Mexican Civilization Past and Present (August 2005)

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I explored the art and culture of Mexico City and Teotihuacan. Some of the highlights included the Metropolitan Cathedral, San Francisco Church and Museum of Anthropology. The Laboratorio de Arte Alameda (LAA) in Mexico City focused on the art-technology dialogue and showed multimedia works of art. Even visiting the Aztec ruins and learning about the rituals was fascinating.

My quaint hotel room with vibrant orange and blue shades, overlooked the Zocalo where a large, campesino protest occurred. I felt immersed in the culture, and was reminded of certain scenes from the film, “Frida”. The movie and life of this artist made an impression on me, enough to want to visit her native country. At the National Palace, I saw the murals of Frida Kahlo’s husband, Diego Rivera. His work was indeed highly detailed and punctuated with political context.

I was curious to see Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, especially the views from the top. The hike to the peak of the Pyramid of the Sun involved climbing up some steep steps. There was no more than just a rope to help me get to the top on that windy day. Also, the view from the Avenue of the Dead was well worth it. Climbing down from the pyramids felt more daunting than going up.

It was amazing to think of the life and culture during the days when these pyramids were built. What we might have considered as inhumane acts today was actually ceremonial then. Excavating and preserving these tokens of our past, e.g. archaeological sites, provided us with insight into the minds and imaginations of our predecessors.

Mexico City & Teotihuacan Gallery

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Greater Boston, Seattle and Vancouver (BC) based artist & photographer exhibiting internationally.

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