Angelitos Negros

Taxco angel on the wall.
This angelito reminded me of an old and classic Mexican film titled "Angelitos Negros" (1948)starring Pedro Infante. The film's title actually comes from a popular Mexican song titled "Pintame Angelitos Negros." Both the song and the film tackle the issue of race in Mexican society.

The song specifically discusses the lack of black angels in religious murals, sculpture collections, and figurine ensembles. In the song, the singer pleads to the painter to add a black baby even though the virgin may be white and the other angels fair skinned.

The film tackles the challenges of interracial marriages/arrangements and their effects on later generations. In this film, Pedro Infante and his wife in the film are both white, but they have a black daughter. Discovering the roots of their black daughter helps both Pedro Infante and his wife in the film understand more about their heritage.

http://pedroinfante.yomarnathalia.com/pinfante/AngelitosNegros1948.html

Although Mexico is primarily an indigenous and european blend of peoples, it should be noted that in states like Veracruz and Guerrero there is a substantial black population. In Veracruz and Guerrero, the blacks are descendants of the slave trade, as Acapulco in Guerrero and Veracruz, Veracruz are two main seaports that were used heavily during the Spanish colonial period in Mexico.