The New World Border: Prophecies for the End of the Century

Author(s): Guillermo Gómez-Peña

Source: TDR (1988-), Vol. 38, No. 1 (Spring, 1994), pp. 119-142
Published by: The MIT Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1146360 .
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 The New World Border

propheciesfor the end of the century

Guillermo
G6mez-Pena

If I had known, I wouldn'thavegone.

-Columbus

When the worldwas ours,

you took it awayfrom us.
When the worldwas yours,
you didn't want to share it.
Now that the worldis ours again
you are tryingto dressand act like we do.
What'swrongwith you Teules?
-MoctezumaJr.

Everythingis changingand movingsofast that we don't have time to

confrontour immediatepast. Soon everythingwill be new.
-East Germanpsychiatrist

No one or everyoneshould be named.

-Moira Roth

Freshwaterfrom Canada
and cheapoilfrom Mexico,
all servedin an Americanglass.
The perfectFree Trade Cocktail,caramba.
-From an ad by the FRA Commission

Too much (concept);and too little (movement).

-The Washington Post

The Drama Review 38, 1 (T14I), Spring 1994. Copyright ? 1994

New YorkUniversityand the Massachusetts
Instituteof Technology.

II9
I20 GuillermoCGmez-Pena

GOMEZ-PENA:How wouldyou defineLosAngeles?

BOB WISDOM:It couldbe Beirut.It couldbe utopia.We'llknow
nextweekend.
To my adoredgrandmotherCarmen,
who was bor with the century
and who will hopefullylive
to see the birth of the next century.
Her eyes have seen it all.
PROGRAM NOTES:
This performanceis partof "The Year of the White Bear,"an interdiscipli-
nary project created by G6mez-Peiia in collaborationwith Coco Fusco,
and cosponsored by the Walker Art Center. Versions of The New World
Borderhave been performedin Minneapolis,Iowa City, Chicago, Washing-
ton, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco,SantaCruz, Portland,Seattle,
Atlanta,Boulder, Denver, San Antonio, New York, Hamburg, London,
SanJuan, and Mexico City.
Ideally,a local radio stationbroadcastslive the opening night performance.
Its open structureallows for other collaboratorsand media to enter the
piece at differenttimes. An adaptationfor television directed by Chicano
filmmakerDaniel Salazaris on the works and will be readyfor distribution
by SeptemberI994.
CREDITS:
Writtenand directedby GuillermoG6mez-Peiia
Performedby Coco Fusco (Miss Discovery 93) and Guillermo G6mez-
Pefia (El Aztec High-Tech)
Soundtrack:AdalbertoArcos, GuillermoG6mez-Peiia,Coco Fusco
TechnicalDirector/RoadManager:Roberto Sifuentes
Managerof G6mez-Pefiaand Fusco: Nola Mariano(CircuitNetwork)
Mucho muy specialthanksto:
Kathy Halbreich, John Killacky, Julie Voight and Gary Garrels (The
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis);Jennifer Turco (UC Boulder); Marda
Kir (ColoradoDance Festival,Boulder);Kim Chan (WPAS-Washington);
Encaracion Teruel and CarlosTortolero (MexicanFine Arts Center, Chi-
cago); Peter Taub (Randolph Street Gallery, Chicago); Peter Sellars and
ClairePeeps (L.A. Festival);Julie Lazare(MOCA, Los Angeles);Catherine
Lord (UC Irvine); Nola Mariano, Kim Ima, and Danny Salazar.Each of
these individuals and organizationsparticipatedin the creation of "The
Year of the White Bear."

Glossaryof "Borderismos"
Amigoization This processof happyMexicanizationwas firstdetectedby
GranVato Jose Antonio Burciaga,Ministerof Informationof the seceding
Republikof Berkeley.
Anacaona Taina queen, enslavedand killed by Columbus.Sorry!
Art-maggeddon The end of the world accordingto the art world, or the
end of the art world itself.
Aztec High-Tech, El Undercover antrop6loco, apocalypticdisc-jockey
and cross-cultural salesman. He also goes by the dubious names of
"Supermojado,""The Warriorfor Gringostroika,"and "El Charrollero."
Gringosoften call him Guermo Go-Mex Pifia.
Aztlan The "originalland" in Aztec mythology. According to Chicano
poets it is located in the U.S. Southwest.
 I. From the New
World Borderfamily
Borderization This process is also known by sociologists as series, "TheEnd of the
"calcutization" or "third-worldization." CenturyFamily":Miss
Chica-lango Half Chicano and half "chilango" (derogative term for a Discovery(Coco Fusco,
Mexico City native). left), El Charo-Vero
Culti-multuralism An Esperantic Disney worldview in which all cultures, (GuillermoG6mez-
races, and sexes live happily together. Coined by Post-Chicano antrop6loco Pefa, center),and
Robert Sanchez. mother(right)in Mexico
Empty-V After "Reali-TV" the second largest media conglomerate on the City, I992. (Photo
planet. courtesyof Guillermo
Free Taco Agreement An innovative economic initiative designed by The G6mez-Peia)
I22 GuillermoG6mez-Pefia

PressRelease
(This text was meant to both be published in the programand dis-
tributedas a conceptual"pressrelease"to local newspapers.)

In 1991, PresidentBelse-Bush appointed a Quincentenary Fiesta

Bureau (QFB) to link the alleged "discovery"of the New World
with the fiction of the New World Order. SuperstarChristyColum-
bus was designatedthe Bureau'ssymbol of a kinder, gentler expan-
sionism and Free TradeArt.
Appointedhead of the Bureau was Queen "Chavela"La Cat6lica
(Isabellaof Castille),a leading impresarioof the EuropeanCommon
Market,together with her mentor, the deposed British dictatorMa-
margaret Thatcher. Spanish Holy Inquisition Leader Torque-mamada
was appointed head of the United Nations Security Council. Al-
though his post was meant to be symbolic, he has crossedthe border
between representationand Reality#I on severaloccasionsto punish
countries,communities,and artistswho violate QFB rulings.
In I992, Inquisitor Torque-mamada brought together a secret
group of unemployed propagandaexperts to form Discovery Pro-
ductions. Among its members were General Antonio Noriega,
Augusto Pinochet, Oliver North, Jesse Helms, Hilton Kramer,John
Gotti, and the Pope. In the past years, their covert activities have
rangedfrom money launderingto the falsificationof Indian treaties,
the expansionof the transnationalmaquiladoranetwork, and the black
marketsale of Pre-Columbianand Colonial Art.
The QFB in collaborationwith NAFTA has hired dozens of the
best performanceartistsin the New World to host Discovery Pro-
ductions programs.These official artistsimpersonatekey historical
figuresfrom Discovery legends on television, and in film and adver-

