“El baile de los 41” recounts the double life of Porfirio Díaz’s son-in-law
In 2020, Mexican art will continue to have expressions that question the thread of history and the social fabric that they have generated. This is the case of “El baile de Los 41”, a film directed by David Pablos. The main character, Ignacio de la Torre y Mier, is played by Alfonso Herrera and the production is in charge of Pablo Cruz. According to the Cinépolis Instagram account, the film to be released in theaters on November 19.
However, it is important to take into account the COVID-19 factor in the industry.
The dance of the 41 fags
The film is inspired by one of the most heated political scandals of the Porfiriato. The episode popularly known as “The dance of the 41 fags” happened on November 18, 1901, when elements of the police carried out a raid on a house in the Tabacalera neighborhood.
At the party, there were transvestite men, who wore the finest dresses of the time, as well as jewelry and wigs. As an official balance, 41 men were arrested. The raid did not end as an inadvertent event, as President Porfirio Díaz did everything possible to silence the scandal due to rumors of a participant number 42: Ignacio de la Torre and Mier, his son-in-law.
According to legend, the organizers of the party were Ignacio de la Torre, Amada Díaz’s husband, and Antonio Adallid, godson of the Emperors Maximiliano and Carlota. With the arrival of the police, Torres and Mier would have been allowed to escape to avoid damaging the image of the presidential family.
For their part, the 41 guests were arrested and sentenced to forced labor. Those who did not have the financial resources to corrupt the prison system were recruited into the army. Although homosexuality was not illegal and there was no reason to carry out the raid, the violation of rights was common. Even with this, the influential guests continued to hold clandestine meetings, living a double life.
Double standards continue
On the other hand, the film aspires to make a parallel critique of contemporary Mexican society; the same that on the one hand presumes openness to the movements of sexual diversity, but in reality, does not stop stigmatizing it.
In November 2019, David Pablos stated that the recordings had concluded, therefore only the release date is expected. For his part, Alfonso Herrera responded with the following tweet:
“What a great dance and what a great trip! We finished the movie! “
Ignacio de la Torre and Mier
Ignacio de la Torre y Mier, nicknamed “His Father-in-Law’s Son-in-Law”, was a Mexican politician and businessman who married Amada Díaz, daughter of Porfirio Díaz in 1888. However, the marriage was full of problems derived from Ignacio’s sexual orientation, who led a promiscuous life and had sexual encounters with men. Despite this, he attended Porfirio Díaz Ortega’s party as a member of the family. Finally, the marriage began to lead separate lives and they lived in different houses.
As a politician, Ignacio held a seat as a deputy in the XVI Legislature. He tried to run for governor of the State of Mexico, but when rumors about his licentious life were used politically, he withdrew his candidacy. He was subsequently monitored by Díaz’s staff during his trips abroad.
In 1906, Emiliano Zapata wanted to meet him to share riding knowledge. Finally, the brief friendship was broken by their ideological differences. Some have suggested a relationship.
During the Tragic Ten, Ignacio de la Torre supported the coup against Francisco I. Madero. Sometime later he was arrested by Emiliano Zapata, being transferred to all the points where the army of the caudillo moved. When the troops and his fellow prisoners realized his homosexuality, they began to rape him; this fact would bring deadly consequences.
He died in New York in 1918, during sphincter reconstruction surgery. Amada Díaz inherited his debts.
Source: mexicodesconocido.com.mx
