Sophocles’ Antigone enjoys a rich and diverse afterlife in Mexican theater. Starting in the late 1960s, the ancient tragedy has been repeatedly reimagined as part of a developing tradition of resistance and social critique. Despite the political boldness and precision of most modern Mexican Antigones, the ancient play did not always possess the discursive power to intervene and criticize that has defined the play for contemporary Latin American audiences. It is through the efforts of its receiving communities that Mexico’s Antigones develop into culturally specific interventions to their country’s dominant narratives. Using the tools of heritage discourse theory and the scholarship of monumentality, this talk will trace the history of Antigone in Mexico as it transforms from a cultural imposition to a veritable site of Mexican heritage – one capable of challenging projects of national mythmaking, social and gender roles, as well as societal failings and cultural apathies.
