In Heart of the Earth, a feminist revisioning of the Quiché Maya Popul Vuh story, Moraga creates an allegory for contemporary Chicanismo in which the enemy is white, patriarchal, and greedy for hearts, both female and fecund. Through humor and inventive tale twisting, Moraga brings her vatos locos home from the deadly underworld to reveal that the real power of creation is found in the masa Grandma is grinding up in her metate. The script, a collaboration with master puppet maker Ralph Lee, was created for the premiere production of the play at The Public Theater in New York in 1994. In an afterword to this edition, Moraga comments on her concerns about nationhood, indigenism, queer sexuality, and gender information.

Production History

Commissioned by INTAR Theater, New York.

• Premiered at the Public Theater in New York, September 14, 1994. Directed by Ralph Lee. A collaboration with composer, Glen Velez and visuals by Ralph Lee.
• Opened at INTAR Theater of New York, January 10, 1995. Directed by Ralph Lee.
• Opened at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in January 1997. Directed by Ralph Lee.