LOS USOS POLÍTICOS DE AMÉRICA/AMERICANOS (MÉXICO, 1750-1850)

Authors

  • GUILLERMO ZERMEÑO

Keywords:

América/americanos, nation, independence, history of concepts

Abstract

This essay explores how the terms America and Americanos evolved in the Spanish language, tracking their semantic shifts over the period in which the national
states arose, specifically focussing on Mexico. Observing the changing meaning of these words gives us some insights into what was occurring in political and institutional circles. We can identify a moment when the old nomenclature shifted in favour of a politicised use of the term and it became a universal byword for the new American national states. However, this unitary sense tended to break up as new meanings were attributed to it, rooted in nationalist sentiments. The old split between America and Europe gave way to a confrontation between American nations. As a unitary political referent, the term America gradually lost its initial political drive and went back to being the quasi-neutral name for America, the place where Americanos are born.

Published

2008-03-24