Chicano Secret Service. Its main objective is the productionand distribu-

tion of free tacos to the starvinggringo minorities.
Funkahuatl The Aztec god of funk. Alter ego of Lost Angeles
performantliRuben Guevara.
Ganga From the English word "gang."A term coined by the U.S. Police
Departmentto describeall people of color under I8.
Gring6latra He/she who adoresgringos.
Gringostroika A continentalgrassrootsmovement that advocatesthe com-
plete economic and culturalreformof U.S. anarcho-capitalism.
Hanging chickens, Los In the I9th century, the sinister Texas Rangers
and a white supremacistvigilanteorganizationnamed the White Caps used
to lynch migrantworkers, who to this day are referredto as "pollos."Any
other political,metaphysical,erotic, or artisticinterpretationof the chickens
hangingonstageis welcomed by the author.
Horror Vacui Please ask Umberto Eco or Baudrillard.
Jaina Spanglizationof "honey."Sweetheart,novia, torta,etc.
Kilombo Independent micro-republicscreated by runawayslaves in the
17th and i8th centuries.
Mexkimo A polarMexican. Mexkimo settlementsare found in what used
 New WorldBorder I23

tisement. Some examples: Cabeza de Polio, the Spanish explorer

gone bnrjosomewhere between Floridaand Texas, promotesshaman-
istic tours for new age gringos in the American Southeast. La
Malinche, aka, "the first bilingualsecretaryof the Americas,"hosts
various Reali-TV shows in seven languagesincluding Ndhuatland
Arawak. Program topics range from "Cultural Transvestism" and
"SafeInterracialSex" to "EsperantoLessonsfor the New World Or-
der Businessman." Saint Frida Kahlo has a very popular aerobics
show on Empty-V called "Mexercise." Indian princess Pocahontas
advertizesMarlboro and Te-saco Oil. ConquistadorPizarrospear-
heads the "Sayno to drugsand yes to foreigninvestment"campaign.
Heman Cortes and his disciple GeneralSchwarzkopfare touring the
continent to promote positive images of war. Many nations have
hired them as militaryadvisors.Interactivevideos of these exciting
Free Trade Art performerscan be obtainedby simply dialing I (800)
NAFT-ART.
Opposition to these activitiesis widespread.The presidentsof vari-
ous seceding Republics have hired cross-culturalsalesmanEl Aztec
High-Tech and his jaina pop semioticianMiss Discovery 93 to pro-
mote a Free Art Agreement/Tratadode Libre Culturaamong the ac-
tivist artists of the New World Border. Their countercultural
activitiesinclude live performancessuch as this one, interactivemul-
timedia installations,pirate radio and TV broadcasts,and electronic
town meetings. Their appearancein this city was sponsored by the
Ministry of Counter-CulturalAffairsof Aztlan, Inc. Any complaints
regarding this presentation may be addressed to your local
Gringostroika representative.And remember,if you attend the perfor-
mance dressed as your favorite "culturalother," you can enter for
free.

to be Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and British Columbia. Coined by Chi-

cago poet CarlosCumpian.
Miss Discovery, La Undercover pop semiotician and beauty queen. She
also goes by the names of "LaTaina del Norte," "LaYemaya de Loisaida,"
and Coco Fusco. The Taino Indianswere the original inhabitantsof the
Caribbean.Yemayais the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the oceans.
Othercide The murderingof otheress.
Performantli An Aztec traditionof experi-mentalperformance.
Pocho He/she who bastardizesSpanishlanguageand Mexican aesthetics.
Well-known pochos include the members of "Culture Clash," "The
Chicano SecretService,"Rene Yanez, and G6mez-Peiiahimself
Post-CNN Chicano Art A new techno-rascuacheaestheticthat fuses epic
rap poetry, performanceart, interactivevideo, holographicradio, and com-
puter art with a Chicanocentricperspective.
Pus-modernity Infected modernity. Coined by robo-razaII impresario
Rogelio Villareal,aka "el principemalditodel D.F. underground."
Saint Frida (Kahlo) Holy Patronessof ethno-feminists.
Sexual Democracia A LatinAmericanversion of democracyin which po-
liticaldecisionsare made accordingto sexualdesire.
124 GuillermoG6mez-Peia

2. GuillermoG6mez-
Pena dresseshis perfor-
mancespaceof the New
World Border at The
Spacein Boston i99i
with the stereotypicalicons ?0"4..
of Mexico: votivecandles,
incense,and threedead
chickenswithfeathers.
(Photo courtesyof The
Space)

Spanglization A continental infection for which there is no antidote.

Television White people's freedom of speech during the pre-gringostroikayears.
Vatoman Chicano Batman. A colleague of"Supermojado."
White list A secret list that includes members of the opposition to the
New World Border as well as militant monoculturalists. Coined by
antrop6locos Robert Sanchez and Richard Lou.
COSTUMES:
G6mez-Peiia-Ritual face makeup, mariachi pants and hat, earrings, Aztec
chest piece, snake boots, 3-D glasses, low-rider glasses, bandanna, black
gloves, heavy metal bracelets, and an assortment of masks and wigs (see
photos).
Coco Fusco-Ritual face makeup, Afro-centric wig, plastic Taina suit,
sneakers, tropical glasses and masks (see photos).
PROPS:
Smog mask, "Caucasian" masks, "Indian" mask, blond wig, rubber heart,
boxing gloves, a machete, a soccer ball, a shampoo bottle, gauze.
The following items must be obtained by the space: Two small tables,
two chairs, a lecter, 50 votive candles, incense, rope, a medical skeleton,
and two dead chickens with feathers, head and feet. We also need three
cardboard signs with instructions for the audience: LAUGH! APPLAUSE!
and EXPRESS OUTRAGE!

EQUIPMENT:
Two ghetto blasters, three mikes (one of them must be wireless), a battery-
 New World Border 125

operatedmegaphone,theatrelights, a sound mixer with capabilitiesto alter

the voice, a sound system, an "ON THE AIR" sign.
STAGE DESIGN:
We are in a bizarreradio studio somewhere in the immediatefuture. The
feeling of the space is ceremonial.An "ON THE AIR" sign hangs to the
left. A lectem standson the right. The human skeleton hangs upstagecen-
ter as a Christ-likefigure and the chicken downstagecenter. The chairsare
downstage center and upstage center (high on a platform) next to each
chair there is a small table for props. There are two portabletape players:
one under the chicken which plays "Radiorama" programsin differentlan-
guages,and the other one on top of the downstagecenter table to be oper-
ated by EL AZTEC HIGH-TECH. The candlesdivide the stage from the
audience.
PRE-PERFORMANCEEVENT IN THE LOBBY:
MISS DISCOVERY and EL AZTEC HIGH-TECH walk around with a
basket collecting objects from the audience. He has a ghetto blasterwith
Latinorock. They speakin Spanishand tongues:

Is there anythingyou would like to give away?Anythingyou don't

reallyneed. Please,feel free to give me money, IDs, condoms, keys, a
poem, a creditcard,your pain, your anger,etcetera...Justbe sure you
don't need what you're partingwith to face the end of the 20th cen-
tury. In some performances,the audiencewas "segregated" and seated
accordingto their racialbackgroundand degree of bilingualism.
At 7:50 P.M. EL AZTEC HIGH-TECH and MISS DISCOVERY go in-
side theatre.They begin to walk rituallyaround the stage. He has portable
tape player#I on his shoulder.Every now and then they kneel or squatin
front of the skeletonand the chicken, performing"indigenous"chantswith
corporatewords interspersed.
Once the audiencehas completed the seating process, the two perform-
ers then proceedto take their seats.BLACKOUT.

