In Mexico, Cartoons are Serious Politics

By Sheryl Losser

In Mexico, Cartoons are Serious Politics

By Sheryl Losser

Jose Guadalupe Posada, Calavera Bolshevick, c,a, 1910, acid etching. Crediit: The Posada Art Foundaton

The caricatura politica – the political cartoon -- has left an indelible mark on the political satire of Mexico. Beginning in the 1820s, it became a powerful tool for political critique and social commentary; it is deeply rooted in Mexico's freedom of expression. According to written history, the first political caricature appeared in 1826 in the newspaper Iris – a lithograph created by Pablo Linati taking on tyranny.

Bullibulli followed this in 1847 – a satirical weekly founded and illustrated by the pioneer of satirical graphics, Yucatecan cartoonist Gabriel Vincente Gahona. By 1849 political caricature had proliferated, found in every major publication.

Earliest caricatures proliferate

By 1877, political caricature had become an important part of the Mexican heritage. Their pens became finely honed weapons used to provoke ridicule and induce laughter. 1877, ushered in the Profiriato – the reign of Porfirio Diaz – who gave cartoonists a big target for their bow and quiver.