Aguila Conclusion

In the first half of the 20th century, the advertisements Aguila Chocolate produced were to convey nationalistic messages. These messages aligned with broader Argentine and even Latin American sentiments toward Europe and economic independence after neocolonialism. Food historian Jeffrey M. Pilcher states that “cuisine and other seemingly mundane aspects of daily life compose an important part of the cultures that bind people into national communities” (1998, 2). In an attempt to make Aguila Chocolate a part of national culture, they celebrated national achievements related to their brand of chocolate in their advertisements. This was an effort to create a sense of national community through the shared experience of consuming a globally recognized national good.

Closer to the middle of the century, Aguila Chocolate advertisements heavily targeted toward women. These advertisements “sought to constitute and shape them as consumers, influencing the family economy” (Scheinkman, 151). The images in this exhibit highlighted the domestic role that society expected women to take within their families. According to Parkin, “food conveyed [women’s] affections and fulfillment of duty to their families” (Parkin, 4). This affirmation of duty through feeding families deepened “the progressive confusion between the terms ‘mother’ and domestic ‘woman’” (Scheinkman, 152). By purchasing and serving Aguila chocolate, these advertisements basically guaranteed that women were accomplishing their domestic responsibilities. 

Although remarkable progress in terms of women’s equality in Argentina was occurring at the time, the social hierarchies that undergirded the structures of honor and patriarchy were still paramount in the social perception of women (Chambers, 16). A woman’s honor in the mid-nineteenth century “continued to be judged primarily by their sexual purity and domestic virtue.” (Chambers, 16). This ideology carried on throughout the century. Through their use of the stimulant, Aguila Chocolate assured women that they were solidifying their marriages and securing the well-being of their children, satisfying every requirement needed to be a decent woman in Argentina. 

Since the earliest example of gendered advertisements and the latest example of nationalistic advertisements overlap, the connection between these types of advertisements is also an integral part of understanding the intent of Aguila. In all but the first nationalist advertisement, the brand does not represent nationalism as inherently gendered given the lack of people present in the ads themselves. As a result, Aguila did not present nationalism in a gendered manner, but they did present gender in a nationalistic manner, as explored in the analysis of “Un Chocolate Generoso.” In essence, the company’s targeting of women and of women’s customary role as domestic servants sought to enlist women as catalysts for increased domestic consumption of their nationalistic product. According to historian Ludmila Scheinkman, “the dissemination of advertising images at the national level can also relate to a broader process: the formation of a national market of food products and cookies, chocolates and sweets in particular” (Scheinkman, 150). With this in mind, Aguila’s actions imply that their overarching goal was to have good Argentine women serve the world’s best and Argentina’s very own chocolate to capable men and the developing generation, the nation’s future.