cultural identity for many Mestizo and Indigenous people, especially because of the threat of the Mexican Inquisition. In the seminary, Andrés feels as if the “Inquisition hovered over [his] shoulder like the shroud of death, ever watchful, its clammy breath foul on the back of [his] neck” (33). He experiences abuse from his own father because of his magical abilities; his father tells him that “they burn people” like him and that God will send him to hell like he deserves (185). This dual threat of both spiritual and physical torment forces Andrés to hide parts of himself to survive. When he returns to Apan, he is torn between keeping himself safe and ministering to the villagers. Because of his guilt over Mariana’s death, he does not fully come into his power until the end of the narrative; however, Andrés understands that he is a bridge between cultural tradition and Catholicism for the villagers. The emotional and spiritual guidance that Titi provided to her community is something that the villagers cannot live without. As a priest and a witch, Andrés knows that “tending to lost souls is [his] vocation” (182). His acceptance of the Christian God does not mean he has to abandon his people and his traditions; instead, he finds that it is important to accept the duality of both religions and tend to the diversity of souls around him.
Andrés shows his triumph in choosing to honor and accept his cultural identity when he purges his home of María Catalina’s spirit. Notably, this is something that Padre Vicente could not do with Catholic rites alone. Andrés expelling María Catalina’s spirit from San Isidro is an inversion of when she banished him for trying to help Mariana. This creates a reversal of power dynamics, and Andrés has peace knowing that “there is only One who decides who burns and who does not” (319). By coming into his own power by honoring his cultural identity, Andrés proves that neither María Catalina nor any other Criollo has power over his soul.
The Existence of the Supernatural
Cañas uses The Existence of the Supernatural to represent the traumas of the past and the threat that the past could extinguish the present. This theme is common in the Gothic literary tradition that Cañas is drawing from; however, Cañas reimagines this theme to represent the undercurrents of colonization and white supremacy that threaten to suppress the cultural heritage of the Mexican people.
San Isidro torments Beatriz through the vengeful spirit of María Catalina. As Beatriz begins experiencing hallucinations and evidence of paranormal activity, she and others question her perception, a common trope in Gothic literature. She realizes that the house itself has come alive and that “something lurk[s] in it during the day and grew stronger at night” (65). The only person she can trust is Andrés, a “witch in priest’s clothing” (151). His trust in Beatriz allows her to accept herself and realize that she does not have to let her past dictate her life, representing the role of solidarity in fighting oppression.
When María Catalina’s spirit begins to torment Beatriz’s mind, Andrés tells her that she needs to “cast it out” (192). Her spirit wants to consume every aspect of the hacienda and kill Beatriz, which reflects the consuming nature of colonization that threatens to wipe out the people of Apan. Under María Catalina’s influence, Beatriz notices that “the house was devoid of color” (15). This represents the ways in which the Spanish characters only accept people who look like them, revealing how their society has accepted colorism. When Beatriz tries to add decorations to the house, the hacienda threatens her by making it appear as though her silks are soaked in blood. This vision unsettles Beatriz, and she begins to question reality. The supernatural ability of the house that makes Beatriz doubt her perception directly correlates with colonization’s ability to brainwash people into believing that certain people are superior because of their race.
By standing up to María Catalina’s spirit, Beatriz fights against the powers of colonization. In the case of the novel, the past that haunts Beatriz is a colonial past, filled with oppression. Although the systems of colonization still affect the villagers, the success of Mexico’s freedom from Spain allows for a hopeful future. Additionally, Andrés taps into his own supernatural abilities to defeat María Catalina, representing the equal power of Indigenous people and cultures and explaining the Church’s motivation in suppressing these practices. Beatriz leaving the house and its supernatural elements at the end of the novel signals the opportunity for a new life for her and Mexico, where the trauma of the colonial past no longer affects their lives.
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