Latin american literature: a quest for mythical consciousness

una búsqueda de conciencia mítica

Abstract

In this research work, literature is explored as a means to build mythical consciousness and cultural identity, highlighting its richness in myths and historical realities. Key works such as Carpentier’s The Kingdom of This World, García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, Asturias’s Legends of Guatemala, and Martí’s essay Our America are analyzed, focusing on their use of myths, nostalgia, and cultural mestizaje. These works reflect Latin American identity through the real marvelous, indigenous and Afro-American myths, and collective memory. Latin American literature, imbued with cosmogonies and longing, reaffirms mestizo identity, connecting history and myth to understand the continent’s reality.