Hombres de Maíz de Miguel Ángel Asturias y la decolonización del pensamiento: de la heterogeneidad a la heterarquía

Abstract

This article analyzes decolonial thought in the novel Men of Maize by Guatemalan author Miguel Ángel Asturias, with the aim of revealing how the elements that make it a work capable of fostering decolonial thought come together. The analysis provides a breakdown of the postulates regarding heterogeneity in relation to the concept of heterarchy, which was previously juxtaposed with the notion of the colonial matrix of power. This exploration highlights a critical discourse present in the work as evidence of the need to conceive of Latin America from a perspective different from that dictated by the West. The intention is not to idealize tradition, because the point of enunciation proposed by the novel and its interpretation is no longer that of the indigenous people, but rather one that emerges from the epistemic clash between the two cultures.