by Miguel Alejandro Marquez, Staff Writer

If I were to ask you: “name a Latin/Hispanic actor from a western.” Would you be able to do it? Your first pick would probably be Eli Wallach’s performance from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, who plays the wise cracking, bandit ruffian, Tuco, the comedic relief to Eastwood’s calm, yet deadly, persona. But would you be able to name anyone else?

Here, I’ll do you a favor and name a few: Chris Pin Martin, Gilbert Roland, Ricardo Montalban, and Ramon Novarro. These are the most famous examples that can be given of Hispanics/Latinos in this section of cinema. What do they all have in common? Their all in the background. They all play second fiddle. Chris Pin Martin was the sidekick in western adventures like The Cisco Kid; Ramon Novarro had a guest spot on an episode of Wild Wild West; and Ricardo Montalban played a “Fiesta Specialty Dancer” in Frank Sinatra’s The Kissing Bandit.

In the age of sixties-era Hollywood, there was a rise of independent voices. Boundaries were broken, and the glass ceiling was raised for a select few. The spaghetti western had Hispanic/Latino people portrayed in such diverse roles as bandit; townsperson; drunk, wisecracking bandit; and victim townsperson. Back in America, the western was dead in the water. Hispanics/Latin people were put even further into the background. This is not to state that entirety of that era was one racist tirade, but the options for Hispanic/Latino people were limited. For God’s sake, Charlton Heston portrayed a Mexican in Touch of Evil! (Not a western, and not sixties Hollywood, but I digress)

Diversity is sexy now. Diversity is now the talk of the town in Hollywood. Cinema is now in a position that it hasn’t been in before. Cinema now has a choice in asking who is and who has not been properly showcased on the silver screen. It is imperative for society to realize the potential of Hispanic/Latin cinema. Latin Americans offer a worldview that most of the world hasn’t seen before. We have stories that haven’t been told. Historical events that haven’t been explored.

At the very center of Hollywood is the western. The Hollywood western symbolizes the absolute hero versus bad guy story, black hat against white hat, and return to the traditional views of righteousness. The villains are plain and clear. There is cornucopia of potential in that type of story, the story of good and evil, especially from this section of the world. Banditos aren’t the only role that Mexicans are able to play.

What can the Latin/Hispanic community do now? Tell its fables, its legends, and that section of the world’s history. There is so much to draw from, from the fantastical tale of Zapata, to the Ninos Heroes and other revolutionary heroes, to the Mexican people’s struggle for independence and freedom. Its an untapped well of stories and myths. Hopefully, with the help of the Latin/Hispanic people, and the support of tinsel-town, this subgenre will rise in the near future. What should this future renaissance be called? Well, this critic will do the honors and coin this sub-genre of the western, the Taco Western. It’s Latin America’s response to the Spaghetti Western.

What makes a Taco Western a Taco Western? It has the same qualities as the Spaghetti Western. Especially for our close southern brethren, it’s made by Mexicans, in Mexico, starring Mexicans, and supporting Mexican ideals and values.

Latin/Hispanic culture and its people will have their day in the sun soon, just like the Italians. The Spaghetti western was a renaissance for Italian voices: Sergio Leone, Sergio Corbucci, Tonino Valerii, and Guilio Petroni. They were the mavericks. They brought an air of realism to the deflated genre. Their work put the Italian people in the forefront of the filmmaking process. I believe that the same thing can be made of the Latin American countries, Mexico especially. Mexico having an environment and culture, that could easily support the western genre. Think of the golden era of Mexican cinema, but on steroids.

Latin and Hispanic people put themselves in a position in which they are able to rise both their voices and their people. Movies made by Latin/Hispanic people for Latin/Hispanic people. But what is the end goal of the renaissance? What is it to teach society? The purpose of the Taco Western is to make Mexicans and Latin American people heroes, rather than banditos and wise-cracking jokesters. The closest thing that exists now of a Latin/Hispanic hero is Zorro, a character that’s been rebooted, retooled, and revamped too many times to count.

Folklore and the tales of the Mexican people would be the best way of starting out. The telling of Mexico’s struggles, from Mexico’s beginnings, to the Mexican revolution, to the Cristero revolt, to the modernity of the west, would captivate the hearts and minds of the general public. The legends are extensive, let this critic first lay out some stories that would be best for Hollywood to adapt: Francisco “Pancho” Villa (known as 14), General Enrique Gorostieta, and The Vaqueros, the first true, open range, cowboys. Imagine if you will, a poster that features a Hispanic/Latin gunslinger, but the guy with the gun is willing to save the day. To be a hero.

This isn’t to say that all Latino/Hispanic voices are not currently being heard. Artists such as Robert Rodriguez, Guillermo Del Toro, and Alejandro G. Inarritu, have brought this section of the world’s stories to life. It’s just a matter of time till we get to the western. Yes, the people listed have taken center stage, but we need mainstream heroes. Guys in white hats who happen to be brown.

The future of Latin/Hispanic filmmakers is to lead these stories into the mainstream. To create, and to tell the history of our people. With the support of other creatives, and other peoples, it will be possible for minority voices to be heard.

This critic would like to thank his father, Miguel Marquez Sr., for helping provide this article with much of the content listed.

Writer’s Note: Ricardo Maltoban, Ramon Navarro, and others listed, had incredible, complex careers, but at the same time they did play second fiddle a large portion of time to white, Anglo-Saxon characters. Yes, Ricardo Maltoban was a sex symbol and Gilbert Roland played the Cisco kid, but for the sake of this essay, I have to list out instances in which they were seen less than their white counterparts, in the western genre especially.

Also, Gorostieta’s story was told in the 2012 film For Greater Glory, starring Andy Garcia. Frankly, the film wasn’t important in the cultural zeitgeist, and would be considered a B-movie.