Chilean Campaign Symbols?

In the midst of a presidential election, it’s worth noting the misstatements and missteps that US politicians have made in Latin America, particularly South America, where their ignorance is almost breathtaking. On a visit to Brazil [2], an aging Ronald Reagan infamously toasted his hosts as “President Figueiredo and all the people of Bolivia.”  In 1990, on an official visit to Chile [3], then Vice-President Dan Quayle drew international chuckles for his purchase of an indio pícaro [4] (naughty Indian [5]), a lasciviously smiling and anatomically explicit Mapuche [6] novelty that, when picked up, exposes himself (or herself). It's closest counterpart in the English-speaking world might be a bobblehead.

For the lightly regarded Quayle, things got worse fast. His faux pas made him the target of ridicule in the satirical comic strip Doonesbury [7] and Chileans found it so amusing that, before long, local craftsmen had produced similar figures with the Quayle’s own visage. It hasn’t gone away, either, as a new generation of carvers have made similar figures of the current Republican nominee [8] in advance of the November election.

That’s not the only current item of anthropological or archaeological interest. At the same time, the iconic moai of Easter Island [9] (pictured above) are also playing a role in the campaign, even though it’s not coming directly from the Chileans. Rather, this week’s New Yorker cartoon caption contest uses the iconic stone statues to depict the nominee [10] – as of writing, the contest is still open, so submit your suggestion by Sunday, September 9.

Addendum: The link to the cartoon in question is no longer live, but when the New Yorker posts the contest results, I will link to it in another post.

Tango by the River
As announced previously, I will give a digital slide lecture on Buenos Aires [11] at Tango by the River [12] in Sacramento, but it has been postponed until Friday, September 21st, at 6 p.m.

Limited to a maximum of 50 people, the event will also include tango performances; admission costs $10 at the door, or $8 in advance. I have spoken here several times before, and we always sell out, so plan in advance. Signed copies of my Moon Handbooks on Argentina [13], Buenos Aires, Chile [3] and Patagonia [14] will be available at discount prices.