El Güegüense: patrimonio cultural de Nicaragua

Abstract

This article explores to which degree El Güegüence, a Nicaraguan play created and performed by natives and mestizos during the Spanish colonial period, lost its subversives characteristics when it was “rescued” and incorporated into the national cultural patrimony. The abundant literature written about El Güegüence has had effects on it’s reception by the public. The article also questions binary categories such as elitist culture versus popular culture, and the role of the State as a central entity that homogenizes and erases social differences.