Mexico's Success - my lightbulb went on!

A lot of the old members know that I lived in Mexico with my Mexican wife for about 5 years. I love the bits that I visited, paid one traffic cop a bribe of $80 pesos for stopping the car 18" over the white line. But I love the people. Never went to a typical tourist trap. We're in central Canada, the cold prairie region.

For almost 2 months now, the web TV channels that we watch from here, are run by either a University or by a Mexican state, AguasCalientes and ONCETV (Channel 11 from the capital). Documentaries, old films, open discussions with Mexican intellectuals, etc. etc. AND documentaries about the pre-Mosaic (4,000 BC and 10,000 BC) South American tribes that settled there way before even Rome ever existed.

The lightbulb came on watching the discovery and archeological digs of the many Pyramid cities that were built there, taking 100's of years to build. Today, a politician's idea of his legacy building might last 200 years, maybe, a museum, a monument, a bridge. These South American tribes would start off with a design for their Pyramid cities and build it over what our system would call 25 Presidents or Prime Ministers. They had a vision. They had a visionary, not focussed on making artificial wealth or controlling the mortgage industry or bailout corn-growers (automotive industries?) They built a community, a nation, sometimes for 200,000 people.

The baffling part was why some of the really early tribes left these pyramid cities, until they found some rock-carved engravings in later pyramid walls, where they noted that these earlier tribes/nations would leave completely if the Forest was thinning out to fast because the city was consuming the earth to just produce food and tools that they made.

The lightbulb is that Human systems of social organization were more united and focussed. There was no interest in personal weath or servant classes. Only the Priesthood was set apart and the Ruler was respected but worked the fields and built the buildings and took his part in building and directing its completion. The ruler, would consult the 'priesthood' about crop seeding, food source proximity and... whether they were at a point of moving and building elsewhere to give the earth a chance to replenish.

So what?

The problem we have in our understanding of Latin America is that when we see how efficient their small village people live, without many of the gadgets and modern appliances, we see them as poor. The fact is otherwise. They aren't interested in wealth accumulation or depending on some non-responsive Customer Service guy/gal to come out and fix their stuff. They love their independance from all these trappings. They're free of taxes, but work for their community, their village and its people.

We can't reproduce that today, and I don't propose we should. I am just saying that there were many peoples that had a way to perpetuate a responsible, apolitical lifestyle and be proud of their nation. Something I find harder to do in Canada. We don't have Pro-Canada or Pro-Canadian politicians anymore, if we ever did. All of this 2-month observation has given me a view of the conflicts of Human Organization that builds a national system of cooperation that lasts and lasts for over 6600 years, until Cortez killed Montezuma around 1650.

I can't imagine living inside a pyramid and passing on my 'apartment' to the Next Generation, etc. for over 6,000 years. Beyond my capacity. But I can imagine how much Mexicans love their traditions and lifestyle. They've got roots that I can't even find, and that gives them the confidence to get up, get to work in heat and drought and tough conditions, over and above government corruption, crime and risk.

The Celebrations of Mexico's Bi-Centenary and Centenial lasted from 5:00 PM CDT to 2:00 AM CDT, focussed on the two revolutions that they fought and won. Showing the roots of their art, their diversity, and their showmanship, but above all the love and passion for their nation.

And without much ado or photo-ops they invited other South American leaders and Ambassadors, because the Bi-Centenary was all about kicking the Conquistadors out of South America. I didn't know that. Mexico took the lead on broadcasting it, but many countries were doing the same, after 270 years of being slaves and rape victims. Again, Mexicans and South Americans were led with visionaries, not technocrats with a media brand. Leaders with vision for their people and nation and environment. I watched the whole 9 hours and its still on today, all day. Humbling and illuminating.

Meanwhile other Canadian couch pundits mentioned the event, threw up a few pictures and cast doubt on Mexico. They forgot to mention that our PM sees Canada as the next US state, and guess what, it just might happen sooner than later, if our other parties don't grow a pair. Mexicans will never lose their passion for their country. It would take a holocaust for that to happen. I'm really convinced of that after what I've seen of the public media's openess, and candid reflections, for these last 2 months. Up here, it's just how our slithering pirates announce when it will happen to us.

 

It would never happen. We couldn't afford the social services that Canada has. :banghead3:

 

Great read Norm.
Thanks !

 

Mexico has a long, very long history and we tend to only think of "modern Mexico". In my mind anywhere more than 50 miles south of the border is real Mexico. Also in my mind most Mexicans are decendant from the Myans and Aztecs rather than from the Spanish.

Long traditions and history indeed.

Here in So Cal all we hear about is the drug wars, illegal immigration and the like. We are subjected to it on a daily basis. It's us that are addicted to things and can no longer live the simpler life style. What annoyed me most was the Mexican president speaking to our congress as how the border problems are our fault because of our appetite for drugs and our supplying them with guns.

My mother and her mother visited Mexico in 1962 and toured many places in and around Mexico city. They hired a private tour guide and had one heck of a good time. My mother spoke of the pyramids and she was so impressed and amazed that a city like that could be built centuries ago and thought of how those people lived.

Now wouldn't a car trip throughout Mexico be fun?

 

Wow, Norman - must be raining in the 'Peg today

I think many Canadians think the way you are thinking. We are like cousins who live next door to each other, do almost everything together, but one family has its own set of rules that differ from the others in many ways, yet in the end, they all equal the same thing.

Will we end up as a part of the US? I think what will eventually happen is that North America as a whole will have to become one overal entity to ensure the safety and livelihood of its inhabitants. I don't see that necessarily being one big country, but darned close.