The literaryscript...

Intro
GP/NORMAL: (Speaksin tonguesintertwined withcorporate
words)De Volada
Productionspresentsa live broadcastfrom (nameof the citywheretheperfor-
mancetakesplace)on (dateof the actualperformance).
Miento.This is not a per-
formance, but a cue to cue rehearsal.Miento.This is an authentic Indian
ritual.Miento.This is a techno-town meeting. Fuck it! This is what it is.
Chingao'!
Hey man, pay attention,the South is talkingto you...

Prophecy #I: The Fin de SiecleSociety

(GP howls)
(Music:Rapby LighterShadeof Brown)
GP/LOW-RIDERDISC-JOCKEY (Suavecitoand breathy):Hello queridos,
126 GuillermoG6mez-Pena

3. Miss Discoverysegre-
gates the audienceby race
and languageskills at the aficionados,perplexed citizens of the
yuppies, turistas,voyeauristas,antrop6logos
RandolphStreetGallery end of the century. This is the voice of EL AZTEC HIGH-TECH broad-
in Chicago,January casting from the heights of WXYZ-FM, 93 megahertz above reality.
I993 duringa New I'm the representative of The Liberated Republic of Aztlin in the signing
World Border perfor- of an Accorddu Free Cultura among the artistas/activistas of the New World
mance. (Photocourtesyof Border.
RandolphStreetGallery) I'm here with La Miss Discovery 93, la chavamds loca de Cuba Yorkin a
reconquistatour across the Americas.
 New WorldBorder 127
I warn you. This ain't performanceart but pure Chicano science-fiction.
Anygueyes,comenzamos sin translationcha-cha!
Y ahora,nuestracorresponsalen los EstamosUndidos....
(Music:Chileanrockby LosElectrodomesticos)
(GP kneelsunderthechicken,drinksfrom shampoobottle,and doeswolfand mon-
keysounds)
CF/ANCHORWOMAN (withecho):Imagine a new American continent
without borders. It's a continent that has become a huge border zone.
Think of it as the New World Border.
We are living in the age of pus-modemity, a blisteringfesteringpresent.In
these times, all known political systems and economic structuresare dys-
functional.They are being reformed,replaced,or destroyed.Many see this
as the era of la desmodernidad,a term that comes from the Mexican noun
desmadre,which can mean either being without a mother or living in
chaos. The GreatFiction of a social orderhas evaporatedand has left us in
a state of meta-orphanhood.We are all finally untranslatablehijos de la
chingada.
GP/FRENCH ACCENT: Lesenfantsde la chingada da-da.
(Music:Pre-recorded chantsin Quechua)
(GP standsup andaddresses thehangingchicken.CF countsdownfromo1 to o in
military position.)
GP/DRAMATIC and SLOW (to thechicken): Yes, we are linked by imagi-
narynetworks...[CF:Io]...membersof a fictionalsociety, no longer defined
by ethnicity,ideology, nationality,or languagebut by time. [CF: 9]
Yes, the only recognizableparametersof this emerging society are "rup-
tures," i.e., the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Baghdad genocide, the L.A.
insurrection....[CF: 8]
Yes, I roam aroundthis shatteredpuzzle in a state of acute apendejamiento
(from the Mexican noun pendejo,[CF: 7] o sea stupid;and the verb mentir,
meaningto lie).
Yes, I'm lying to you [CF: 6] extranjero en tu propiopais.
No, we don't lie together. In the end, we never lie together, vecinos
abismales[CF: 5] still undiscovered to one another, el othercide [CF: 4]
digo,the murderingof otherness.[CF: 3]
Es triste,tristisimo.500 yearslater, Columbus and Queen Anacaona[CF:
2] still cannot understandeach other, each mother, each madre,[CF: I] la
tuya,quefuckin' desmadre. [CF: o]
(Musicstops)
GP/RADIO EVANGELIST (withmegaphone): Is this utopia or dystopia?
Are we closer to Catholic heaven or capitalisthell? Is this re-a-li-tyor per-
formance?Can anyone answer?!Can anyone tell me which countrywe are
in? (Screaming)
I can't hearyou!! I can'thearyou!!
CF/AIRLINE HOSTESS (overlapping): Can anyone answer?Can anyone
answer?(Continuesrepeatingquestioneverysevensecondsintonext text.)
GP/NASAL (old-fashioned Mexicanradiovoice):And the worst of all, Godzilla
and El Santoare nowhere to be found, nowhere to be found, nowhere to
be found....
128 GuillermoG6mez-Pena

Prophecy #II: La Gringostroika

(Music: "Honky Tango"by Argentineband, Les Lutiers)
(GP sits on chair,puts on holographic
glasses.)
GP/NASAL (nervousand veryfast): In the wake of the stormy changes in
the ex-Soviet block, the winds of Gringostroikahave reached every corer
of our continent. Can we still call it "ours"?Who are "we" anyway?
Geopolitical borders have faded away. Due to the implementation of a
Free Raid Agreement, and the creation of an untranslatable Zona de Libre
Cogercio,the nations formerly known as Canada, The U.S., and Mexico
have merged painlessly to create the new Federation of U.S. Republics.
FUSR is controlled by a Master Chamber of Commerce, a Department
of Transnational Tourism, and a Media Junta. The role of the presidents is
now restricted to PR, and the role of the military has been reduced to
guarding banks, TV stations, and art schools. No se me asusteguey!
The immediate effects of this integration are spectacular: The monocul-
tural territories of the disbanded United States, commonly known as
4. At Cal Arts in
Gringolandia,have become drastically impoverished, leading to massive mi-
Valencia,CA (February
El Aztec High- gration of unemployed wasp-backsto the South. All major metropolises
1992),
have been fully borderized.In fact, there are no longer visible cultural differ-
Tech (G6mez-Pena)and
ences between Toronto, Manhattan, Chicago, Lost Angeles, or Mexico Cida.
Miss Discovery(Coco
They all look like downtown Tijuana on a Saturday night. (GP/NASAL
Fusco)presenttheirversion
slowly turnsinto DRUNK.)
of the conquestto a bunch The First World-slash-Third World-slash-geopolitical distinctions, vestiges
of multicultural
gringos. of an outdated colonialist vocabulary, have completely overlapped. The leg-
(Photoby Rachel
endary U.S.-Mexico borderline, affectionately known as "The Tortilla Cur-
Slowensky)
 New WorldBorder I29

