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Why are mothers-in-law so important in Latin American culture? | VPRO Documentary

2,137 views · Published 15 November 2018 · 41:22 · Indexed 19 October 2026

Channel: vpro world stories · 2018 · Travel & Events

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Why are mothers-in-law so often discussed in Latin American culture? Are mothers-in-law so important for Latinos or are they only a myth from the past? Mostly mothers-in-law are described as distrustful and picky, but why is that so? How does Latin American culture justify the role of mothers-in-law and is it changing? 

Dutch presenter and film maker Stef Biemans travels across the back of the Andes and wonders how people are doing in South America. In the fifth episode he takes a close look at the role of the mother-in-law. Because that's what the Latino talks about quite often. He travels to the border between Ecuador and Colombia and visits a valley 100 kilometers north of Quito. There is an ancient tree, where a lot of weddings are hold. Why there? What is so special about that place and the tree and how does it go together with the difficult role of the mother-in-law? 

Stef Biemans does not like mother-in-law dolls. Yet he always just laughs a bit, because he can´t escape this popular genre. Folk tales, songs, books and soaps are also not complete in Latin America without the role of the distrustful mother-in-law. Why is the mother-in-law so important in south American culture? And has the role of the mother-in-law changed, now that the economy is picking up and families less often have to live together under one roof? Or are mothers-in-law still as picky and meddlesome as the Latino man suggests? Maybe the mother-in-law also have good reasons for that, because men do not always treat their wives as gently.


Original title: Mijn schoonmoeder bleef thuis (5/6) – Over de rug van de Andes

Presented by Stef Biemans

© VPRO April 2018

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