This translation of a major work in Mexican anthropology argues
that Mesoamerican civilization is an ongoing and undeniable force
in contemporary Mexican life.
For Guillermo Bonfil Batalla, the remaining Indian communities,
the "de-Indianized" rural mestizo communities, and vast sectors of
the poor urban population constitute the Mexico profundo. Their
lives and ways of understanding the world continue to be rooted in
Mesoamerican civilization. An ancient agricultural complex provides
their food supply, and work is understood as a way of maintaining a
harmonious relationship with the natural world. Health is related
to human conduct, and community service is often part of each
individual's life obligation. Time is circular, and humans fulfill
their own cycle in relation to other cycles of the universe.
Since the Conquest, Bonfil argues, the peoples of the Mexico
profundo have been dominated by an "imaginary Mexico" imposed by
the West. It is imaginary not because it does not exist, but
because it denies the cultural reality lived daily by most
Mexicans.
Within the Mexico profundo there exists an enormous body of
accumulated knowledge, as well as successful patterns for living
together and adapting to the natural world. To face the future
successfully, argues Bonfil, Mexico must build on these strengths
of Mesoamerican civilization, "one of the few original
civilizations that humanity has created throughout all its
history."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!