tain"no longer exists. Pieces of the greatTortillaare now sentimentalsou-

venirs hangingon the bedroom walls of idiotic touristslike you.
The hundredsof thousandsof Mexican POWs imprisonedfor jaywalk-
ing in the Southwest have finally been released. Some of them now oc-
cupy importantgovernmentpositions. Acd,for example, servidorGran Vato
Charro-llero
(Pause.)...justkiddin'. (GP standsup andwalkstowardaudience.)
GP/MEGAPHONE: Lights! An undocumented Mexican and a Cuban
mulatta,invited by [nameof organization andcitywheretheyareperforming]
are
seeking politicalasylumin [nameof country].Have the TV camerasarrived?
(Blackout.)
(GP on lecter. CF translatessimultaneouslyto Gringonol.)
GP/THICK LATINO ACCENT (with big smile): (He clearshis throat.)
Spanglishand Gringonolhave been proclaimed official languages, lingua
franca.The controversialSpanglishOnly Initiativethat in 1992 outlawed
the use of English in the Southwest quickly spreadthroughout the entire
Federation.It's mind-blowing. Televisa, CNN, and CBC have joined to
createReali-TV,the largestmedia empire of the globe, in chargeof broad-
casting the daily New World Orders. Their slogan is "TV or not to be,
that is the question!" And as if this weren't enough, United, American,
and Continental Airlines gave up their hegemony to new and more
chingonometriccompaniessuch as MexicanadaAirlinesand the amazingAlas-
kan-Patagonian Shuttle...Arethere any questions?
CF/GRINGO ACCENT (misspelled):El spanglishy el gringonolhan sido
proclamadas lenguasoficiales,linguafranca. La controverssial
SpanglishOnly
Iniciativaque en 1992 prohibi6el uso del inglesen el Southwest, se extendi6
rdpidamentipor todalafederaci6n. Es mind-blowing.Televisa, CNN, y CBC
se han unidoparacrearReali-TV, el imperiode los mediosde comunicacion mas
grandedelplaneta,a cargode transmitir los New World Orders cadadia. Su
esloganes "TV or not TV, esa es la pregunta.Y comosi estofuera poco, las
lineas aereasde United, American, y Continental cedieronsu hegemoniaa
companiasmas nuevasy chingonometricas comoMexicanadade Aviaci6ny el
sorprendentiAlaskan-Patagonian Shuttle... Hay algunapregunta?
(CF doesfartnoisesas soundbed.)
GP/SLOW DRUNK: Ay!... Reality looks and feels like a cyberpunkfilm
codirectedby Jose Marti and Ted Turner on acid; and I, little post-Mexi-
can romanticwith my permanentpoetical erection, cannot help but to ask
out loud: Are we closer than ever to Art-maggeddon
or are we merely expe-
riencing the birth pains of the new millennia?Am I exaggeratingor are
you out of it?
CF: (Interrupts.)
Shut up you Chicanocentricpedero!You theoreticalminor-
ity!... (Hertonebecomes Sorry,this pirateradiobroadcasthas been
apologetic.)
authorizedby the Departmentof TransnationalTourism. Whiteout please!
(Blackout.)

Prophecy #III: Neo-Natonalism

salute.GP standsbehindlecter.)
(CF deliversfascist
CF/MILITARY CHANT: New World Order, New Disorder, New
Word Order, Free TradeArt, Utopia, Utopia 93...(in loop).
soundingtongueswithmegaphone.)
(GP doesfascist
130 GuillermoGomez-Pena

5. From the New World GP/ULTRA-MILITANT VOICE WITH REVERB: We witness a resur-
Border seriesinstallment
gence of ultranationalist movements together with the rise of the New
at the WalkerArt Center World Border globalist rhetoric. Quebec, Puerto Rico, Aztlin, South Cen-
in Minneapolis(1992) tral Los Angeles, Yucatan, Panama, and all Indian nations have managed to
Miss Discovery(Coco secede from the new Federation of U.S. Republics. Independent micro-re-
Fusco)auctionsoff the publics are popping up everywhere at the blink of an eye. Verbigratia:
Third World.(Photo by
(Music: Popol Vuh) The twin cities of San Dollariego and Tijuana have
Glenn Halvorsen) united to form the MaquiladoraRepublic of San Diejuana. Hong Kong relo-
6. The Warrior for cated to Baja California to constitute the powerful Baja-Kong, the world's
Gringostroika,Guillermo greatest producer of pom and tourist kitsch. The cities of Lost Angeles and
G6mez-Pena, makes his Tokyo share a corporate government calledJapangeles, in charge of oversee-
anti-colonialsentiments ing all the financial operations of the Pacific Rim. The Republik of Berke-
known duringNew ley is the only Marxist-Leninist nation left on the globe. The Caribbean
World Border at the populations of the East Coast, including Nuyo Rico and Cuba York, have
WalkerArt Center, Min- merged to form the Independent Pan-Carib Nation. They willingly accept
neapolis.(Photo by Glenn refugees from Haiti and Miami. Florida and Cuba now share a corporate
Halvorsen) junta that holds the cryptic name Lenin, Mas Canosa & Associates. The
nation/city of Mexico D.F. (Detritus Defecalis) now Tesmogtitldn(from the
nahuatl nouns tesmog,pollution, and titldn, place) with its 50 million inhab-
itants and its 800 square miles is presently negotiating its independence
from FUSR.
GP AND CF: (Whispering.)FUSR...FUSR...FUSR...
soundsof clock.)
(Pre-recorded
VOICE (oversound system): If you guys don't like it here, why don't you
go back to where you came from?
(GP and CF put on their "Caucasian"masks. CF begins text in French. CP si-
multaneouslytranslatesinto English with Frenchaccent.)
CF/ACADEMIC VOICE: Le mois dernier,le conferencehistoriquesur la paix
s'est passe dans plusieursvilles de la Frontieredu Nouveau Monde.
multiculturelle
 New World Border 131

Toutesles villesont ete connectes

par la technologie
du video-satellite. etait
L'objectif
de commencer le processes
douloureuxde resoudreles resentiments et la
inter-ethnique
hysteriequi ont et creepar le gringostroika.Quatreprincipesimportants ont ete
etablis.Jeciteverbatum:
GP/FRENCH ACCENT: Simultaneoustranslation:Last month, the his-
toric MulticulturalPeace Conference took place simultaneouslyin numer-
ous cities of the New World Border, all interactivelyconnected through
video-satellitetechnology. The objective was to begin the painful process
of working out the interethnicresentmentsand crossculturalhysteriacre-
ated by Gringostroika. Four importantprincipleswere established.I quote
verbatum:
(GPgoesto centerstage,positionssoccerball,and threatens
four timesto kickit into
whilesubvocalizing
theaudience CF's text.)
CF/COMPUTER VOICE: I. No nation, community, or individual can
claim racial,sexual,or aestheticpurity.
2. Startingin Januaryof '95, all borderson the Americancontinent will be
open. No passportwill be required.
3. All nationswill operatewith only one currency:the mighty peso.
4. Membersof monoracialminoritiesof Europeandescent must be granted
equalrights,voting power, and a free multiculturaleducation.
CF/FRENCH NEWSCASTER: On a demandea tousles membres de FUSR
ces
d'implementer principesipsofacto. Ceux qui ne veulent les regles
pas accepter
sufrirontun blocageeconomique.Magisterdixit, Reali-TV,
caput!
GP/FRENCH ACCENT: (Translating simultaneously)All members of the
FUSR have been asked to implement these principlesimmediately.Those
who do not comply will be punished with embargo. Magisterdixit, Reali-
TV, caput!(Blackout.)
CF/COMPUTER VOICE: Before we continue with this broadcast, I
want everyone to repeat after me: "This is art (pause);this is not reality
(pause).Realityis no longer real.Thank you. Gracias.DankeSchin."
(Theaudiencefollows
instructions.)

