La Raza Cosmica

by Jose Vasconcelos

Commentary by J. Manuel Urrutia

Translation of selected portions of La Raza Cosmica, a book by Jose Vasconcelos.

Once upon a time, Razano (razano@aol.com) asked in the USEnet group soc.culture.mexican.american if an English translation of La Raza Coacutesmica is available. I am aware of none. Because it seems that its author, the Mexican philosopher and educator Jose Vasconcelos (1881-1959), has influenced a lot of the Chicano movement (if you don't believe me, go see the MEChA page at http://www.hiline.net/~juancv/library.htm, where the slogan Vasconcelos created for the UNAM is prominently featured), I translated parts of the prologue written for the second edition (1948) and first chapter, where the thesis of the book is laid out.

The copy I have is from its fourth edition (1976) and published by Espasa-Calpe Mexicana, S.A., as volume 802 of its Colleccion Astral (no ISBN number). The translation is faithful to Vasconcelos writing style and I have not attempted to modernize the language.

It seems to me that the first edition stirred great furor since Vasconcelos felt obliged to write a prologue for the second edition, published less than two months after the first. In it, the central tenet of the book is concisely detailed:

The first paragraph reads:

"Es tesis central del presente --"It is the central thesis of

libro que las distintas razas --"this book that the different

del mundo tienden a mezclarse --races of the world tend to mix

cada vez m‡s, hasta formar un --ever more, until forming a new

nuevo tipo humano, compuesto --human type, composed of the

con la seleccion de cada uno de --selection of each of the

los pueblos existentes. Se --existent peoples. Such

publico por primera vez tal --prediction was first published

presagio en la epoca en que --at the time that it prevailed,

prevalec'a, en el mundo --in the scientific world, the

cient'fico, la doctrina --darwinian doctrine of natural

darwinista de la seleccion --selection that preserves the

natural que salva a los aptos, --ble and condemns the weak;

condena a los debiles; doctrina --doctrine that, when taken to

que llevada al terreno social --the social arena by Gobineau,

por Gobineau, dio origen a la --gave origin to the Pure Arian

teor'a del ario puro, defendida --theory, defended by the

por los ingleses, llevada a --English, taken to an aberrant

imposicion aberrante por el --imposition by Nazism."

nazismo."

Then Vasconcelos writes about the increasing legitimacy of mestizaje since WWII had proven the Pure Arian theory as abhorrent. Furthermore, he argues, the increasing ease of travel allows such mixing to increase. Then goes on to say:

"Las circumstancias actuales --"The present circumstances

favorecen, en consequencia, el --favor, in consequence, the

desarrollo de las relaciones --development of interracial

sexuales interraciales, lo que --sexual relations, which

presta apoyo inesperado a la --provides an unexpected support

tesis que, a falta de nombre --to the thesis that, for lack

mejor, titule: de la Raza --of a better name, I entitled:

Cosmica futura." --of the future Cosmic Race."

He then delves into whether mixed races are better than "pure" ones. Ends the prologue with the following paragraph:

"En todo caso, la conclusion --"In any case, the most

m‡s optimista que se puede --optimistic conclusion that one

derivar de los hechos --may derive from the observed

observados es que aun los --facts is that even the most

mestizajes m‡s contradictorios --contradictory mix among the

pueden resolverse beneficamente --races can be resolved most

siempre que el factor --benefically as long as the

espiritual contribuya a --spiritual factor contributes

levantarlos. En efecto, la --to enhance them. In fact, the

decadencia de los pueblos --decadence of the Asian peoples

asi‡ticos es atributible a su --is attributable to their

aislamiento, pero tambien, y --isolation, but also mainly and

sin duda, en primer termino, al --without a doubt to the fact

hecho de que no han sido --that they have not been

cristianizados. Una religion --Christianized. A religion like

como la cristiana hizo avanzar --Christianity advanced the

a los indios americanos, en --American indians, in a few

pocas centurias, desde el --centuries, from cannibalism to

canibalismo hasta la relativa --a relative civilization."

civilizacion."

Needless to say, this way of thinking is demonstrably crap. But in 1948, it was held in great steem. Obviously, en tierra de ciegos, el tuerto es rey (in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king).

