Andean Culture and Art

 Even though the Andean people lived in such  harsh environment and experienced extreme climate their art is considered some of the most transcendent the world has ever seen. I believe that they were able to create such abstract and unique art because they understood and lived by these four philosophical principles: collectivity, reciprocity, transformation and essence. 
 By collectivity they meant that the well being of the group is more important than the well being of the individual. Andean society had  a hierarchic basis, which kind of counterfeits this concept. However I think that they still lived by it, because if they wanted to survive in this crude environment they had to stick together.
Reciprocity represents their dualistic thinking and the idea that one part is countered by and connected to another. I believe this describes their ability to think about life issues from multiple angles; rather than just seeing the good in things also the bad. This perspective helped them achieve more balanced life.
Andean people believed life to be a cycle. Rather than ending at death, they believed one transformed into another animal. Along with reciprocity, the belief of transformation also strongly influenced their artwork.
 Essence over matter means that Andean people were focused on the core of things rather than on how things looked from the outside. A great example here is Pollock's art. One could truly understand it only if one look deep into it and think about it. And so is with Andean art. They wanted people to appreciate their art for the essence and the whole meaning of it rather than the looks.

Tezcatlipoca or ‘Smoking Mirror’ Mask

"For the Aztecs Tezcatlipoca represented celestial creativity and divine paternalism. He was the soul of the world, the creator of sky and earth, the lord of all things, both powerful and arbitrary. He was also the patron of all men who were rich - nobles, leaders, warriors and merchants - and probably the most ‘important’ god in the Aztec pantheon."  Julia Flood/Mexicolore

The mask that impressed me the most is the one that represents the god Tezcatlipoca . He was one of the main creator deities. Knowing that the base for the mask is a human skull provokes a feeling of fear in me. This mosaic is made of materials brought from the farthest regions of the Mexica empire which makes me think that Tezcatlipoca was very important and divine deity. I associate this mask with sacrifices so to me it has very dark , mysterious and fearful appeal. The blue turquoise and the black straps make it look beautiful and at the same time scary. I would definitely fear someone who wears that mask. In fact the priests that performed sacrifices  wore that particular mosaic. I imagine it made the victims feel even more dreadful on their "stairway to death".  

Maya today

I am deeply saddened by the fact that discrimination towards Maya people still exist. There are over six million Maya people living in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and parts of Southern Mexico. They are considered indigenous and many of them are being mistreated.
The story of Marta, a illiterate Maya woman, tells us about her unfortunate fate of a housemaid. The family she worked for in a town close to Guatemala City forced her to sleep in a wooden shack with no door among tools and dirty laundry. She was also not allowed to use the inside bathroom instead was forced to take shower in the yard. She was as well a victim of regular verbal abuse by her employer. He was telling her that she is useless and dirty woman and she must be grateful that he had given her a job. Mistreatment of indigenous domestic workers  is considered normal   in these Central American countries where Maya people still remain.
We live in the 21st century where telecommunication plays a big role in people's lives. I was amazed when reading that the indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico was denied phone service. United States, Germany and Switzerland were having hard time communicating with their coffee growers from Chiapas simply because they did not have phone service. That was so because the phone company did not want to install phone lines in the indigenous communities.
In 2002 in Guatemala the Congress passed a law that classifies various forms of discrimination, including racism as a crime. However, it is very hard to prove a case of discrimination because the law requires a testimony of a witness and in most cases it is extremely hard to find one.
I wish that the Maya people were treated with the respect they deserved, being the inheritors of one of the most successful and developed civilizations of the Ancient World.

3 things that remind me of Mexico

 I have never been to Mexico, but since I live in California I have met a lot of Spanish speaking people coming from this region.  I am very interested in Spanish language and the Mexican culture. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Mexico is the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. I relate this holiday to Mexico because it originated there and also the confusion of it with the Mexican Independence Day made me do my own research to find out what do actually Mexican people celebrate on this particular day. I found out that 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 in the morning of May 5th 1862.
  Another thing that reminds me of Mexico is the great culture of the Aztecs, simply because they builded their empire on the land of Central Mexico and left a significant cultural heritage behind them.
  And last I relate the name of Hernan Cortes to Mexico, because he was the Spanish conquistador who invaded the Aztec Empire.