Publication: Herederos de Balboa: España y la construcción de identidades en California y Panamá a comienzos del siglo XX
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2017
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Instituto de Estudios Histórico-Sociales
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Abstract
Entre 1909 y 1916, diversas conmemoraciones y exposiciones conectaron la apertura del Canal de Panamá con la herencia hispánica. El centenario del descubrimiento del Océano Pacífico en 1513 produjo un mito versátil, el de Vasco Núñez de Balboa, precursor del Canal y símbolo de la hidalguía española. Así, fue empleado en varias construcciones identitarias: California lo integró en su búsqueda de singularidad dentro de Estados Unidos, marcada por sus orígenes en el imperio español; Panamá lo convirtió en héroe nacional y nexo con la comunidad hispanoamericana. Ambos casos reclamaron la presencia de España para legitimar esas nuevas identidades, pero las respuestas españolas fueron diferentes: mientras la colaboración resultó fácil en Panamá, en California sólo fue apoyada por los liberales que deseaban superar la crisis de 1898 y modernizar el país. Los métodos nacionalizadores, las representaciones culturales y los actores implicados muestran el carácter transnacional, poco estudiado hasta ahora, de estos procesos históricos.
Between 1909 and 1916, several commemorations and expositions connected the Panama Canal opening to the Spanish heritage. The centennial of the Pacific Ocean discovery in 1513 produced a versatile myth: that of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Canal predecessor and symbol of Spanish nobility. Therefore, it was used in some identity-building processes: Californians integrated it in the search of singularity within the United States through their origins in the Spanish empire; in Panama, he became a national hero and a link to the Hispanic American community. Both cases claimed the presence of Spain to legitimize these new identities, but the Spanish answers were diverse: while the collaboration was easy in Panama, in California was only supported by Spanish Liberals willing to overcome the national crisis of 1898 in order to modernize their country. Nationalization methods, cultural representations, and involved actors show the transnational character of these historical processes, usually underestimated by scholars.
Between 1909 and 1916, several commemorations and expositions connected the Panama Canal opening to the Spanish heritage. The centennial of the Pacific Ocean discovery in 1513 produced a versatile myth: that of Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Canal predecessor and symbol of Spanish nobility. Therefore, it was used in some identity-building processes: Californians integrated it in the search of singularity within the United States through their origins in the Spanish empire; in Panama, he became a national hero and a link to the Hispanic American community. Both cases claimed the presence of Spain to legitimize these new identities, but the Spanish answers were diverse: while the collaboration was easy in Panama, in California was only supported by Spanish Liberals willing to overcome the national crisis of 1898 in order to modernize their country. Nationalization methods, cultural representations, and involved actors show the transnational character of these historical processes, usually underestimated by scholars.