The Magic Lantern

Jos Tomas de Cullar was a Mexican writer noted for his delicate sense of humour and gift for caricature. La Noche Buena and Baile Y Cochino are two novellas written in the costumbrista style made popular by the periodical press in which these sketches of contemporary manners were first published. La Noche Buena describes middle class life in which people pursue pleasure and entertainment without regard to Catholic morality. Baile Y Cochino depicts Mexican women and their dedication to fashion. It is through them that the novelist examines a scoiety that is susceptible to foreign values, the importation of which radically altered the face of Mexico and its traditional customs.