Hugo Argüelles
Hugo Argüelles was a prominent Mexican playwright known for his significant contributions to the theatre during the latter half of the twentieth century. Born on January 2, 1932, in Veracruz, he made his theatrical debut with the play *Los prodigiosos* in 1956 and continued to create influential works until his last production, *Las pirañas aman en cuaresma*, in 2003, shortly before his passing on December 24 of the same year. Argüelles's plays are characterized by their dark humor and vivid animal imagery, often addressing themes of societal degeneration, fanaticism, and superstition. His notable works include titles such as *Los cuervos están de luto* and *El ritual de la salamandra*.
Initially studying medicine, Argüelles shifted his focus to theatre, enrolling in the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, where he became a mentor to emerging playwrights and directors. His legacy includes the establishment of the Centro Veracruzano de Las Artes Hugo Argüelles, an institute dedicated to artistic training in Veracruz. Over his career, he received various accolades, including the Premio Nacional de Teatro and the Bellas Artes award. His unique style incorporated elements of magic realism and social criticism, reflecting on life and death through the lens of love, which resonated with audiences and critics alike.
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Hugo Argüelles
Playwright
- Born: January 2, 1932
- Birthplace: Veracruz, Mexico
- Died: December 24, 2003
- Place of death: Mexico City, Mexico
Biography
Hugo Argüelles was a major figure in Mexican theatre throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Born in Veracruz on January 2, 1932, his first produced play, Los prodigiosos (the prodigies) appeared on stage in 1956, and his last play, Las pirañas aman en cuaresma (piranhas make love during Lent), was produced in 2003, just four months before his death on December 24, 2003. In between these dates, he was a prolific and celebrated playwright. His works use dark humor to depict the degeneration of Mexican society that nevertheless possesses a rich national spirit. Often he sees fanaticism and superstition at the root of this degeneration.
Typically, a spirit of fable is associated with the plays, as evidenced by his frequent use of animal imagery, even in the titles. Some examples are Los cuervos están de luto (1960, the crows are in mourning), El ritual de la salamandra (1981, the ritual of the salamander), El cocodrilo solitario del panteón rococó (1982, the lonely crocodile of the rococo pantheon), Los amores criminales de las vampiras morales (1983, the criminal loves of the moral vampires), Los gallos salvajes (1986, the wild roosters), La boda negra de las alacranas (1992, the black wedding of the female scorpions), and Las hienas se mueren de risa (2002, the hyenas are dying of laughter).
Argüelles spent five years in the study of medicine at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, but then abandoned a medical career in favor of the theatre. In 1956, he enrolled in the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and in that same year he saw his first two plays produced. He himself took seriously the training and education of new playwrights and directors, doing so through workshops and his own school at Pueblo. Several important figures have emerged from his tutelage, including Carlos Olmas, Oscar Liera, Tomás Urtu- Sástegni, and Sabina Berman. In Veracruz, an institute for artistic training and promotion bears his name: El Centro Veracruzano de Las Artes Hugo Argüelles.
Over the years, he wrote some twenty plays. Most are stage plays, but he has also written screenplays for cinema, such as El tejedor de milagros (1961, the weaver of miracles), which he then made into a stage play in 1963. His play Doña Macabra was a great success on television. He has won numerous prestigious awards for his work, such as the Premio Nacional de Teatro, the Bellas Artes award, and the Premio Pecine. On October 22, 2001, he was honored for his forty-five years in the theatre. The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes sponsored an elaborate ceremony in the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City with scenes from his plays, performances by dance troupes, and speeches by significant figures of the Mexican theatre. He was cited for his original style, his rich, dark humor, his magic realism, his social criticism, and his thematic use of the duality of Eros/Thanatos, or love/death.