Prophecy #IV: The Melting Plot vs.

the Menudo Chowder

(Lightson the audience.Seatedon chair,GP drinksfromshampoobottle,puts on

blondwig, andasksaudience:)
GP/GENTLE VOICE: Are there any non-Anglo Europeansin the audi-
ence? Can you pleaseraiseyour hands?(CF countsthem.)
(Music:British-Hindurapby ApachiIndian)
(CF walksinto the audience.She touchesthe headsof audiencememberswhile
guessingtheirnationality
or race.GP deliverstextchangingaccents
abruptly.)
GP/PACHUCO: Hello raza. This is the voice of Gran VatoCharrollero
in-
terruptingyour coitus as always. Tonight's broadcastis about migration...
my gration!
GP/NASAL:This new society is characterizedby mass migrationsand bi-
zarre interracialrelations. As a result of this, new hybrid identities are
132 GuillermoG6mez-Pefia

emerging. All Mexican citizens have turned into Chicanos or Mexkimos

and all Canadianshave become Chicanadians.
GP/GRINGO: Everyone is now a borderigena,
meaning a native of the
great border region. According to TransnationalGeographicMagazine, 70%
of the populationin the New World Border is undocumented,and up to
9o% can be technically considered mesti-mulatta,
that is the product of at
leastfour racialmixtures.
GP/LATINO: Such is the case of the crazy Chicarricuas,
who are the prod-
ucts of Puertorrican-mulatto
and Chicano-mestizoparents;and also the in-
numerableGermanchurians who descend from the union of West Germans
and ManchurianChinese.
(Song ends. CF goes backto her chair.)
GP/CANTINFLAS-LIKEVOICE: When a Chicaricuamarriesa Hasidic
Jew their child is called Hasidicvato loco.And when a displaced Belgian
marriesa Chicano, the offspringis called Belga-chica,
which loosely trans-
latesas "littlewinnie."
Among the other significantly large half-breed groups are the
Anglomalans, the Afro-Croatians and the Jap-talians, many of whom I see
here tonight. It's lovely and very, very post-Columbian, Culombian, may I
say, say...meltingplot.
(Music:shamanisticyodelingfromPanama.)
(GP squats in front of hanging chickenand screamsvery loudly every 10 seconds
whileslowly takingoff wig.)
CF (with echo): (Go-go dancing)We've replaced the bankrupt notion of the
melting plot with a model that is more germane to the times, that of the
menudo chowder. According to this model, most of the ingredients do
melt, but some stubborn chunks are condemned merely to float.
The Euro-Americans who resisted interracial love became a nomadic mi-
nority and eventually ended up migrating South to work for maquiladoras
and fast-food restaurants. They get paid less than 200 pesos an hour. They
are derogatively referred to as waspanos, waspitos, wasperos or waspbacks.
These downtrodden people's basic rights are constantly violated, and there
is no embassy to defend them.
This alarming "Anglophobia" is based on an absolute fallacy-that "they"
have come to take "our" jobs. But the truth is that no hybrid in his or her
right mind, including me, would work for such lousy wages.
(GP stands up, drinksshampoo,and acts disoriented.He addressesthe chicken.)
GP/DRUGGIE: Ay, your past is gone for good; my past is gone for good...
help me! Estoy perdido....
CF: (Interrupting)
Translationplease!
GP: ...al nortede un sur inexistente.Me captascavemicola,mex-plico?
CF: Translationplease!
(GP does neanderthalsounds.)
CF: (Angry)Translationplease!!
GP: OK, OK. Spanish lesson #5. Falsa democracia?
CF: Translation please! (Someonefromthe audiencetranslates.)
 New WorldBorder 133

7. GuillermoGomez-
Pefa as the discjockeyof
GP: Sexual Democracia? the 3rd Apocalypsein a
CF: Translation please! performance of New
World Border at Mu-
GP: U.S.A. te usa... seum of Contemporary
CF: Translation please! Art, Los Angeles, I992.
(Photoby Isaac
GP: Censurano-escultura... Artenstein)
CF: Translation please!
8. Membersof Robo Raza
GP: Un Mexicanoen E.U. es comoun turcoen Alemania. (Leftto right: Gregorio
CF: Translation please! Rivera, Guillermo
Gomez-Pena, and Bart
GP: Guera-moment guera... Uchida)worshipat the
CF: Translation please! altarduringPerformance
Jamming Session at
GP: Me cagoen el Nuevo OrdenMundial... Boston'sThe Spacein
CF: Translation please! I991. (Photoby Chuck
Meyer)
(GP says somethingin tongues.)
CF: Translation please!
GP/DIDACTIC: Repeat with me. Los norteamericanos que no aprendierona
hablarespaiol sufrieronuna marginaciontotal. No podian encontrartrabajoy en las
se les considerabaretrasadosmentales.Aqui con nosotrosen el
escuelasmultirraciales
estudio4 tenemosa variosejemplosde...(Blackout.)
134 GuillermoG6mez-Pena

Prophecy #V: Robo-Raza

(GP puts on "Indian mask" & CF puts on the blond wig. GP kneels and CF
stands behindhim.)

(Music:excerptfrom"Norte/Sur"radioshow.)
(CF mouthsthen both chantpre-recorded
text.)
CF: (Mouthing) Due to pressure from the Mexican Secretariade Turismo,
Huichol and Chamula Indian crafts must remain authentic, at least until
I995.
GP AND CF: Authentic Art, Authentic Nostalgia, Quality Control. Au-
thentic Art, Authentic Nostalgia, Quality Control (repeat).

