The doll, being a miniature version of a stereotypical “Otomí or Mazahua woman”, brings into question the authenticity of this object. In the first two tours, we explored the historical context in which the object was conceptualised, the colonial and post-colonial influences as well as its evolution over time.
However, the fact that the doll is nowadays (to an extent) mass-produced in order to meet the demands of the tourism market questions whether this Lelé is an authentic cultural artefact, or simply a result of commercialisation and commodification of indigenous culture and heritage (Aguirre Mendoza & Borja Cruz, 2020).
This commercialisation of the Lelé doll highlights the tensions between indigenous cultural representation and economic exploitation (Aguirre Mendoza & Borja Cruz, 2020). On the one hand, indigenous cultural artefacts such as the Lelé doll are often appropriated and commodified by dominant cultures for economic gain (in this case, touristic value), thus perpetuating colonial legacies of exploitation and marginalisation. On the other hand, the doll also emphasizes traditional Mexican heritage and therefore brings awareness to artisanal practices.
However, it could also be argued that this commodification risks erasing the cultural significance and authenticity of the doll, reducing it to a marketable product stripped of its historical and symbolic meaning (Aguirre Mendoza & Borja Cruz, 2020). While the commercialization of the Lelé doll may offer economic opportunities for indigenous communities, it also raises important questions about the ethics of cultural commodification and the preservation of authentic indigenous heritage in the face of global capitalism.
In media studies, discussions of authenticity often build on Walter Benjamin's concept of "aura” (Benjamin, 2008), Benjamin argued that the aura of an artefact, i.e. its sense of uniqueness, authenticity, and presence, is diminished in the age of mechanical reproduction (Benjamin, 2008). The Lelé doll is therefore an interesting case due to its indigenous cultural background and the involvement of manual labour in its production, but nowadays also being mechanically reproduced (to an extent). The doll is marketed as emanating the aura of manual labour of indigenous artisans, representing their likeness, creativity and traditional, generational cultural knowledge. This aura contributes to the doll’s symbolic value, evoking a sense of connection to indigenous communities, histories, and traditions. However, the doll has nowadays been subjected to all kinds of replications, from physical to digital. The doll circulates globally (El Universal, 2019), blurring the lines between the original handmade artefact and its reproductions, bringing into question the preservation of the doll's aura and its ability to convey a sense of cultural authenticity in an increasingly mediated and commercialized world.