The Bermuda Triangle of Madrid’s Museums: The Prado, the Museum of the Americas and the National Museum of Anthropology

Abstract

The Bermuda triangle of the title refers to the magical space between three Madrid museums— El Prado, the Museum of the Americas, and the National Museum of Anthropology—in which the coloniality of Spanish society disappears, in the contemporary moment as much as in the historical narrative. This article asks: where is Latin America— specifically, Latin American art—in Spain? It sets out the discursive maneuvers that have obscured that coloniality in art and in the daily activities that allow Spaniards to enjoy Andean potatoes in their tortillas and Mayan chocolate with their churros, without savoring the American bitterness that is their basic ingredient.