That said, this is wayyyyyy to much thinking for me on a Thursday. You need to save these things for Tuesdays. That is a deep thought kind of day. By Thursday we are already thinking "WEEKEND" .....

 

Even that's going for crap. My province is the only one that gives you a free healthcare/pharmacare card, but it doesn't cover a lot of basic stuff, so people buy a personal Blue-Cross package for ambulance, etc.

But you know that its hitting the skids, when doctors are running Radio Ads. They're going private practice, and charging for it.

The problem here is that socialist governments started buying votes with adding cosmetic surgery, and optional surgery (liposuction, etc.), pills of all types, for smoking, diet, etc. and the thing got overloaded.

What pi$$es me right off is our national and regional lottery system. After WWII, Canadians used to buy Ireland's Hospital Lottery tickets and winning! So our Feds got into it and created the Lottery Act, which was 'Sold' to us as the source of top-off money for our Health Care and Hospital expansion, AND our junior sports programs. The final funding frontier. You can't find one, single audit or report of any such funding, anywhere! Nobody knows where the money goes, but we've got huge jackpots! New Casinos! Lottery Execs getting huge bonusses or committing fraud and getting 'house/mansion' confinement sentences for 6 months.

The slitherers just keep wearing better teflon suits.

 

Here SAF. The SPP was the start of this NAU (north american union) movement:
http://www.spp.gov/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union

Guys our age grew up singing the National Anthem in grade school. Even in Quebec, believe it or not! Pearson kicked off the League of Nations (now the UN), We were proud of our war efforts, proud of our CBC sign-off, running images of our great nation of 18,000,000. way back then.

Here's a kick in the gut for us Canucks. Did you know that our spy agency tracks Gangs in Canada, not the RCMP?
http://www.cisc.gc.ca/products_services/products_services_e.html

It only goes back to 2006:
http://www.cisc.gc.ca/archive/archive_e.html

BUT, in 1964 or 65, we only had 6 national gangs and Reform Trade schools. We haven't even doubled our population and we've got this gang fungus threatening our kids, homes, even evening strolls.

What does our Government propose? More jails, longer sentences, NO TRAINING. WTF! Wasted youth, Saf. We all did pranks when were kids, but we didn't join gangs. Family was a source of pride, not a noose around our neck. Now, we are discouraged to feel proud, we don't sing the anthem, CBC stopped doing its nightly national sign-off (which did bring tears of pride to my eyes.)

We're just a big mining town, with a For Sale sign on the Resource Lawn, to anybody with money. Our PM is our self-appointed pimp!

 

If you didn't see the festivities, you missed one of the most entertaining History lessons anyone could ever hope to see.

My wife wept throughout. She was ashamed that she never visited her nation's museums and historic sites, and that she didn't take her history classes more seriously. She wept in pride and joy also, and she was surprised that I was interested.

When I went in 1995 to marry her, from Vancouver to Monterrey, her brother took me to the major Museum in Monterrey where they have a huge display of mayan and aztecan (AzTexans?) artifacts. Being a clock manufacturer I was always interested as to WHY the mayan calendar was within 2-100 thousandths of a second in accuracy. I forgot then, to pick up a map of the reason why. The aboriginals migrated from our North Pole down to South America, and all of the tribes that did, would bring information of the stars in the sky, from different parts of the Americas. So I bugged my brother-in-law, I bugged every one of the in-laws, and NONE of them ever picked one up for me. This time, my wife is going to get me one. She leaves tomorrow for 3 weeks, while I make dust with the renos.

 

Oh! Almost forgot one piece of Trivia.

The Egyptian pyramids and the Mayan/Inca/Aztec pyramids AND Stonehenge were all built about the same time. AND they form an equilateral triangle.

Read that in an old MotherEarth News article back in the early/mid 1970s.

 

A lighter side-bar.

I went in 1995 to marry my wife. She arranged to set me up in a nice clean 'hacienda' hotel apartment on the street level, (they had no room with 1 of 3 sons and 4 of 6 daughters in the family home). One hot September night, at about 11 or 11:30, I hear music. Wasn't the clock radio? No noisy fiesta? So I get up and go to the door and there's a small Mariachi band with the boyfriend swooning his fiance!

Then, in Guadalajara, at about 2:30 AM, this huge Mariachi band, all acoustical, is on our street with a guy trying to appease his 'jilted' GF. I'm glad she was stubborn to make him think he won her back, because it was the best 2 hours of Mariachi music we ever heard. The whole block was out in their slippers sitting under a clear moonlit night. Awesome!

Mexican gals are gorgeous, stubborn, and sincere, but they love to be swooned. It has to be pretty bad, if she won't turn on her bedroom light and come to the window.

Not cheap either, by Mexican standards. I got a card from the second band, and he told me they were $1,500 MXP$ per hour (in case). The average secretary makes about 7,000 MXP$ per month. Cops even less.

 

We all love to be swoooooned Your a bit of a romantic aren't yah?

 

I'm French. It's our Achilles heel. One of the better ones.

 

Yeah, how romantic, sweeps his honey off her feet.......then drags her off to Winipeg Manitoba

I was thinking more of a evil man myself

J/K Norm

 

It wasn't by her hair with a club in his hand was it?

Yipe he's a romantic!

 

You should see her, Tedy. Every first snow, she's out there trying to catch the big snowflakes. She disgrees with me that we only have 2 seasons - Winter and Construction. Somehow she sees all 4 seasons.

She holds her own Fannie. We know each other enough that niether one can bully the other. 15 years taught us lots of stuff.