Condorito: A Chilean Cultural Icon

I don't think there is a Chilean alive who has not read a Condorito comic book.  For me growing up, Condorito is what brought me closer to my roots.  Being able to get my hands on a comic book back then was difficult.  We would wait anxiously, for far-off mail sent by family members back home and when one finally did arrive, we would often re-read the only copy we had until we learned the storyline.

 

So who is this 'Condorito' anyways?  Well, he is exactly what his name describes him to be, an  anthropomorphic Condor, a majestic bird that inhabits the Andean mountain range.  It's name derives from the Quechua language Kuntur and is a national symbol of Chile, amongst other countries from the Andean regions.

Condorito, the comic strip, was created in 1949, by René Ríos Boettigerarious as a response to Walt Disney and their typical Americanized characters.  Rios decided that one was needed for the Latin American audience and more specifically, one for Chile. 

Condorito lives in a fictitious town in Chile named Pelotillehue, which is characteristic of any small town in Latin America, where things are always changing, while not changing at all (if that makes any sense, but this is the true epiphany of magical realism).  He is meant to be the stereotypical representation of the working-class Chilean; somewhat irresponsible and always ready to party around, but also kind and loyal to his friends and loved ones.  He does not have a job but always is involved in an active life of friendships which include hanging out at bars, sporting events and the places to meet women.  Although Condorito is popular in all of Latin America, he is undoubtedly very Chilean;  a decorative character who solves and confronts his problems using his wit, grace and humor and not necessarily his talent or work.  He is in fact, what some historians in Chile have dubbed the archetypical, working-class, poor Chilean or 'el roto Chileno.'

Pelotillehue is as decorative as its main character.  You find intense soccer rivalries between neighbors, plenty of stray dogs, fancy restaurants, bars and patron saints (San Guchito, which means 'sanguches' or sandwiches for Chileans, hence Saint Sandwich).  Condorito's closest friends are an array of typical representations of Chilean society all known by their nicknames.  To name a few, we have Huevoduro (literally meaning boiled egg), a man with an egg for a head, who is actually based on a Canadian that writer Rene met one time and described him as being the palest man he had ever seen, thus where his name and likeness to an egg comes from.  Next, we have  Condorito's, number one enemy Pepe Cortisona; an egotistical rich, jock, with white blinding teeth who gets satisfaction from trying to court Condorito's girlfriend Yayita.   Finally, we have Yayita, Condoritos' bombshell gorgeous girlfriend, who always waits for her courter to bring her expensive gifts but to her disappointment, she only gets flowers from Condorito ripped up from her own yard.  

Many many popular Chilean expressions have have also come out of Condorito comic books.  Expressions such as ¡Plop! (What!) and ¡Exijo una explicación! (I demand an explanation!) shows us the other side of Chilean humor where the unforeseeable appears in any second.  Condorito comic strips usually ended with him or other characters falling over, feet up and with the title Plop! meaning symbolically the perplexity of situations and life.

During the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, which lasted from 1973 to 1998, many forms of cultural and artistical forms of expression were repressed.  Condorito, amongst some other few comic strips, survived this repression and was able to flourish, even though it contained no political criticism.  It was a way for Chileans, living at home and in exile, to connect in some way to their culture and roots.

Condorito has been a cultural favorite all over Latin America since its inception, but most importantly had the most impact in Chile, especially during the 80's and 90's when things were repressed.  It has been a link for so many Chileans living abroad, yearning for some of their culture.  Condorito was a glimpse into everyday life in Chile.  For me, it still holds a nostalgic reminder of my childhood, living far from my family and longing for any semblance of Chile and its culture which came in the form of a comic strip.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog....