| M E X I C O C I T Y |
| The Flight of the Eagle |
| Text and Photographs by Eduardo Barraza Part I |
Mexico City.- Past and present collide
right in front of the amazed eyes of the
spectator who stands between the ruins
of the Templo Mayor or Great Temple,
and the Metropolitan Cathedral in
downtown Mexico City. Two cultures,
two spiritual beliefs, and two symbols
are contiguous to each other, not only
physically, but in an idiosyncratic
coexistence that blends two tongues,
two struggles, and two peoples into one
single identity. An ambiguous identity
fathered by one continent and bore by
another, a dramatic and fierce fusion
that gave birth to a great nation.
This is the land of the Mexicas (Me-shee-
cas) or Aztecs –Tenochtitlan (te-noch-
teet-lahn,) the territory where their god
Huitzilopochtli (wee-tsee-loh-poch'-tlee)
led them, the mythical region where
they expected to see an eagle perched
upon a nopal (prickly pear cactus)
devouring a serpent, the indubitable
sign to posses the land. Today, even in
ruins, the Mexicas or Aztecs are
majestic, imposing, frightening. What’s
left of their grandeur hints of the
sensation of thrill their war prisoners
experienced in their last moments of life,
before the sharp obsidian knife reached
their beating hearts to accomplish its
sacrificial end.
History is alive. History is breathing.
History is an open wound. Downtown
Mexico City resists leaving behind her
past. In doing this, it reminds us through
the cold stone of the ancient structures
of the triumph and the tragedy that both
built and destroyed an empire. “Don’t
you dare forgive,” yells the fierce stone
snake at you; “don’t you dare forget,”
whispers the fearsome, fully-chromed
Chacmool, laying in its everlasting
posture. The remnants of a splendorous
kingdom have a voice, a conscience, an
eternal fate that vows not to let you
forgive nor forget.
New generations walk by the ruins
conscious and reverent, unaware and
irreverent, amazed or indifferent. But
the people, the Mexican people, the
sons and daughters of the Aztecs, are
still the proud people who despise the
Spanish conquerors, and admire their
past glory, their ancestors. To know
their history, all they need to do is walk
on it. The ruins and remains are their
history’s textbook, wide open for all to
see, to read, to breathe. Unafraid of
stepping on the large spines of the
nopal, this cohort of new Mexicans are
certain they are a contemporary eagle
who will always devour the serpent.
Seeking to find new heights, Mexicans of
the new Millennium, fly with their wings
extended
right in front of the amazed eyes of the
spectator who stands between the ruins
of the Templo Mayor or Great Temple,
and the Metropolitan Cathedral in
downtown Mexico City. Two cultures,
two spiritual beliefs, and two symbols
are contiguous to each other, not only
physically, but in an idiosyncratic
coexistence that blends two tongues,
two struggles, and two peoples into one
single identity. An ambiguous identity
fathered by one continent and bore by
another, a dramatic and fierce fusion
that gave birth to a great nation.
This is the land of the Mexicas (Me-shee-
cas) or Aztecs –Tenochtitlan (te-noch-
teet-lahn,) the territory where their god
Huitzilopochtli (wee-tsee-loh-poch'-tlee)
led them, the mythical region where
they expected to see an eagle perched
upon a nopal (prickly pear cactus)
devouring a serpent, the indubitable
sign to posses the land. Today, even in
ruins, the Mexicas or Aztecs are
majestic, imposing, frightening. What’s
left of their grandeur hints of the
sensation of thrill their war prisoners
experienced in their last moments of life,
before the sharp obsidian knife reached
their beating hearts to accomplish its
sacrificial end.
History is alive. History is breathing.
History is an open wound. Downtown
Mexico City resists leaving behind her
past. In doing this, it reminds us through
the cold stone of the ancient structures
of the triumph and the tragedy that both
built and destroyed an empire. “Don’t
you dare forgive,” yells the fierce stone
snake at you; “don’t you dare forget,”
whispers the fearsome, fully-chromed
Chacmool, laying in its everlasting
posture. The remnants of a splendorous
kingdom have a voice, a conscience, an
eternal fate that vows not to let you
forgive nor forget.
New generations walk by the ruins
conscious and reverent, unaware and
irreverent, amazed or indifferent. But
the people, the Mexican people, the
sons and daughters of the Aztecs, are
still the proud people who despise the
Spanish conquerors, and admire their
past glory, their ancestors. To know
their history, all they need to do is walk
on it. The ruins and remains are their
history’s textbook, wide open for all to
see, to read, to breathe. Unafraid of
stepping on the large spines of the
nopal, this cohort of new Mexicans are
certain they are a contemporary eagle
who will always devour the serpent.
Seeking to find new heights, Mexicans of
the new Millennium, fly with their wings
extended
| The ruins of the Great temple and the Metropolitan Cathedral |
| Stone snake |
Yesterday is today in Mexico City. The echo of prehispanic times reverberates in the present-day Aztec dancers.
With their splendorous and colorful featherworks, they make ancient times fresh as the morning’s dew. Their
rhythmic movements, the sounds of their rattles and drums, and their physical appearance transport you to the
past in the blink of an eye. The street vendors are here today as they were yesterday; their voices bouncing back
from old walls attracting potential buyers. The medicine-men, amid the smoke of burning incense, invoke ancient
gods, in spite of five centuries of Catholicism. Much has changed; much remains the same. Today is yesterday in
Mexico City.
With their splendorous and colorful featherworks, they make ancient times fresh as the morning’s dew. Their
rhythmic movements, the sounds of their rattles and drums, and their physical appearance transport you to the
past in the blink of an eye. The street vendors are here today as they were yesterday; their voices bouncing back
from old walls attracting potential buyers. The medicine-men, amid the smoke of burning incense, invoke ancient
gods, in spite of five centuries of Catholicism. Much has changed; much remains the same. Today is yesterday in
Mexico City.
The city of the Aztecs is not an island anymore nor is it surrounded by a lake. Today, Mexico City is a megalopolis of
18 million people, one of the largest in the world. However, this city is passionate about its marvelous history, a
passion reflected in the meticulous care the people have devoted to rescuing the past. Walking on its downtown
streets, there is no need to travel through a time’s tunnel to go back in time; the past is right there, before our
very eyes, so real that it is part of the present, and will be part of the future. Thus, Mexico City has become a three-
dimensional metropolis where the past, present and future are one, and where layers of history are as visible and
current as the news in today’s newspaper.
18 million people, one of the largest in the world. However, this city is passionate about its marvelous history, a
passion reflected in the meticulous care the people have devoted to rescuing the past. Walking on its downtown
streets, there is no need to travel through a time’s tunnel to go back in time; the past is right there, before our
very eyes, so real that it is part of the present, and will be part of the future. Thus, Mexico City has become a three-
dimensional metropolis where the past, present and future are one, and where layers of history are as visible and
current as the news in today’s newspaper.
| Contact the Author Hispanic Institute of Social Issues © 2006 |
Eduardo Barraza is the founder and director of the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues, a grassroots agency that disseminates information through workshops, seminars, and publications to promote informed choices and awareness on social issues. Eduardo is the author of a Spanish book titled “Los zapatos del immigrate y otros escritos,” and is the publisher and editor of BARRIOZONA. |
| Modern medicine man |
| BARRIOZONA |
| Bilingual Community Expression Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues |
| Chacmool in the Great Temple |
Modern street vendors