GERTRUDIS BOCANEGRA

95 minutes

Director: Ernesto Medina

Country: Mexico

Year: 1991

Language: Spanish (English Subtitles)

Overview:

Gertrudis Bocanegra, a criolla woman who participated in the Mexican war of independence, is the central character of this film. Gertrudis becomes acutely aware of the social injustice prevalent in Mexico in the late colonial period and gets involved in the movement for independence. Using the technique of flashback, she tells her story from her prison cell in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Previewing Activities

• What do you know about the colonial period in Mexico?
• How were people in Mexico treated by their Spanish rulers?
• What kinds of resistance movements existed during this time period?

Post-viewing Activities

• How many children did Gertrudis and Pedro have?
• Where did Sr. Bocanegra go with his granddaughter
• Why did Gertrudis join the “Guadalupes?”
• What happened to Pedro and his son during the movie?

Class Projects

• Research an issue that the Mexican people had during the colonial period and write a brief essay about how it developed and why it occurred.

How to Borrow this Video:

The videos owned by the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies are housed in the Outreach Office of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  They are lent free of charge.  For information on films and reservations, please visit http://isa.unc.edu/film/films_main.asp.