Ask a Mexican Anything

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Edit: After thinking about it, I started the post as a place for the controversy regarding ethnic and cultural movements in society and their polite discussion but I think if I make another it would be about other things as well, given the jolly reception, with an opening line of a theme perhaps, as we did with this one about immigration. Is there an interest in a particular theme about Mexico and Latino related things? If yes let me know in the comment section and if not, the next post will be about food. A recipe perhaps? Odd dishes of far away local markets?

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Something I've noticed in the past five years is that some people are very touchy and yet curious about immigration matters; the nations involved and their culture and the corresponding implications in the societies of the nations involved, but most people I've tried engaging with are afraid of getting down to real talk to not offend, me or somebody else. I appreciate the gesture for sure given today's broad hysteria and conversations can get tough, but this I intend for such things to be discussed without them becoming personal.

Me? I like that immigration matters are brought to the fore after centuries of imperial immigrant abuse, but I also think that many of my fellow Mexicans and latinos here in the U.S seem to be enjoying too much the attention that SJWs have given them and turned capricious or they have been dumped by their apparent saviors and switched sides. They have good points but they also have blindspots --and some of their supporters magnify those with wishful thinking, that seems either self-sabotage or just ignorance about politics and economics. And even others, who used to favor the wall vehemently, now live in Puerto Vallarta or what not.

The image is the stunning sculpture Promerica by Polish American artist Stanisław Szukalski and it depicts his vision for the Americas: science and mysticism; engineering and magic; european and indigenous, working together. Oh, and when the wind hits it in the right way, the whole monument hums. He wanted it to be in the border between Texas ans Mexico where a university would be founded. He meant it as a mexican priest blessing an american engineer's blueprints but it can go both ways in today's America. It could very well be a Druid, Wiccan high priestess or Sioux medicine man blessing the code of an Ecuadorian software developer.

Ask me anything about being Mexican in the US; growing up in Mexico and it's history; Spanish language and mesoamerican esoterica; culture shock, food, art or religion; the differences between the US and Mexico; what I think about immigration policies, stereotypes. You get the idea, controversial, pleasant or just curious, I'll gladly answer it. You can just drop by and I'll listen too.

Comments

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No worries for being late, I leave it open until it just stops receiving comments.

Compared to today? A lot remains, but remember the amount of richness. At one point Tenochtitlan was the biggest city on the whole planet, so the diversity of spirituality and magic must've been humongous.

I think a lot of people are reconsidering their spirituality and many are looking back to the traditions of the land though I don't expect this to become a semi organized religious movement again for quite a while. It seems a redescovery among a few is happening first and slowly creating clusters.

Personally, I have yet to know someone who I truly see as an initiate in the Mesoamerican tradition, I've read about them in the books of Jacobo Grinberg, I just posted an essay about that with a translation and in stories people that seem serious enough tell me but I haven't gotten deep enough, but there seem to be. And witch-doctors are everywhere too. Many people still go but not out of a spiritual process. The religion part is harder because of Christianity. Most has been lost to it but tradition seems remain in some groups. the ceremonies I've assisted invoke the mexica gods in the directions and make altars for them.

Astrologers and healers of the mesoamerican traditions can still be found and also many dance groups.

As for how much is available. To give you an idea, I have 3 encyclopedic tomes just about gods and the traditional Mexican medicine book I use is as fast as medical tomes, though more anthropological in nature. We have the Popol'Vuh as well, we have decoded the Maya writing and have a fair share of codexes and myths. The researcher I mentioned has a 7 volume set just about shamans, which I will be posting essays about it bit by bit here.

Also look at Santa Muerte, clearly a mesoamerican syncretized power given they worked a lot with their conception of the death and of Mictlan and Mictlantecuhtli.

Has he mentioned which deity he is working with? His Neoplatonic framework also sounds interesting.

[causticus]

Thanks for all this! Quite fascinating.

The deity he has had experiences of is Tezcatlipoca.

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You are welcome! I see, it wouldn't be a bad idea to balance it with Quetzalcoatl or other deities from other pantheons. It is still not clear to me yet if all the mesoamerican pantheon is safe to work with as is without using a structure.

[causticus]

I too have reservations about the safety of working with that pantheon.

AFAIK he doesn't do anything ritualistic wrt Mexica Gods. Just some prayer and academic-type of research. When he does do ritual stuff it's Orphic Hymns to the Greek Gods. From what I can tell he has very balanced and well-reasoned personality; none of the telltale signs of what happens to people who dabble with the more unsavory types of neopagan practice. So I'm to believe whatever contact he's had with Mesoamerican gods or spirits has been of an entirely benign nature.

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I'm relieved to hear this! Given that the cult of Tezcatlipoca was the introductory of human sacrifice as common ritualistic practice if I recall correctly.