(Music interruption#I: Fito Paez. Note: These abruptand loud music interrup-
tions are meant to createthe sensation that "someoneup there" is sabotagingthe
show. During them, GP mouths inaudiblethingsto the audienceand screamsat the
technicians,while CF raisescardboardsigns with instructionsto the audiencesuch as
"Laugh!"or "Lookoutraged."GP danceslike a Hollywood "Indian"around CF.
CF stands behindlectern.)
CF (in English) AND GP (in tonguesand Calo): A lecture on American pop
multiculture. Simultaneous translation: The new transcontinental youths are
global culture cyborgs. Their style of dress is a combination of lowrider
nostalgia, futuristic heavy metal, and "pomo-ethnic" details appropriated
from many officially sanctioned traditions. Generically called robo-raza,they
rarely love, talk, laugh, or cry. They are aloof, slim, very stylized, and gor-
geous-looking. (Music interruption#2: song by Maldita Vecindad)When they
speak, they use one language, a blend of Spanglish, Frangle, and Portunol,
spiced with calo and borderismos borrowed from Chinese, Tagalo, corporate,
and media jargon. Due to their fluency in this trans-border esperanto, a
youngster from Sao Paulo has no problem understanding a teen from say
Montreal or San Diejuana. However, neither one of them could understand
this presentation since it is written for the most part in academic Mexican
English.
To them I am merely a monostat, which literally means "a talkative
mono-cultural old fart." Since English is now considered Lingua Poluta, this
presentation might even be perceived by some of you as a counter-revolu-
tionary act. (Musicinterruption#3: song by Fito Paez)
The robo-razashang out in gangas (such as the postmoder ninja-tortasor
the floating greasers).When the robo-razasare not sleeping or hanging out in
the Mall of Oblivion, they are tuned to their portable 3-D video walkmen.
Their sole objective is to avoid Reality #I, a euphemism for what we used
to understand as the social difficulties of everyday life in a Western democ-
racy like this one. Depending on the context, this "social reality" can mean
interracial warfare, ecocide, homelessness, AIDS, irreversible loneliness, or
any combination of the above. (Musicinterruption#4: Chileanpunk)
These youths are too entranced by their virtual reality games to grasp
the visceral experiences of racism or hatred for otheress; yet what they've
gained in coolness, they've lost in passion for a cause; and what they have
achieved in existential fluidity they have lost in depth. They are the chil-
dren of Gringostroikaand Art-maggeddon, the new citizens of horizontal
nothingness. No commitments or convictions: Zero identity. They know
better. They don't want their hearts broken and their psyches scratched
like ours. Are there any questions? No? Are you sure? (Blackout.)
 New WorldBorder 135

VOICE (oversoundsystem):Man, these poor people didn't come here to

watch this pitiful ethno-techno garbage. Can you put on some salsa or
mariachimusic and dance like a real Mexican?

Prophecy #VI: The Official

Trans-Culture
(GP putson mariachi hat,jacket,grabsthemachete,and walkstowardthehanging
chicken.CF goesbackto herchair.Music:"Tecolotito" by Zazil. He pullsoutpul-
satingrubberheartfromhis crotch& drinksbloodfromit. Then he dances"El
JarabeTapatio"as a drunkwhiletryingto stab the chicken.He missesoverand
overagainandendsupfallingdown.)
CF/COMPUTERIZED VOICE: The Federationof U.S. Republics'frag-
ile sense of self is sustainedby a government-sanctionedtransnationalme-
dia culture that is broadcastvia Reali-TV,Empty-V,radiorama,and telefax.
Its mission is to transmitan idealizedand apoliticalversion of who we are,
but unfortunatelyit must contend with rebelswho operatepirateradio and
TV stationsthroughoutthe continent.
Still, FUSR's experiencein overthrowingrevolutionarygroups has made
it clearthatthe best way to containrebellionis to offer an easieralternative.
That'swhy they'reundertakingthe currentcampaignof the Amigoization of
the North, better known as "jalapefiofever."This multiculturalconsumer
trainingproject promotes sexy, colorful, and inoffensive Latino products
that range from taco capsulesand chili sprayto inflatableFridasand holo-
graphicnakedmariachis.The jalapeiiofever helps to diffusethe sense of de-
spairand the franticsearchfor spiritualityfound in today'ssociety.
These efforts mark a drastic change from the early days of the New
World Order when democratically-elected fascistslike Belse-Bushpracticed
panic politics via TV in order to maintaina generalizedstate of fear. Do
you rememberthe "Waron Drugs," the "AIDS crisis,"the "Invasionof
Panama,"and the "BaghdadGenocide"-the four most successfulminiseries
to be produced by the White House? Well, things have really changed.
(GP stopsdancingandbeginstopractice in slowmotion.Lightsoffhim.)
hara-kiri
The CIA joined forces with the DEA and moved to Hollywood to cre-
ate a movie studio that specializes in producing and distributing
multiculturalutopias. Free Trade Art can be purchasedby mail order. We
can travel across the entire continent in a weekend by visiting an expo.
Hybrid pop cultureairs duringprimetimeon the main channelsof Empty-
V. The hit program "PuraBi-Cultura" alone reaches 500 million homes in
20,000 cities throughout the New World Border. Bands that used to be
underground now play their punkarachi,discolmeca,and rap-guancoat
NAFTA functions. TranscontinentalRadioramafeaturesaudio-graffitiart,
epic rap poetry, and ethno-musak24 hours a day. You'll never get bored,
even if you want to.
Are your bored? Why? Too many ideas? Not enough action onstage?
Not enough action in your life?Not enough salsapicantein your genitalia?
sound:excerptof "Norte/Sur")
(Pre-recorded
GP: (mouthing) America is no longer the continent you imagine...Audio-
graffitiFM, buscando
un nuevolenguajeparaexpresarsus temoresy deseosinter-
culturales...
(Blackout. radiotalkshowduringblackout.)
Excerptofpre-recorded
136 GuillermoG6mez-Pena
Prophecy #VII: The Barriosof Resistance
(CF kneelsas if praying.GP goes backto chair,puts on holographic
glassesand
bandanna.)
CF (withecho):In reactionto this officialtrans-culture,
a grassroots
octopuswith
a milliontentacleshas emergedfrom below, and hundredsof smallpocketsof
resistanceappeareverywhere.Togetherthey constitutean invisibleartisticcon-
tinentwithinthe New WorldBordercalledArteamrica An6nima.
Sociedad
Tape rolling...
(Music:Brazilianpunk)
(WhileGP deliversthefollowingtext, CF puts on a gas maskandperforms ritual
asahanas.)
GP/LUNATIC, NASAL VOICE: In the barriosof resistance,contempo-
raryversionsof the old kilombos,every block has a secret community cen-
ter. There, the runaway youths called robo-razaII publish anarchist
laser-Xeroxmagazines,edit experimentalhome videos on police brutality
(yes, police brutalitystill exists), and broadcastpirate radio interventions
like this one over the most popularprogramsof the officialRadio Nuevo
Orden. These clandestinecenters are constantlyraidedbut robo-raza IIjust
move the action to the garagenext door. Those who get white-listed can no
longer get jobs in the Mall of Oblivion. And those who get caught in
fraganti,are sent to rehabilitationclinics where they are subjectedto instant
socializationthrough em-pedagogic videos (from the Spanishverb empedar,
meaning to force someone to drink, and the Mayan noun agogic,to see a
man without a self, like many of you).
Since the art market collapsed, artists are no longer needed as image-
makers. Most of them have traded making "art"for more useful metiers.
They have become borderologos or ratherexpertson border-crossings,media
pirates,and cross-culturaldiplomats.In fact many of them collaboratein se-
cret with robo-raza II.
Due to a counter-intelligenceprogramimplementedby former dictator
Belse-Bush that involved state censorshipon the artsand funding cut backs,
the "alterative space" network also collapsed.In the absence of "alterna-
tive spaces"most successfulperformeadores (from the Spanglish,to piss on
your audience)now appearmanoa manowith Tex-Mex rockersat extrava-
ganzasstaged in abandonedwrestlingauditoriumsand bullfightarenaslike
this one. Since Reali-TVdoesn't cover these events, we can say that techni-
cally they don't exist. (Musicfades slowly.GP takesoffglassesand changeshis
voiceabruptly.)
(Normal)The only thing left from the old "alternativeculture"is a leftist
porno channel called Pubic Access TV. It specializesin pomostalgic marxist
soap operas.Unfortunatelysince most people have been de-sexualizedand
de-politicizedonly .oooooi% of the populationwatches Pubic Access TV.
In this sense it is a real alternativevenue. Have the TV camerasarrived?
(Screaming) Where the fuck are the TV cameras?(Dramaticpause: o1 sec-
onds.)
Well, as I was saying, censorship has become the main subject of (he
sub-vocalizesas if someonesuddenlyturnsoff the volume)...nothing you can do
about it. Even the artistsourselveshave....Fearis the sign of...representing
a true cross-sectionof our communitiesare...
CF/FORCEFUL:Speakmaestro!...Speakcofio!...Saywhat you want!
 New WorldBorder I37

