Book Review of Mexico Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization

Introduction

In the book, "Mexico Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization," Bonfil Batalla offers a tremendous exposition regarding the Mesoamerican civilization, and the impacts it has had on the contemporary lives of the Americans. In the book, Batalla widely argues that the Mesoamerican civilization is an ongoing process and it is a force that the current Mexicans cannot avoid at all. Batalla argues that the Mexican Profundo encompasses the remaining Indian communities, the "de-Indianized" rural mestizo communities, the far sectors that consist of the impoverished urban population. Notably, the lives of these communities as well as their ways of life have always been associated with the Mesoamerican civilization that has refused to come to its end. However, Batalla recognizes that the ancient agricultural society had good things to offer to the communities and the societies around (Batalla & Dennis, 1996). In reality, this exposition by Batalla creates an opportunity through which the readers can understand the kind of society. With this school of knowledge in mind, I have been able to tell that the agricultural complex was critical in providing food supply and work and this was a perfect mechanism through which a harmonious relationship with the natural world could be encouraged. The society was further peaceful, and the Mexico Profundo could considerably enjoy from the god elements that were presented by both their cultural and linguistic identities and freedom. Based on the fact that health is related to human conduct and community service is often part of each obligation, the time was circular, and the societies were tremendously able to accomplish their cycle about the cycles of the universe.

The Mesoamerican Civilization and its Impact on Contemporary Mexico

According to Demarest & Foias (1993), the Mesoamerica civilization brought about a completely different experience in the lives of the present communities. According to Batalla, the people of Mexico Profundo have been tremendously dominated by an imaginary Mexico that has been imposed mainly by the western nations especially the United States. It is illusory in the context that this kind of civilization tremendously denied the community the realization of their cultural reality, and which is now lived by the majority of the current Mexicans (Blanton et al. 1996). A considerable body of accumulated knowledge exists within the Mexico Profundo as well as the successful patterns for living together and adapting to the natural world. Facing the future success in the view of Batalla requires that Mexico has to build on the strengths presented by the Mesoamerican civilization. Ideally, this is one of the few civilizations that humanity has created throughout all its history.

Throughout the literature given by Batalla, we can study the astonishing formation of the colonial Mexico City and its prominent through the little known role was an economic as well as the cultural crossroads between Europe and Asia. Such exposition further takes us to survey the 1910-1919 Mexican revolution that played crucial roles in inspiring the Mexico Profundo and the Mestizo rebels. At this point, readers can embrace both the racial and cultural hybridity for the Mexicans in line with their historical experience with the Mesoamerican civilizations. This is evident in various topics. In the topic How we came to be where we are, Batalla dwells on the problems of the national culture, the colonial order, the forging a nation, and Mexico's revolutionized modern times and the paths to the Indian survival (Carmack, Gasco & Gossen, 2016). A broad picture of the chronological and historical experience of the indigenous communities is presented here. I can comprehend that to reach where they are, the Indians and other indigenous communities have passed through the considerable struggle for their freedom that was presented by the real Mexico and nor the imaginary Mexico that was formed to resemble the modernity and the European and the Americans ways of life.

The Struggle for Cultural Identity: Imaginary Mexico vs. Mexico Profundo

Batalla explains about an intense preoccupation of the west with the glorious Indians of the past and outright disdain for the flesh and the blood of the Indians today. He further provides all the ideological maneuvering involved. Considerably to my dismay but perhaps not surprisingly, it is becoming clear that the majority of the part, the Nahuas are not aware of their own culture of their cultural heritage, particularly the written traditions and face formidable challenges of access to the same. How Batalla portrays the influence, and the magnitude of the Mesoamerican civilization is excellent. It becomes evident that the Mexico Profundo had so much to teach Canada, as settler civilization and the indigenous Nations strive for the Truth and Reconciliation in a post-residential school, but decidedly not post-Colonial time (Marcus, 1992). A closer look at the book will reveal that Batalla provides a persuasive argument that the survival of indigenous Mexico in all its richness through a period of five centuries dominated by genocides, provided a clear indication that the Mexico Profundo through its civilization alone had tremendous strength and resilience to see modern Mexico into the future. As such, the Mexico Profundo, therefore, has shown a tremendous message to the America and Canada that it is capable of independently govern its self so as its people can be able to enjoy the freedom of cultural identity.