Interestingly, his thinking about the role of the races is traceable to what was much in vogue in those days: speculation on lost, ancient civilizations. Since dating methods based on the radioctive decay of elements were not yet developed, many respected scientists (geologists, archeologists, paleontologists, etc.) were not able to put their findings at the appropriate point in Earth's timeline. This is clearly in evidence in the first chapter of the book, titled "Mestizaje." Again, I'll translate selected passages.

The chapter begins:

"Opinan geologos autorizados que --"Authoritative geologists

el continente americano contiene --opine that the American

algunas de las m‡s antiguas zonas --continent has some of the

del mundo. La masa de los Andes --oldest parts of the world.

es, sin duda, tan vieja como la --The Andean mass is, without

que m‡s del planeta. Y si la --doubt, as old as any other

tierra es antigua, tambien las --in the planet. And if the

trazas de vida y de cultura --land is ancient, then the

humana se remontan a donde no --traces of human life and

alcanzan los c‡lculos. Las ruinas --culture go back to where

arquitectonicas de mayas, --calculations cannot reach.

quechuas y toltecas legendarios --The architectural ruins of

son testimonio de vida civilizada --the legendary Maya, Quechua,

anterior a las m‡s viejas --and Toltec are proof of

fundaciones del Oriente y de --civilized life that precedes

Europa. A medida que las --the oldest foundation of the

investigaciones progresan, se --Orient and Europe. As the

afirma la hipotesis de la --investigations progress, the

Atl‡ntida, como cuna de una --hypothesis of Atlantis is

civilizacion que hace millares de --affirmed, as the craddle of

a–os florecio en el continente --a civilization that

desaparecido y en parte de lo que --thousands of years ago

es hoy America. El pensamiento de --flourished in the vanished

la Atl‡ntida evoca el recuerdo de --continent and in part of

sus antecedentes misteriosos. El --what is now America. To

continente hiperboreo --think of Atlantis evoques

desaparecido, sin dejar otras --the memory of its mysterious

huellas que los rastros de vida y --entecedents. The disappeared

cultura que a veces se descubren --hyperboreous continent, that

bajo las nieves de Groenlandia; --left few clues other than

los lemurianos o raza negra del --the traces of life and

Sur; la civilizacion atl‡ntida de --culture that sometimes are

los hombres rojos; en seguida la --found under the snows of

aparicion de los amarillos, y por --Greenland; the lemurian or

œltimo, la civilizacion de los --black race of the South; the

blancos. Explica mejor el proceso --Atlantis civilization of the

de los pueblos esta profunda --red men; next the appearance

hipotesis legendaria que las --of the yellow, and at last,

elucubraciones de geologos como --the civilization of the

Ameghino, que ponen el origen del --whites. This profound

hombre en la Patagonia, una --legendary hypothesis is a

tierra que desde luego se sabe es --better explanation for the

de formacion geologica reciente. --development of the races

En cambio, la version de los --than the beliefs of

Imperios etnicos de la --geologists like Ameghino,

prehistoria se afirma --who place the origin of Man

extraordinariamente con la teor'a --in Patagonia, a land that is

de Wegener de la translacion de --well known to be of recent

los continentes. Segœn esta --geologic formation. On the

tesis, todas las tierras estaban --other hand, this idea of the

unidas, formando un solo --Ethnic Empires of prehistory

continente, que se ha ido --is in extraordinary

disgregando. Es entonces f‡cil --agreement with Wegener

suponer que en determinada region --theory of the translation of

de una masa continua se --continents. According to

desarrollaba una raza que despues --this thesis, all the lands

de progresar y decaer era --were once together, forming

sustitu'da por otra, en vez de --a single continent, whose

recurrir a la hipotesis de las --parts have since then been

emigraciones de un continente a --dispersing. It is therefore

otro por medio de puentes --easy to suppose that, in

desaparecidos." --certain region of such a

contigous mass, a r

developed that after growth

and decay was substituted by

another, instead of relaying

on the hypothesis of

migrations from one

continent to another across

now vanished land bridges."

(Proposes, in the following paragraphs, that the southern civilization, the "Lemurida" or quasi-African, dissappeared before the "Atlantida" which in turn, after its decay, was taken to Egypt so that Hermes and his disciples could learn from the ancients, etc.)...

