Lecture series on ancient Mexican cultures continues,
Jan 12, 2007

Ancient Cultures of Mexico, Part II

Wednesday, January 17, 3pm

Teatro Santa Ana, Insurgentes 25, 50 pesos

Several ancient cultures of Mexico are fairly well-known: Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec, Olmec and Toltec. Less known, perhaps, is the Classic Veracruz culture, which flourished from about AD 100 to 900. The Classic Veracruz had a unique art style that revealed itself in yokes, palmas and hachas, stone-carved ritual objects associated with the Mesoamerican ball game—which frequently ended with the sacrifice of the players. Not all the players, of course (but what would you guess—the winners or the losers?). The Classic Veracruz culture’s interest in the ball game was extraordinary. Most architectural sites of the ancient cultures had one to three ball courts. El Tajín, the major site of the Classic Veracruz civilization, had 11!

The Classic Veracruz culture, along with the Maya, Zapotec and Mixtec, are the focus of a lecture entitled “Ancient Cultures of Mexico, Part II.” The lecture’s purpose is to aid those interested in distinguishing between the various cultures.

Each culture has a defining characteristic or phenomenon associated with it that sets it apart from the others. There are also images of art and architecture that differentiate and distinguish each of the cultures. The lecture will be illustrated with over 200 digital images that reveal the uniqueness and beauty of the ancient cultures of Mexico. The lecturer is Guillermo Méndez, retired Professor of Humanities and San Miguel resident.

The political situation in Mexico: views from the left

Global Justice Snowbird Symposium

“The Political Situation in Mexico: Views from the Left”

By Atahualpa Cáldera, Norman Suárez and Pepe Ramírez

Wednesday, January 17, 10:30am

Sala Quetzal, Biblioteca Pública, 50 pesos

Recent political developments in Mexico have not only provided the headlines in this nation’s press, but also in the US media and much of the rest of the world. The Center for Global Justice has assembled a panel of local political activists to analyze the troubled political situation in Mexico. They will examine the events of the past year and what they portend for the future. 

In recent months, political turmoil has bubbled to the surface in many parts of Mexico, revealing many unresolved tensions that had long been smoldering deep in the society. The presidential campaign between conservative Felipe Calderón and leftist López Obrador did not end with the July 2 election but continued even after Calderón was officially declared the winner. Obrador’s followers occupied the center of Mexico City for months and set up a parallel government in opposition. In this, Obrador seemed to move toward the Zapatista view that the existing political system is corrupt and needs to be replaced by something new. 

This had been the basis of the Zapatista’s “Other Campaign” that eschewed electoral politics altogether, instead mobilizing people at the grassroots level to express their grievances and create an alternative. As it happened, quite independent of this, a strike by teachers in the southern state of Oaxaca gave birth to APPO, a citizens’ organization representative of a civil society in resistance to the existing government. 

Does this portend in microcosm the kind of conflicts that might characterize the coming six-year term of President Calderón? What are the deeper contradictions in Mexican society that have given rise to these conflicts? What does the future hold as Mexico approaches the 100th anniversary of its revolution? These and other questions will be considered by a panel of experienced political activists.

Atahualpa Cáldera of the Center for Global Justice participated in the Zapatista Encuentro in Chiapas over the New Year’s weekend. Norman Suárez is a well known photographer. Pepe Ramírez is with the Colectivo Cultural Izquinapan in San Miguel de Allende. The three will give a primer on the sometimes confusing swirl of events, names and parties and interpret their meaning and import from a leftist perspective that has won the support of over one third of Mexico’s voters.