Historical Marker

Revistas, Maromas, and Carpas and Florinda Naranjo Ortiz

Trapeze and juggling acts, song, dance, and dramatic performances were part of traveling vaudeville-style shows called revistas that brought fun and entertainment to families throughout New Mexico in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many were family based and included acrobatics, or maromas, performed under a small tent, or carp —the name by which they were sometimes known. Originating in Mexico with roots in Aztec culture, they often presented humor reflecting cultural differences between Mexican-American and Anglo traditions. Most ended with the onset of WWII.