Latinos have been part of Hollywood since the silent film era but are still underrepresented in front of and behind the camera.
Dolores del Rio, circa 1935
"She was seen as an exotic woman," says Cynthia Prida Bravo, consul for cultural affairs for the Consulate General of Mexico."She played the European, very sophisticated woman and she played the Indigenous woman. She was so sure of herself. That's why we're still celebrating her almost after a hundred years."
Serna further explains del Rio's appeal in Hollywood."She's exotic looking, but she's not particularly dark. I think that works for the studios, as it continues to work for the studios today. So she's portrayed as being very 'acceptable.' And she was very insistent that she didn't want to play roles that she considered stereotypical."There were other tropes used then, and even now.
"Everybody changed their names in those days," says Reyes. He adds that the studios may have anglicized names to appeal to white audiences, but that didn't mean the actors were ashamed of their heritage. And some, like del Rio, returned to their roots. In the 1940s, she helped launch Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema. Among her most famous films were
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