La fotografía de la Revolución mexicana: ¿el nacimiento de un fotoperiodismo mexicano?

Abstract

For the centennial of the Mexican Revolution, several works were published on the photographs of the early 20th-century conflict. These works provide new interpretations of well-known pictures but also reveal actors and photographs until then unknown or left aside. The present work aims at studying this 21st-century historiography, so as to determine if the study of the civil war involves an analysis of the role of this abundant photographic production as a precursor of Mexican photojournalism. The strength, duration, and impact of the Mexican Revolution have strongly shaken the world of the illustrated press. The question is whether this occurred through the birth of some kind of photojournalism or if it borrowed from the traditions of the 19th-century press. To elaborate the bases of a reflection on the possible genesis of a Mexican proto-photojournalism, this article focuses on four books: Isidro Fabela. Una mirada sobre la Revolución mexicana (Alberto del Castillo), Sara Castrejón, fotógrafa de la Revolución (Samuel Villela), México: fotografía y revolución (Miguel Ángel Berumen, coord.), Fotografiar la Revolución mexicana (John Mraz).

Keywords

• historiography
• Mexican revolution
• photojournalism
• illustrated press
• 20th century