Interactions culturelles et répression du mouvement hippie au Mexique

Abstract

Although the hippie movement was born in the United States in the 1960s, it did not remain confined to this one territory but spread widely in many other parts of the world including Mexico. Does this mean that, in the specific case of this country, the influence of the movement was only unilateral, in the north-south direction? Using accounts of colonizers of the 16th century and cultural testimonies of the 60s and 70s), this article shows that Mexico has made a contribution to defining several essential aspects of hippie culture such as the use of drugs and the exaltation of Indianness. That said, it seems, at the same time, that it is thanks to the northern neighbors that the Mexicans have rediscovered certain aspects of their culture. The Mexican hippie movement nevertheless has some specificities: the presence of young Indians and a new conception of the nation, two disruptive elements for the Mexican conservative society, which, associated with the use of drugs and sexual liberation, explain the anti-hippie repression for about ten years. Key woRds: Hippies; Mexico; drugs; Indianness; influence; repression. Reçu : 24 avril 2020 Accepté : 28 août 2020 * Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France Laboratoire CRISS (nicolas.balutet@ uphf.fr). 10 .2 22 01 /c ial c.2 44 86 91 4e .2 02 2. 74 .5 73 58