The Resilience of Indigenous Mexico: Strengths and Challenges

From the book, therefore, it is undeniable to mention that Batalla has succeeded in portraying the two types of Mexico that the world is not aware of. These include imaginary Mexico and the Mexico Profundo. The former is established to provide a good resemblance of the European and the western culture that considerably idolizes the modernity and materialism in line with the American and European cultures. The Mexico Profundo offered a great revelation of the lives of the indigenous communities beginning from their history from the time of Aztecs to the arrival of the Spaniards and how they engaged in a campaign to enslave and exterminate the native people of Mexico. The culture of Spain with both the sword and the cross and for centuries the native people waged series of struggle with the aim of protecting themselves and preventing the occurrence of both the cultural and linguistic genocide. They adopted various strategies such as the securitization and effectively reading the elements of the oppressors to survive. This kind of exposition by Batalla presents the benefits of repelling the forces that were behind the cultural erosion among the Mexico Profundo. Even with the defeat of the Spaniards and Mexican independence, the new ruling classes tremendously dismissed the indigenous cultures as backward and inferior. The struggle of the indigenous people of Mexico continues until today. It seems that before his death, the author Batalla predicted and warned mainstream Mexico that any failure on their part to treat the natives with respect and dignity would contribute to an emergence of a major uprising by the Maya populations in the Chiapas state, which is led by the enigmatic Subcomandante Marcos.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that Batalla argues that the Mexican Profundo encompasses the remaining Indian communities, the "de-Indianized" rural mestizo communities, the far sectors that consist of the impoverished urban population. Within this context therefore, he exposes the concept of civilization of the Mexico Profundo. The audience are able to realise that the Mesoamerican civilization played a critical role in changing how the Mexico Profundo suffered as a result of the European and American influence. Such influence led to a tremendous loss of their cultural and linguistic identity. The people of Mexico were unable to enjoy the elements presented through their cultures. As a result, it established an imaginary Mexico that provided a good resemblance of the European and the western culture that considerably idolizes the modernity and materialism in line with the American and European cultures. As a result, therefore, the book has been able to provide a great revelation of the lives of the indigenous communities beginning from their history from the time of Aztecs to the arrival of the Spaniards, in addition to how they participated in a campaign to enslave and exterminate the Mexico Profundo. As a result, the readers can have a better understanding of the persuasive argument presented by the Batalla regarding the survival of indigenous Mexico in all its richness through a period of five centuries dominated by genocides. The readers are therefore able to get a clear indication that the Mexico Profundo through its civilization alone had tremendous strength and resilience to see modern Mexico into the future.

References

Batalla, G. B., & Dennis, P. A. (1996). Mexico profundo: Reclaiming a civilization. University of Texas Press.

Blanton, R. E., Feinman, G. M., Kowalewski, S. A., & Peregrine, P. N. (1996). A dual-processual theory for the evolution of Mesoamerican civilization. Current anthropology, 37(1), 1-14.

Carmack, R. M., Gasco, J. L., & Gossen, G. H. (Eds.). (2016). The legacy of Mesoamerica: history and culture of a Native American civilization. Routledge.

Demarest, A. A., & Foias, A. E. (1993). Mesoamerican horizons and the cultural transformations of Maya civilization. Latin American Horizons, 147-191.

Marcus, J. (1992). Mesoamerican writing systems: Propaganda, myth, and history in four ancient civilizations (pp. 146-52). Princeton: Princeton University Press.