(He can't speak, experiencespain, and begins to cry out offrustration. Blackout.
GP takes off jacket, puts on wrestler mask and Aztec headdress,grabs wooden
snake and rug. He sits in lotusposition. CF stands behindhim and massageshim.
CF has a crucifixin the righthand and a voodoodoll on the left.)
9. "CensorshipIs..."
From the 1992 New
World Borderproject,
Prophecy #VIII: The New Paganism Wprd Border the Free
of
representatives
(leftto
TacoAgreement
(Lights on them. GP does meditational "om"then "mocos."Mexican hand sign right: Gomez-Peina
equivalenttofuckyou.)
you.) to auctionauthentic
~~~~~~equivalent ~fu~ck pFusco)
CF/FAKE SINCERITY: Please stand up, hold hands, and feel the wisdom Free TradeArt at the
of the maestro in your genital chacras. Minneapolis'sWalkerArt
Center.(Photoby Glenn
GP/CHANT: Hare krishna, krishnahuatl, hare nalga, hairy nalga... Halvorsen)
Halvorsen)
138 GuillermoG6mez-Pena

(Music:Mexican new age)

CF: (In trance with closed eyes, interspersed throughout GP's text) iQue
diagnostica el doctor? aQue sugiere el diputado? aQue recomienda el
chaman? Bajale, bajale, bajale! El es dios! Ella es dios! (Keeps repeatingchant
until end of this section.)
GP/MEXICAN WRESTLING REFEREE: As Protestantism and Catholi-
cism collapse due to their inability to adapt to the Big Change, we witness
a logical revival of pagan religions. New hybrid deities are being adored by
the confused masses. (He grabs snake and begins to tame it.) Tezcatlipunk,
Mexican god of urban wrath is becoming very popular in both Aztldn and
Tesmogtitldn.Funkahuatl, the Aztec divinity of Funk has been crowned as
the Holy Patron of Califas. Aging pop star Madonna has reincarated as
Saint Frida Kahlo. She roams around the nasty streets in search of people
who suffer from identity blisters and heals them. Chichicolgatzin,the Guru-
esa of strippers is the spiritual avatar of a new age sect from Colorado.
Krishnahuatl,the Aztec god of Karma, is revered across the entire Federa-
tion of U.S. Republics where thousands of high-tech ashrams infested by
world beat gringostanisand gringofarians,provide "the 10 steps to clarity" for
a modest amount.
A techno-shrine to Juan Soldado, Holy Patron of border-crossers and mi-
grant workers, now stands on what used to be the San Ysidro border
check point. With multi-image projections, the old border saint reminds
people of what once was a common yet dangerous experience:
(GP puts down snake, turnsaroundand beginstofondle CF's legs & waist.)
GP AND CF: (Horny and agitated)The crossing from the Third to the First
World; from the past to the future, remember?
El cruce,el bordo, el abismo, el sismo, la migra, the spiderweb, the TV cam-
eras, my old performances, your oldest prejudices, the original migration,
your great mojado grandparents. Remember? (Blackout.)

Prophecy # IX: Culti-multuralArt

(GP squats underchicken,chantingin tongues.He puts on boxinggloves and prays
to the chicken.CF is backon her seat. She wearsa "Caucasianmask.")

(Sound: excerptof radioshow "Norte/Sur.")

CF: (Subvocalizes) Yaqui, Seri, Guaycura, Dieguefio, Barona, Seminole,
Comanchero, Tuscarora, romantic dots in tourist maps, romantic words in
empty ears, cambiode canal.
(Music:genericLatin Muzak. Stands up and begins to box with chicken.He will
box until he passes out while saying "I'mbeatingthe Mexican out of myself.")
CF/COMPUTERIZED: Art about identity is now a dignified form of
nostalgia. Nearly every important city in the FUSR has a Museum of Culti-
multuralArt. They all feature classical shows from the '8os and before as a
reminder of what culture used to be before Gringostroikadestroyed all tradi-
tional borders and categories. Among the most popular traveling exhibits
are: "Iooo Ex-minority Artists"; "The Best of Chicano Fundamentalist
 New WorldBorder I39

Painting (from 1968 to I989)"; "Triple Oppressions: Bi, Mexican, and

Handicapped"; and of course, the new show at the San Diego Maquiladora
Museum of Contrived Art entitled "Chic-angloArt on the Borderline."
Last month, a very controversial show opened at the Museum of Lost
Identity in Los Angeles. Entitled "Clepto-MexicanArtists of the Early '9os,"
it includes 30 major Anglo-American painters whose iconography mysteri-
ously resembles that of their Mexican contemporaries. (GP stops boxing and
freezes. Then, light off him.)
Fem-arte,a collective of Frida-worshiping feminists, picketed the show's
opening to protest the lack of Anglo women included in the clepto-Mexican
panorama. They all wore body casts and pierced their chests to dramatize
their sense of victimization. (GP takes off wrestlermask, puts on "Caucasian"
mask, and sits on his chair. Light on him.)
GP/FRENCH ACCENT: Every now and then, these out-dated museums
present token Eurocentric shows with insensitive titles such as "The
EuropasseVanguard"; "Neo-Geo, coma, a Post-industrial Folk Art"; "Land
and Body Art: Early Gringo Tribalism"; "Minimalist Sculpture, coma, Prot-
estant Art in an Agnostic Society"; and "The Young German Expression-
ists: An Endangered Species." But these kinds of shows are poorly
attended and don't seem to perform any real community function, other
than fulfilling the extravagant whims of iconoclastic curators.
Two Post-Chicano antropolocos(Richy Lou and Bobby Sanchez) are cur-
rently organizing a blackbuster exhibit entitled "Ex-plendors: 3000 Years of
White Art," but they are facing tremendous opposition. Minority artists are
faulting them for ghettoization and tokenism.
(CF barksduringnext paragraph.)
GP/NEUROTIC GRINGO ACCENT: No one can escape this wave of
reverse racism. A critic from the minority paper, the New York Times,just
