The Return of the Aztecs

 Last month, on July 26th to be exact, I went to the Zócalo, Mexico City's main plaza, to see ceremonies to commemorate the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital built where Mexico City stands today.  

(I should note that the Aztecs actually called themselves the Mexica... hence the name of the country.  Aztec was a name given to the people by the Spanish after Aztlán, the legendary land from which the tribe is said to have migrated.  I will continue to use the name Aztec, however, since that is the name by which most people from outside of Mexico know the tribe.)

Groups of people, of varying degrees of indigenous ancestry, had gathered on the plaza to celebrate the great city of Tenochtitlan.  I arrived at the Zócalo around noon.  The participants, who were dressed in Aztec or "Aztec-ish" attire, were honoring the sun... raising their arms or kneeling in worship.  I could not help but think that the Dominican friars of the Spanish Inquisition must be turning in their graves.  There was one fellow who gave a wild-eyed speech about how the glory of Tenochtitlan lives on to this day.  I wondered how many of the people listening to him have ancestry from tribes such as the Otomí or Mazahua who were subjugated by the Aztecs or peoples such as the Tlaxcaltecas who were the sworn enemies of the Aztecs.  The Aztecs were indeed a remarkable civilization, but they were imperialists just as the Spanish were.  The Spanish would have never been able to conquer Mexico had it not been for the natives who allied themselves against the hated Aztec oppressors.  After the conquest, they were then oppressed by the triumphant Spanish.

After speeches and reverence to the sun, the groups then began dances to the hypnotic beat of drums.  The dances would surely go on for hours.

According to tradition, Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325.  What kind of spectacular celebration will be held next year for the 700th anniversary of the Aztec capital?