The Devil in Texas by Aristeo Brito

First published:El diablo en Texas, 1976 (English translation, 1990)

Type of plot: Magical Realism

Time of work: The 1850’s to the 1970’s

Locale: The Texas-Mexico border towns of Presidio and Ojinaga and the surrounding area

Principal Characters:

• Ben Lynch (Don Benito), a powerful, wealthy Anglo landowner
• Francisco Uranga (Don Pancho), a journalist and lawyer who resists the injustices he sees perpetuated upon the Chicano population
• Rosario (Uranga Lynch), Francisco’s sister, who marries Ben Lynch
• (Tía) Paz, Francisco’s wife
• Reyes, and
• Jesús Uranga, Don Pancho’s sons
• José, Sr., the son of Reyes Uranga, married to Marcela
• José, Jr., who “speaks” from Marcela’s womb and returns to Presidio when his father is dying

The Novel

No plot, as such, exists in this short novel, but the activities of the two main families named in the work may be traced through some one hundred twenty years (1853-1970). The book begins with a prologue, told in the stream-of-consciousness technique, which sets the stage for the following narrative, told from multiple points of view. The next three parts, “Presidio 1883,” “Presidio 1942,” and “Presidio 1970,” illustrate the conflict between Anglos, represented by the Lynch lineage, and Mexicans (who eventually become Mexican Americans, or Chicanos), represented by the Uranga family. The action throughout the book takes place in the border towns of Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Mexico, on each side of the Rio Grande. No main character, except perhaps the Devil, is introduced in the prologue, but the barrenness and desolation of far west Texas, which will be the locus for years of conflict between the neighboring communities, is emphasized. Since Aristeo Brito was reared in this same environment of antagonism and conflict and, as an adult, returned “home” to research the book, many similarities between the author’s life and the narrative appear.

“Presidio 1883” details the Anglo domination of the area, introducing Ben Lynch (Don Benito), whose wealth and influence enable him to threaten, cajole, or cheat the Mexicans. He is powerful and has the strong arm of the Texas Rangers on his side whenever there is a conflict between him and the Mexicans he employs. At one point, he discovers a ring of horse thieves and proceeds to host a party to which they are given a special invitation. Much to their surprise, the thieves are summarily slaughtered. The only person willing to stand up to Don Benito is Francisco Uranga, a lawyer and journalist who encourages the Mexican Americans to resist oppression; at one point, Francisco becomes a representative for the Mexican government. His efforts are in vain: One of his sons (Jesús) is ambushed and drowned in the Rio Grande one night; another becomes a part of a subversive band of roaming outlaws. His own sister Rosario marries Ben Lynch, the devil incarnate. Throughout this part of the book, incidents detail the misfortune and abuse experienced by the Chicanos. One such incident is the death of a twelve-year-old, who dies as a result of a lung disorder contracted while working long hours in the mines. Descriptions of several key locations, symbolic as well as real, are provided in “Presidio 1883”: a cave situated deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains, a train station, a fort where devils and spirits roam at night telling their sad life stories and where tourists are taken (for a fee). In addition to the human characters from the two main families, the Devil in many disguises appears in this section of the book.

In “Presidio 1942,” life continues much the same, although the Texas Rangers are replaced by the Border Patrol and some farm laborers, such as Teléforo and his son Chale, acquire a degree of professional status. Because these Hispanics have the responsibility of controlling the undocumented workers, their position in the social hierarchy is somewhat enhanced. Life in the little agrarian community continues to be boring and depraved. The young people who do not flee to a better existence somewhere else in Texas spend their time as shiftless bums in bars or brothels. Francisco Uranga’s grandson José, a sharecropper on the land his family originally owned, abandons his home and pregnant wife in order to dodge the draft by escaping across the border. His wife Marcela dies in childbirth, but the fetus speaks fervently from the womb about social injustices perpetrated on the generations of Urangas. The surreal presence of a powerful and malignant devil continues to stalk the land.

Years later, in “Presidio 1970,” José Uranga (the fetus in section two) returns to the deathbed of his father. In a fantastic dialogue with the dead man, José learns of his father’s reasons for fleeing and of his experiences in prison. The plight of the Chicano has never improved, despite the passage of time and changing generations. Although he is initially bitter and resentful, the younger José decides to remain in Presidio to combat the wrongs perpetuated on his genetic and cultural fellow-sufferers.

The Characters

Ben Lynch, the Anglo landowner introduced in “Presidio 1883,” typifies everything abusive and negative in the social system of the late nineteenth century along the Texas-Mexico border. He and others in the book are more types than fully developed characters. His motivation is greed; his ambition is acquisition of money, land, and power. He will stoop to any level to accomplish these goals. By marrying Rosario, he aims to ensure that the Mexican American population will be divided in their loyalties, because, in a perverted sort of way, he has become “family.” In like manner, he takes other Chicanos into his confidence in order to undermine their traditional allegiance to one another.

