Anthropological Easter

I was ready to tear up Mexico city with my friend Park this weekend, unfortunately I was too sick accomplish my goal. It started with me almost passing out during the Our Father during the Good Friday Mass here at NPH. Despite a blood pressure of 70/60, I decided to still make the trek to Mexico City...and then spend almost 36 hours straight in a hotel room with very little energy or appetite. When I emerged from my tomb this morning, I had every intention of attending an Easter service, but they're harder to find than you might think. As an alternative I went to the Museum of Anthropolgy.

The museum is filled with artifacts, photographs and comical dioramas of primitive scenes (think junior high science project). Despite the cheesiness of the dioramas, I couldn't help but to think that the majority of my genes are wired to perform the same tasks that hunter gatherers faced thousands of years ago. Zoom in on the picture of the neanderthals fending off predators, holding rocks with their opposable thumbs (it made me think of my own instincts when I've faced packs of dogs while running here in Mexico).

During my visit I also learned a new term that has brought some clarity to my understanding of Mexican culture. The term is religious syncretism, which refers to the ways in which indigenous people incorporated Catholicism into their own religious system. This wasn't forced by missionaries but rather it came from their need to have dieties for the new tools and techniques that were brought by the Spanish. For example, Christ was seen as the creator of cattle, metal tools and money. Celebrations of Christmas and Easter also corresponded well with solstice festivities. This fluidity between the Mexican people's indigenous roots and declaration of Catholicism is still very present today. In fact I mentioned this reality after witnessing my first parade during my first week here. Personally, coming from a country where most of us are detached from our indigenous roots, this fluidity was hard to wrap my head around. People tend to draw clear lines between Catholic vs. Non-Catholic, Christian vs. Non-Christian, Believer vs. Non-Believer, Atheist vs. Pagan. In fact, the lightness with which some Mexicans hold their spiritual allegiance might have really bothered not too long ago. But I'm at a place where presently where I can appreciate it.