Viva La Mexico

 

Ever since I found out that I was like 75% Native American/Indigenous, I have done even more research and dug even deeper than I already was into the Indigenous culture(s) that exist in Mexico...or I should say existED in Mexico. Unlike the United States where there are Federally recognized tribes, Mexico does not operate like that. Different peoples derive from different tribes and some still refer to themselves as part of one of those specific tribes, but most are a mix, or unaware of their own ancestral history. We can break it down really generally into three main ancient civilizations/Indigenous tribes that most people derive from: the Mayans, the Aztecs, and the Incans. The history of those three tribes alone needs to be a whole post in itself, but they were all revolutionary and made their own marks in history. Personally, the area where my family and most recent ancestors are from was Aztec land (Mexico City and surrounding areas). I have always been intrigued by the Aztec peoples- their rituals, their architecture and art, their whole belief system.... which leads me to why I'm writing this post. I have a tattoo of the symbol on the Mexican flag, and wanted to share the origin story/folklore of what that symbol means and where it came from. So, this is "The Eagle and the Snake", the Aztec Mexico City/Tenochtitlan origin story....

    A long time ago in the middle of a desert, in what is now Mexico, lived a powerful Shaman who served as a great leader and helper to his tribe. When he realized that his physical form was dying, he decided to leave one final and very important lesson for the next generation.

    "My time in this body is coming to an end," he told his tribe as they gathered around the campfire one evening. "In the morning you will have to say goodbye to this village. Take only what you need when you leave here. Everything that you don't need, everything that doesn't serve you in your life anymore, leave it here. Tomorrow is a day of great transformation."

    Then, to mark this moment, the old shaman threw some magic dust into the fire, and it turned the flame into a bright blue, cleansing blaze that sparkled like the stars in the night sky. He continued, "Tomorrow you will begin your journey to create a new dream, and you will roam the wilderness until you see and eagle devouring a snake above a cactus garden - that will be the sign that you have found home."

    And with that the old man dismissed the circle, and when the morning came, they went to the shaman and found that he was no longer in his body. They packed only the most basic necessities and started the journey to find their new home.

    The journey was not easy. For years they walked and walked until finally one day they saw a lake. In the middle of the lake there was a small island, and that island was full of cactus trees. Looking up into the sky, they saw an eagle dive down toward the island where it grabbed a snake from the ground. With the snake clutched in its claws, the eagle landed on a cactus. The villagers watched in awe as the eagle began to devour the snake. They were overjoyed because this was the symbol they were searching for! They immediately began to build their new home. This was the beginning of the great city of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City stands today.

    That night the tribe built a great bonfire and gathered in a circle just as they had on the last night of the old dream. The tribe said thank you to the grandfather shaman because they had found their new home, but as they were giving thanks to him for his guidance, suddenly a bright blue light sparkled in the bonfire and they all recognized it as the grandfather's spirit.

    "Hello, my children!" his voice said from the flames. "I see that you have made the lesser journey, and now you must make the greater journey."

    The tribe was confused, for they had spent a long time on the difficult journey to find the location for their new home. What could be greater than this?

    The voice continued. "The eagle is a symbol for the truth, the snake is a symbol for lies, and the cactus garden represents the garden of the human mind. When the eagle of truth devours the snake of lies in the garden of your mind, then you will find a home within yourself - you will find your own personal freedom."