Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

story, such as the Licenciado asking his private secretary to check the electoral
preferences in the town. 36 This would reveal the lack of democracy and social concern
from the party in power, the PRI. It might also start with some of the characters
discussing a national issue or having a casual chat that would lead to discussion of a
national concern. There were five characters who held knowledge and the rest of the
citizens would listen attentively: as mentioned, Profe Gumaro, who in fact happened to
be the son of Calzonzin, the main character from Los Supermachos; Don Ruco, an old
veteran of the Mexican Revolution who has knowledge of those times; Don Céfiro, a
peasant who has his own opinion polling company, who reads books and newspapers,
and teaches Spanish to a native who carries Céfiro’s dictionary everywhere; Profesor
Hans, a German ex-Nazi scientist who enlightens the citizens with his knowledge of the
natural sciences, although he has radical and violent ideas to solve problems because of
his Nazi background; and finally ‘El Mesías’, a hermit who behaves in a Socratic way,
is usually treated by the citizens as a lunatic although after proving his statements, he
usually convinces them. The rest of the citizens work as an audience that is willing to
learn. The authorities of Chayotitlán embody all Mexican authorities and therefore carry
all their faults and mistakes. There is nothing positive in them. The citizens do not
respect them since their behaviour is abusive and selfish. Every time they appear in an
issue, it will be to reveal a truth about themselves: corruption, abuse, exploitation, etc.
The topics discussed are varied and current: lack of democracy, the government
of president Luis Echeverría, the massacre in Tlatelolco, abuse by the authorities,
corruption, poverty, social services, the educative reform, and others. However, through
Los Agachados, Rius also discussed subjects such as the history of the Mexican
Revolution, the history of comic books around the world, vegetarianism, clues for a
36 Eduardo del Río ‘Rius’, Los Agachados de Rius. Selección de la gran historieta de los años setentas
(Mexico: Grijalbo, 2004), p. 76.
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