Francisco Uranga will not be a pawn for the powerful Anglo landowner. He is smart enough to realize that the Mexican American population is being exploited. His publication, a small newspaper called The Frontiersman, eventually becomes a strong voice of protest concerning the life of the Mexicans in the Southwest. Few details concerning Francisco’s daily life are provided, but his son Reyes inherits the seeds of rebellion.

Reyes Uranga is enraged when he realizes the extent to which Ben Lynch will go in his abuse. When he discovers that Lynch has ordered his brother drowned and his friends shot in cold blood, he resists in a manner different from his father, using a rifle instead of a pen. He becomes known as “Coyote” and organizes resistance against the traffic of illegal aliens back and forth across the border.

José Uranga, Reyes’s son, who is married to Marcela, is important to the narrative because he represents an element of civil disobedience. His willingness to leave his pregnant wife and risk his life escaping across to Ojinaga to avoid the draft resembles his Uncle Jesús’ willingness to continue to transport Mexicans across the river illegally.

Marcela Uranga, José’s wife, represents the long-suffering woman in a border society. Her husband and his relatives are involved in resistance to the ruling caste, so she must face her emotional and physical problems alone. She feels pain at the thought of bringing a child into the abusive world of the Chicano worker on the borders of the southern United States. When a tall man in a Stetson hat passes by and winks at her, she is convinced that she has seen the Devil incarnate; she will not be consoled and eventually goes mad. Her death in childbirth is not an unrealistic one.

José, the unnamed fetus in “Presidio 1942,” is the last of the Urangas introduced in the novel. His soliloquy from the womb represents a somewhat “genetic” knowledge of the plight of the Chicanos passed from generation to generation. He is portrayed as a semimessianic figure who returns in “Presidio 1970.” His speech at that time is not with a living human, but with his dead father.

Critical Context

The Devil in Texas, first published in Spanish in 1976, is an experiment in narrative technique in the tradition of Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo (1955) and works by such other writers as Agustín Yáñez and Carlos Fuentes, who cast their stories in a semifantastic ambiance. Brito’s work differs, however, in that it defines the Chicano experience. Its Texas border setting does not restrict it to a regional audience; its powerful emotional message of alienation and powerlessness should be familiar to the “hyphenated” citizen of any race or location. Brito was one of the first to use (in the original Spanish version) Mexican Spanish, Chicano Spanish, English, and a mixture of English and Spanish in a written linguistic pattern typical of oral linguistic expressions, hence capturing the spirit of the issues together with the prosaic reality. The myriad narrative voices that tell the story also contribute to the mosaic experience of the novel.

Aristeo Brito’s unique blend of fact and fiction laced with mythical and symbolic overtones transforms an apparently simple story line into a collage of images that project a powerful social message. With its rich intricacy of plot, theme, and symbolism, The Devil in Texas qualifies as an integral part of the canon of Chicano literature.

Bibliography

Eger, Ernestina N. Review of El diablo en Texas, by Aristeo Brito. Latin American Literary Review 5 (Spring/Summer, 1977): 162-165. Review of the 1976 Spanish edition. Succinctly captures the tone of each of the sections of the book and locates it in the Chicano and Mexican traditions.

Jiménez, Hector. Review of The Devil in Texas, by Aristeo Brito. Hispanic, November, 1990, 70. Short, concise review of the 1990 edition.

Keller, Gary D. “A Crossroad Marks the Spot: Miguel Mendez, Master of Place, and the Bilingual Press/Editorial.” Bilingual Review 19 (September/December, 1994): 9-14. Although this article is not directly concerned with the works of Aristeo Brito, it demonstrates that Brito’s involvement in forming the Bilingual Review/ Press reflects his pride in Chicano literature. This pride certainly shapes his fiction.

Lewis, Marvin A. “El diablo en Texas!: Structure and Meaning: Studies in Language and Literature of United States Hispanics.” In Contemporary Chicano Fiction: A Critical Survey, edited by Vernon E. Lattin. Binghamton, N.Y.: Bilingual Press, 1986. A discussion of narrative technique, imagery, and symbolism.

Lomelí, Francisco. “Survey of Chicano Literature.” Bilingual Review 15 (January, 1989): 135. Although Brito’s work is not specifically mentioned, this journal article offers an excellent background for reading the novel.

Tatum, Charles. Introduction to The Devil in Texas, by Aristeo Brito. Tempe, Ariz.: Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, 1990. Offers background information on the status and change of the people living along the Rio Grande as well as biographical facts about Aristeo Brito that impact the narrative.