"Si, pues, somos antiguos --"If we are, then,

geologicamente y tambien en lo --geologically old as well in

que respecta a la tradicion, --cultural tradition, how can

?como podremos seguir aceptando --we continue to accept that

esa ficcion inventada por --fiction invented by our

nuestros padres europeos, de la --European fathers, of the

novedad de un continente que --newness of a continent that

exist'a desde antes de que --existed even before the

apareciese la tierra de donde --appearance of the land from

proced'an descubridores y --where discoverers and

reconquistadores?" -- reconquerers originate?"

(Discusses the need, in the next paragraphs, to use a "salto del esp'ritu" to understand what has happened to world history)...

"Ensayemos, pues, --"Let us try, then,

explicaciones, no con fantas'a --explanations that do not rely

de novelista, pero s' con una --on a novelist's fantasy, but

intuicion que se apoya en los --are based on an intuition that

datos de la historia y la --is supported by data from

ciencia. --history and science.
 

La raza que hemos convenido en --The race that we have agreed

llamar atl‡ntida prospero y --to call Atlantidae prospered

decayo en America. Despues de --and decayed in America. After

un extraordinario --an extraordinary flowering,

florecimiento, tras de cumplir --once its cicle was complete,

su ciclo, terminada su mision --finished its particular

particular, entro en silencio y --mission, became silent and

fue decayendo hasta quedar --decayed until it diminished in

reducida en los menguados --the impoverished Aztec and

Imperios azteca e inca, --Inca empires, which are

indignos totalmente de la --totally poor heirs to the

antigua y superior cultura. Al --ancient and superior culture.

decaer los atlantes, la --Once the Atlantidae decayed,

civilizacion intensa se --the intense civilization moved

translado a otros sitios y --to other places and changed

cambio de estirpes; deslumbro --lineages; brightened in Egypt;

en Egipto; se ensancho en la --expanded in India and, in

India y en Grecia injertando en --Greece, inserted into new

razas nuevas..." --races."
 

Vasconcelos thus sets the stage to what he considers the true mission of Latin America: to provide a place where the new race, the mixture of all races, will flourish. He bases this in the undisputed fact that Latin America had, by then, received members from every ethnic group and subsequent multiracial offspring had been prduced. Unfortunately, he considered that the new ethnic type had to be guided by principles originating from Spain, which he clearly considered the "civilizing" influence. This is evidenced by passages such as:

"La obra portentosa iniciada por --"The portentous work

los ferreos conquistadores y --initiated by the steely

consumada por sabios y abnegados --conquerors and consumated by

misioneros fue quedando --wise and virtuous

anulada...(the influence of missionaries was slowly

foreign kings [the Hapsburg?] in anulled..."

the exploitation of the Colonies

is then bemoaned)

And:

"Nosotros no seremos grandes --"We will not be great as long

mientras el espa–ol de la --as the Spaniard of America does

America no se sienta tan --not feel as Spanish as the sons

espa–ol como los hijos de --of Spain."

Espa–a."

There are many other nuggets in this chapter that demonstrate the racism prevalent among the Mexican elite of the time (and some of it may still be there). But this note is getting to be too long to delve into them. Maybe another time.

Now for my editorial comment: while it is true that individuals of mixed race are common in the US (even in the face of the "one drop of black blood makes you black" type of thinking) and in Mexico, this is not the case in the overall world. This fact, taken to extremes, has been used by numerous science-fiction writers to depict the future of the human species. However, the underpinnings of La Raza Cosmica are faulty since the the history of humanity and the world is nowhere near what Vasconcelos believed. Even if I was to overlook the kookiness of thinking that human beings developed simultaneously all over a single land mass, I cannot stomach the thought that Spanish culture and all that it represents (its particular brand of Christianity, for example) should be the beacon of our mestizo existance.

I could go on and on about the lack of validity of the various "scientific" claims that Vasconcelos used to buttress his thoughts but I won't go into that unless there is a demand for it.

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J. Manuel Urrutia
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy,
UCLA
Box 951547
Los Angeles CA 90095-1547
310-825-7898 (voice)
310-825-4057 (fax)