*MEXICAN short stories, *MEXICAN national character in literature, *AZTEC mythology in literature
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that 'Chac Mool' (1954) by Carlos Fuentes and 'Coatlicue' (2003) by Elena Poniatowska are short stories that utilize motifs of the Aztec cosmogony in order to disarticulate the discursive formation of Mexican national imaginary. However, the writers propose, more than a mythopoeic articulation of those motifs, a poetic deconstruction of the history and myths that form the foundations of Mexican national identity. In other words, while offering a vivid and literary perspective of Mexico, both writers also narrate it and recreate its myths and mythologies, offering at the same time an alternative vision of it outside the official narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]