olvidados

Olvidados is the plural masculine form of the Spanish adjective olvidar, meaning "forgotten." In Spanish and Portuguese, the term is used to describe people or things that have been neglected, overlooked, or erased from memory. It is commonly employed to refer to marginalized groups, victims of neglect, or historical erasures, and appears in journalism, literature, and everyday speech as a figure of speech for social exclusion and memory.

Notable uses include Los olvidados (The Forgotten), a 1950 Mexican drama directed by Luis Buñuel. The film portrays street children in Mexico City and their struggles with poverty, violence, and social neglect. It is widely regarded as a landmark of Mexican cinema and an influential example of social realism in Latin American film, contributing to Buñuel’s international reputation and shaping subsequent depictions of urban hardship.

Beyond cinema, the term appears in various cultural and academic contexts as a motif or title referring to groups or histories that have been neglected or suppressed. In literature, music, and critical discourse, olvidados is used to underscore themes of memory, marginalization, and the imperative to acknowledge overlooked voices and experiences.