Mexico and the River Plate region are centers of great historical importance, both in the political and in the aesthetic senses. Each represented a seat of power (along with the territory that would later be Perú) under the colonial system of virreinatos (viceroyships) which controlled the Nuevo Mundo (New World). Through the influence of the Spanish conquerors, these centers were exposed to European religion and culture. As part of this process of hybridization, the practice of staging plays became a powerful tool for the Spaniards as they sought to control and indoctrinate the indigenous peoples of the region in the hegemonic colonial culture.

The goal of Christian conversion was apparent from the beginning. In order to capture the Indian parishioners’ attention, priests used plays brought from Spain to enliven their sermons (Knapp Jones 17). However, with time priests began to learn the indigenous languages and incorporate elements of native culture into original plays to illustrate religious concepts and biblical stories. This development occurred in three stages: first, the use of local dialects, next the inclusion of New World characters, and finally, the dramatization of New World events (Knapp Jones 18). Priests borrowed from Spanish theatrical traditions, but often inserted their own regionally relevant information.

Throughout the colonial period plays were used for a variety of purposes: Church holy days like Corpus Christi, Christmas, and Easter, as welcoming ceremonies for visiting dignitaries, festivals, royal birthdays, and coronations to demonstrate loyalty to Spain (Kanpp Jones 19). Gradually these plays became more secular and invited more social and political criticisms. The arrival of the Romantic movement in Latin America focused dramatic attention on local stories, both in praise of figures like the “Indians” and gauchos (River Plate cowboys), and with contempt for colonial and caudillo (strongman) rule (Knapp Jones 25–6). The Romantic movement also bolstered surging support for the independence campaigns in Latin America.

Independence from European control was a hard fought battle in the Americas. It would not be solidified in Mexico until 1821, the date marking official independence from Spain. However, Mexico would find itself in the middle of a struggle for power once again as the French sought control of the region from 1862 to 1867. As part of the Mexican Revolution from 1910 until the new Constitution of 1917, Mexico underwent an artistic renaissance.