Untitled (Flamenco dancer in a cave)

Juan Jose Segura

Despite the annotation "Mexico" in the lower right margin, this image of a flamenco dancer in a cave was likely inspired by the Zambras flamenco culture of Sacromonte, Granada, Spain. Not only does the depiction of the cave play a part in this estimation, but the date as well.

With Western exploitation of far flung cultures finding new heights in the 1920s and '30s, flamenco was among at the forefront by 1939. But the history of Sacromonte's flamenco was far more complex than could be told in one performance. Combining the rich and often fraught history of Andalusia's Muslim Moors, Iberian Romani, and Sephardic Jews, Zambras flamenco was an act of cultural resistance against colonization. Specifically, by the Spanish Catholic monarchy. Today, Zambras flamenco is as culturally relevant as it ever was.

Juan Jose Segura had studied art in Mexico City and New York, and by the time he made this etching, he was also working as a screenwriter and set designer. He would go on to become a major figure in Mexican filmmaking as a director, as well.