Seldom does a monograph capture those historical moments in Latin America when the intersection of music, politics, and culture collide, but Charles V. Heath manages to create a symphony of Latin American political history with his recent book. The ability to combine the topic of music and politics is an accomplishment, especially for a diverse state like Oaxaca, Mexico, where regional ethnic identity has regularly caused cultural shifts in the formation of politics. Heath meticulously documents the historical moments in which music, as a form creative expression and political discourse, has been a cornerstone for political agendas during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Oaxaca.
The sociopolitical outcomes that coincided with these most significant political shifts are complicated, given the historical development of Oaxaca as a state within the national identity of Mexico. Nonetheless, Heath uncovers the nearly 150-year history of the Banda de Música del Estado de Oaxaca (BME) in a way that shows the interweaving of music as philosophy, art, and performance into an elegant narrative of Oaxaca's unique history. The intersections of music and politics are the central themes of this book, but the value to readers comes from Heath's ability to detail Oaxaca's unique political history and its governments' relationships with the nation of Mexico. Marching bands and the individuals who play the instruments are the highlights throughout the book, but the discourse surrounding their music and performances is also a splendid introduction to politics and culture in Oaxaca. Heath's use of music—as a political discourse that impacted sociocultural customs—is a clever and revealing method for showing the Oaxaca's political development of municipalities. Here music and community celebrations became a symbol of homogeneity within the state, and also as served as representations of ethnic identity.
The creation of sound is a cultural characteristic that all humans share. The practice of manipulating objects to create distinct sounds and rhythm is an innovative method that humans have evolved over time. Similarly, the political systems, however large or small, is something that human groups form to organize themselves. Heath shows that sound and harmony have been useful in the process of forming political systems. He describes the BME's evolution within Oaxaca as an “instrumental makeup” in which the combination of musicians creates an expression of homogenous identity.
The performance of music in a public space where the intentions are political is customary for most nation-states. For example, the playing of a national anthem for gold-medal winners is synonymous with the IOC Olympic Games. Athletes stand proudly on the podium and some sing along to words that represent a country of origin. Where do music and politics intersect? Why was the performance of music popularized and integrated into combative authoritarian violence in Mexico? Heath unpacks these questions by uncovering Mexico's connection between music and war.
He opens the book with chapters that examine military battalions and their leaders. The detailed descriptions of marching bands that included drum majors and cornet players are insightful, but the examples of individual relationships to music—from Antonio de León, Benito Juárez, and Porfirio Díaz, who may be collectively described as some of Oaxaca's most famous and influential heroes—is a contribution to history and the cultural significance of Oaxaca. Early on, Heath introduces the BME's impact on the state development of Oaxaca during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, an effect that could simply be described as a harmonious serenade of political influence. The BME is performance, musically, socially; more importantly, it is a social tool to inform politics. “Almost immediately, the BME's mission included didactic, nationalistic performances such as a patriotic festival, cultural missions, and special ‘Cultural Days,’ all of which included music, poetry, and speech and composition contests” (85).
As a cultural practice to integrate political policy, Heath's uses of music are examples of how music can be “liberating” for members of a developing state. This musical approach is also resourceful as a sociopolitical discourse. The findings of how the BME and other similar musical bands were integrated into government by the political elite in Oaxaca provides additional dimensions to the twentieth-century political quest for “liberation” in the rural indigenous regions of the Oaxacan state.
Researching the political history of Oaxaca is a complex task for any scholar because it is here that ethnic diversity is negotiated. However, Heath manages to cover centuries of this history in a critical and insightful manner. “A true cradle of Mexican liberalism, Oaxaca quickly developed its own civil religion. It found it martyrs and saviors in the ranks of military heroes, its symbols in classical civism, its rhetoric in ancient texts and pragmatic, eloquent prose.” (22)
Heath's chapters describe the evolving Oaxacan state chronologically, and it is clear that he sees the BME as a representation of this process. However, the chapter titled “Mestizaje, Musical Pedagogy, and the Socialist State” contains elements that seem out of place, taking the reader away from the focus on the evolving Oaxacan state. The opening section on mestizaje, although a necessary discussion, is condensed and appears rushed. Although it does contain useful information on the development of nation-state identity in Mexico, it could be improved with the addition of commentary notes that direct the reader into the complexity of mestizaje in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Indeed, the dialogue of mestizaje is distracting from the overall goal of the book, and if it is to be taken into serious discussion, it deserves a detailed chapter. For example, the intersections of politics and culture in the nation-state of Mexico and how indigenous identity—particularly politically motivated indigenous identity—emerged within the Oaxacan state would need further analysis. The topics of musical pedagogy and the developing socialist state stand alone as well-researched topics, but the theme of mestizaje is not presented in a way substantial enough to link two subjects effectively.
This critique of the treatment of mestizaje is a small caveat to the praise I give the book in its entirety, for the final chapter “From Political Proselytizer to Economic Engine” concludes powerfully. The description of the BME and its incorporation into the annual celebration of Guelaguetza in Oaxaca is a contribution to the growing literature not only on the state-sponsored event of Guelaguetza but also on its transnational outcomes of music and culture. “Whether or not the BME had completed its task of ‘teaching’ Oaxacans to be citizens of a social democratic state is not verifiable—nor, by the mid-twentieth century, was it apparently as important to state government.” (118)
The growing success of Oaxaca as a cultural destination, although it comes at the expense of marginalized groups, is something that all scholars who conduct research in Oaxaca understand as a critical piece of the state's history. The conclusion of the book transitions from documents to first-person observations and interviews with current BME members. Comments from the current BME director are refreshing and solidify the political and cultural impact of the BME's remarkable 150-year history in Oaxaca.
Overall, Heath offers an original book that adds to the history and cultural narrative of Oaxaca and the nation-state of Mexico. The chapters are tied together by the thread of the BME, and although the middle section on mestizaje was perplexing, the subsequent chapters are well researched and can stand alone as separate resources. Scholars of the topic or region should review this work as an opportunity to use the complete and concise chapters for their research and teaching courses. The book is a contribution to the history of Latin America that shows how local and national politics proceeded to integrate music in a diverse region, ultimately leading the BME into the political fold.