accused Miss Discovery and I of "latinocentrism" for not having included
waspbacksin this show, but the fact is that...their work is simply not good
enough! Have you had similar experiences?
Yo no entenderun carrayode porqui la mayorriadominantide colornegro, cafe, o
amarillotenemosque... Shit!

GP/NORMAL VOICE: Cut! Cut!! I don't like this take. It's racist! Let's
do it again! Cameras one and two rolling...down...your...psyche. Hasta el
fondo y el cansancio.(Blackout.)

Prophecy #X: The Mafias

(GP puts on bandannaand darkglasses, lights a joint. CF next to him with holo-
graphicglasses.)
CF/TOURIST GUIDE VOICE: Latinophobe...polyglophobe...ecoracist...
criptonationalist...technopuritan...define yourself...define yourself...define
yourself... (Lightson them.)
GP/SOFT PACHUCO: Dear citizens of the end of the century. Fear of
uncertainty generates sectarianism, therefore mafias are forming every-
where. Their members used to be part of the "cultural elite" during the
Belse-Bush years. Though extremely different from one another, these
I40 GuillermoG6mez-Pena
mafiasshare one objective: to cling to the past in order to experience an
optical illusion of continuity and order. The following are some examples.
Note that they still utilize the old nomenclatureto name themselves:
of animalsounds:cats,dogs,cows,pigs, roosters,
(Soundbed andsheep.)
CF/DIDACTIC:Pleaseraiseyour handsas your groupis beingmentioned.
(GP continues;CF definesthegroups.)
GP: The elite of the artists of color of my generation formed a group
calledTGAC.
CF: Thin and GorgeousArtistsof Color
GP: They make high-tech postcolonial art and organizesymposiumswith
other members of TGAC from Europe. Their criteriafor inclusion are
very strict.They don't let me in because my Mexican'tmoustacheand my
hipitecapony tail revealan obvious lack of sophistication.
CF: Are there any membersof TGAC here?
GP: Both WWEO...
CF: White Women Expertsof Otherness
GP: ...and MGW
CF: MulticulturalGabachos
from Wyoming
GP: ...claim they are solely responsible for the liberation of the veterans of
LVIR.
CF: LeadingVictims of InstitutionalizedRacism
GP: This group was formed by the elite membersof the variousex-minor-
ity groupswho won victim competitionsat the MulticulturalOlympics of
I992. The violent members of SWGAA...
CF: StraightWhite Guys Are Alright
GP: ...couldn't bear the Big Change anymore and went underground.
Some people speculatethat they asked for politicalasylumin Germanyand
England,but to their surprise,they found even more people of color over
there. The membersof CRF...
CF: Chicken Rights Falange
GP: ...a radicalwing of the deceasedAnimal Rights Coalition of the early
'9os, roam around theatres and Museums of Natural History picketing
events like this one.
CF: Would you pleaseraiseyour hands?
GP: Composed of ex-Sandinistapoets in exile, the Berkeley-basedLCS...
CF: La Cosa Sandinostra
GP: ...survivesfrom the selling of politicalkitsch and meditationalrevolu-
tionary CDs. Ojo: We must not mistake this mafia with Los Sandalistas
which literallymeans "those bearded gringos with plastic Indian shoes."
TAW...
CF: TranssexualesAztecasUnidos
 New WorldBorder I4I

GP: ...commonly know as gaytlanisor putochcas

advocate an ardent return
to Pre-Columbiangroup sex practices.The membersof BAL...
CF: Born Again Latinos
GP: ...defend a distinct "Latinou"identity at a time when essentialismhas
been outlawed by the State, and they are very militantabout it. They are
suspectedof the recent bombings of severalmuseums of Culti-multural art.
The secretbrotherhoodof CHAELA...
CF: ChicanoAristocracyfrom East L.A.
GP: ...believe thatJesus was the firstpochoand that Chicanos are the cho-
sen race. Their leader, named Vatomanis on death row for conspiracyto
overthrow the New World Border. Located in the IndependentRepublic
of Harlem,RAN...
CF: the Real AfricanNation
GP: ...claims that the entire African continent sold out and that it is no
longer Africanenough. This organizationmust not be confused with the
other RAN...
CF: the Real Aztec Nation
GP: ...which is a group of UCLA anthropologistswho swear they have
the one and only secret to the Aztec way of life: the untranslatable
0 mejordicho,mejormecallo.I turn on my inner radio.
"tajoditzin."
(GP grabsthe machete,walkstowardthe hangingchicken, grabsits head,and de-
it whilesaying:)
capitates
GP: Chick...chick...enoh...oh...chi-ca-no...Power!
(Blackout.)

FINALE
Two PossibleEndings
Ending #I
(Theperformers,withbrownbagscovering theirfaces,grabtwochairsandsit on the
edgeof thestage.The technical
director
deliversthe lasttext. Slowlyall houselights
comeup.)
VOICE (overthe soundsystem):The performance is finally over. Would
anyone like to spend the night with two sexy AIDS-freeThird World per-
formance artistsfor only $25? Please feel free to walk onstage and touch
them, or smell them. The mestizo male weighs 75 kilos and loves German
cinema. The mulattafemale is shy, very theoretical, and cooks delicious
tropicalfood. They are not trainedactors but they have great imagination
and charisma.
(Silence.The audienceis perplexed.Somefinally decideto walkonstageand begin
to touchtheperformers. LoudMexicanrockand rollsuddenlybreaksthe dramatic
tension.Peoplebeginto applaud.)
Ending #2
(GP walksinto theaudience
and offersthecorpseof thechickento variousaudience
142 GuillermoG6mez-Pena

members.CF returnspersonalbelongingsto the wrongpeople. The performance

doesn'tfinish untilsomeonedecidesto acceptthe chickenas an act of commitment.
Theybegina dialogwiththeaudience.)

CAPUT

Guillermo Gomez-Pe~a is an interdisciplinary

artistand writer.His book
Warriorfor Gringostroika,publishedby GreywolfPress,cameout in October
I993.