''El Güegüense'' (; also known as ''Macho Ratón'', ) is a satirical

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

and was the first literary work of post-Colombian

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

. It is regarded as one of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

's most distinctive colonial-era expressions and as Nicaragua's signature folkloric masterpiece combining music, dance and theater. There was also a monument built in the center of a rotonda ''( roundabout)'' in

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicar ...

, in its honor. El Güegüense is performed during the feast of San Sebastián in

Diriamba Diriamba is a city and a municipality in the Carazo department of Nicaragua, with a population of 64,757 (2020 estimate). It is located 41 km south of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Geography The city's elevation (just above 500 mete ...

( Carazo department) from 17 to 27 January.

Origin

The theatrical play was written by an anonymous author in the 16th century, making it one of the oldest indigenous theatrical/dance works of the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. It was passed down orally for many centuries until it was finally written down and published into a book in 1942.El Güegüense o Macho Ratón
/ref> According to the first written version the plot has 314 lines and was originally written in both

Nahuat Nawat (academically Pipil, also known as Nicarao) is a Nahuan languages, Nahuan language native to Central America. It is the southernmost extant member of the Uto-Aztecan languages, Uto-Aztecan family. It was spoken in several parts of present-d ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Etymology

The name of the play comes from its main character, ''El Güegüense'', which is derived from the

word , meaning 'old man' or 'wise man'.

History

"El Güegüense" represents folklore of Nicaragua, therefore,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

proclaimed it a "

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and th ...

" in 2005 making Nicaragua the only country in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and one of six in

to have two proclaimed masterpieces by UNESCO.

Characters

The play includes 14 characters, the three mestizos: *Güegüense (and his sons) **Don Forcico **Don Ambrosio The Spanish authorities: *Governor Tastuanes *Captain Alguacil Mayor *the Royal Clerk *the Royal Assistant; The women: *Doña Suche Malinche - (along with two ladies that accompany her) *Macho-moto, Macho-viejo, Macho-mohino, and Macho-guajaqueño (the four beasts of burden; referred to as ''‘machos’'')

Language

The language is Spanish with intermixed portions of Nicarao (Nahuat), and this piece has sometimes been claimed to be a result of Spanish and Nahuat mixed or creole language. However, there is no actual evidence for this.

Social controversy

Because deception for monetary gain is central to the plot of "El Güegüense", the play frequently is cited by newspaper editorials as a kind of symbolic archetype for perceived corrupt politicians or unaccountable public institutions. Unpredictable election returns also have been attributed to the heritage of the masked "El Güegüense" figure reflected in an electorate skilled at masking their true voting intent, notably so with the FSLN party's crushing, unanticipated defeat at the polls in 1990. While the role of "El Güegüense" as the highest expression of Nicaraguan folkloric art is secure, the overt theme of the play -entry into the aristocratic lifestyle through deceptive means- is frequently held at arm's length in political speeches as contrary to the current vision of national growth occurring through hard work, economic diversification, and manufacturing exports.

Bibliography

* Brinton, Daniel Garrison (1883), The Güegüence: a comedy ballet in the Nahuatl-Spanish dialect of Nicaragua. Philadelphia: D. G. Brinton.
online at archive.org