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"The
Three Cultures of Mexico" When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in 1519 they mixed with the lndians and thus began a long process in which two races and two cultures, equally great but totally different,became fused: the mexico of today was born. The influence of these two cultures is patent in all aspects of life in this country. Castilian, which is the official language, is enriched with innumerable words of lndian origin and modern Mexicanisms. Even though Spanish is the official language, the lndian tongues have not died out and are spoken in various regions. The Indian-Iberian mixture is reflected in poetry, music and dance in which the Mexican gives out his soul in freeing himself from his reserved personality. In these artistic manifestations one finds all the scope of the Mexican sentiments, from the secretiveness and stoicism of the lndian to the boisterous expressiveness of some of the Spanish influences. The modern Mexican feels just as deeply the poetry of Góngora as that of Netzahualcoyotl, and enjoys dances such as the Spanish jota aragonesa as much as the Mexican jarabe tapatío, or the baile del quetzal. The Catholic religion, imposed by the Spanish, also reveals the lndian influence. The modern Catholic rites are often mixed with the rituals of the religions of the pre-Colombian as it can be seen during the festivities of the Day-of- the-Dead, to name only one example. It is in the architecture where the evidence of the two original cultures is most palpable. In Mexico and its sur- roundings, there are the palaces and churches constructed after the conquest. These buildings have the undeniable stamp of Spain, but the indigenous artisan left his style molded in them. The Indian image can be appreciated in the faces of the angels that adorn many of the churches, notably in Santa Maria Tonantzintla and San Francisco Acatepec, in the state of Puebla. These are truly baroque jewels of the Indo-European art. Cholula, also in the state of Puebla, was one of the most venerated cities of ancient Mexico. There are enough churches to house 365 altars. The excavations revealed that each church was built on a pyramid or a sacred place. The church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, one of the greatest of the state of Puebla, was constructed over a pyramid whose colossal dimensions surpass those of the pyramid of Kofú, in Egypt. During its splendor, it embraced an area of 17 hectares, measuring 488 metres in width and 62 metres in height. The restoration work of this pyramid speaks eloquently of the grandness of the ancient Cholula. The Indian splendor can also be appreciated in the imposing Teotihuacán, not far from Mexico City. In this site, the magnificent assembly of buildings have been restored to a great extent and frescos were found that still conserved their polychromia. In Mexico City,
built over the Great Tenochtitlán, day by day surface more vestiges
of the Aztee civilization , as if the Indian past, after almost five
centuries of silence, shouts its presence, reclaiming its right to the
Mexican land. In the center of the city can be seen the most impressive
resurgence of the mexican lndian civilization. In the Zócalo,
exactly between the Governor’s Palace and the Cathedral, (both
buildings date to the16th century) are the excavations of the Templo
Mayor two twin temples, one dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and the other
to Tlaloc. Also in the heart of Mexico City, is the Plaza de las Tres
Culturas.There can be seen a group of Aztec ruins. Next to the ruins
one finds the ancient Spanish church of Santiago Tlaltelolco. Surrounding
the ruins and the church are a group of modern buildings. The Mexican
spirit is representad there, as it reads in a plaque about the site:
THE 13th OF AUGUST 1521 HEROICALLY DEFENDED BY CUAUHTEMOC TLALTELOLCO
FELL TO THE POWER OF HERNÁN CORTÉS. IT WAS NEITHER A CONQUEST
NOR A DEFEAT. IT WAS THE PAINFUL BIRTH OF THE MIXED CULTURE WHICH IS
THE MEXICO OF TODAY. |