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Did Mesoamerican civilizations really die, and are the remaining indian populations simply fossils, condemned five hundred years ago disappear because they have no place in the present or in the future? Upon the answers to these fundamental questions depend many other urgent questions and responses about the Mexico of today and about the Mexico that we want to build for the future.

This passage stood out to me because I know that a lot of the answers to how we act our customs that we have adapted, no matter what country we're from come from our ancestors and our ancient origins of civilizations. These can explain the customs and the history of our societies.

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"The civilization that we call México profundo is not a thing of the past. It is alive in the present, rooted in the daily practices, beliefs, and ways of life of millions of Indigenous people."

This stood out to me because it says that the Mexico Profundo isn't something of the past but that its something that is still very much present and that its something we see in our beliefs and in a lot of indigenous people.

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"In Mexico, as in most countries of the world, the last several thousand years have seen the origin, the disappearance, and the passing through of a great number of different societies and peoples." (4)

This stood out to me because it's a big emphasis through the passage that we should recognize the roots of Mexico instead of letting it disappear. The culture / traditions they created and lifestyle they lived during that age impacted the country's current landscape. This quote made it easier for me to understand the argument being made.

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"We Mexicans who do not speak an indigenous language have lost the possibility of understanding much of the meaning of our countryside."

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This passage stood out to me because it tells us how deeply rooted in indigenous culture, our heritage is. A majority of Mexicans don't speak any of these indigenous languages fluently, but these languages tell us who we are and the story behind everything. We lost the connection to our true heritage through oral tradition. It amazes me how much of our culture ties back to indigenous beliefs and we need to reconnect with them.

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"Imaginary Mexico, the society that adopted and civilized Western civilization as it defended its kind" (Page 13). This passage stood out to me because of how it states that Mexico has escaped from its identity, and that is why it was very crucial to me when I understood it. This is because of how their story has been passed on by generation to generations and should be kept sacred from things like these.

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"What happened to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they deceived us?"

This stood out to me because it reflects how people feel about their language being lost and unused. They also felt lost by not being able to identify themselves since language is a way it can be used to express themself. Such as they may feel disconnected from their culture because of the language and may need to adapt to another one that is not theirs and learn a new language that is being used and not forgotten.

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“That denial of the past—does it really correspond to a total and irremediable historical break?” (p. 13)

This part stood out to me because it made me stop and think about how people act like the past doesn’t matter or like it’s completely gone. The way Bonfil Batalla says it makes you realize the past can’t just be erased, it’s still there whether people admit it or not. I feel like a lot of the time, the history of Indigenous people in Mexico gets ignored or pushed to the side, but the culture, the traditions, and even the way of thinking are still alive today. It’s like he’s questioning if it’s even possible to have a “break” from the past, and to me it doesn’t make sense because you can still see it in the present. This made me connect it to how people sometimes try to hide parts of their own roots or identity, but deep down it’s still there, it doesn’t just disappear.

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"What happened to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they have deceived us? Our language was one when we came from Tulan, one was our maiper of subsistence, our origin” (Chavez, p.7).

This passage stood out to me due to the similarities of modern day languages. Many Latino-American children are not in touch with their origins or where their parents come from. Many do not speak the Spanish language due to never finding interest, their parents not teaching them, or simply not wanting to learn. Just knowing a language can keep you connected to your ancestors, an identity that is yours only. Not growing up in touch with it has lost its purpose and in a way failed those who fought to be remembered.

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"The barrio, or the paraje in some regions, is another unit of organization functions in some economic activities."

The passage stood out to me in an interesting way because it talks about how an organization group in the neighborhood can be a significant for the place. In other words, people attempt to gather around as a group to protect and protest in what can be best for their community. Also, it mentions how they had other level of social organization between the community and family since they would see it as helping each other in what they needed as a cooperation.

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"According to the information available, human beings have been living in Mexico for at least thirty thousand years. The earliest groups lived by hunting and gathering wild products." Pg. 4.

This text in the passage stood out because it goes back to the beginning, the origin of how they used to live, they did not depend on agriculture but depended on animal hunting. It shows how far Mexico has come as a civilization, it shows the system and how the organization lived in these times.

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"Human beings have been living in Mexico for at least thirty thousand years ago". This passage stood out to me dramatically because this shows how big Mexico has grown throughout the years. Based on the texts, the first few people who were on the land had to find a way of surviving, they lived by hunting & gathering wild products. As the time went by agriculture was created in the semiarid watersheds & valleys of Central America. Around the same time the people began to grow their crops, things like beans, avocados, squashes, & corn. All these things show how incredibly smart our people are & how our country has come from nothing & we have learned to face any obstacles.

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Disavowing the Indian Face of Mexico.

"If nature, it's transformation, and its names testify at every point to the unavoidable presence of Mesoamerican civilization, what can we say about the faces of our people?"

pg. 15

I found this section of page 15 to be very interesting and very hard-hitting because it challenges us to see identity not only in landscapes and monuments, but in the living presence of our people themselves.

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The peoples of the México profundo continually

create and re-create their culture, adjust it to changing pressures, and

reinforce their own, private sphere of control. They take foreign cultural

elements and put them at their service; they cyclically perform the

collective acts that are a way of expressing and renewing their own

identity. They remain silent or they rebel, according to strategies refined by centuries of resistance. (pg. 17)

Many Mexican cultures have modernized over time because some since the Spanish conquest, indigenous cultures were repressed or forced to disappear due to discrimination for being inferior and to avoid rejection or discrimination, many communities hid or changed their customs to adapt to the modern model so that their traditions would not be destroyed. Today we live in a highly connected world where trends, lifestyles, and values ​​​​change rapidly. If Mexican cultures don't adapt, they risk being replaced by global models.

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"What happened to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they have deceived us? Our language was one when we came from Tulan, one was our maiper of subsistence, our origin. What has happened to us is not good, said the tribes beneath the trees, beneath the foliage. (Chavez 1979- 72a)" (Pg.7)

The reason this stood out to me is that it shows the pain and confusion of people who realize that they’ve been disconnected from their roots. They aren't just sad that they lost their language, but a part of their identity and ancestral history.

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“The cultivation of corn was a momentous achievement and remains linked in an inseparable way to Mesoamerican civilization. Its domestication produced the greatest morphological changes in any domesticated plant.”

This quote stood out to me because the author points out how corn isn’t just food, it’s inseparable from Mesoamerican civilization. It illustrates thousands of years of agricultural knowledge and culture.

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"They still have not reconciled. Their differences and the struggles that divide them express only in disjointed or incoherent ways the best way of carrying out our true presence" (introduction, p. xviii).

This passage stood out to me because it shows Mexico's cultural identity crisis. Bonfil Natalla explains that Mexico is shaped by two different roots. The indigenous Mexico profundo and the Western-influenced imaginary Mexico. Instead of blending together, these two sides often stay divided, which leaves Mexican identity feeling broken and unsettled.

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"We shouldn't spend time, energy, or resources trying to create a situation or reality that is very different from what most people actually live through." (Bonfil, pg 17, Chap Intro)

This stood out to me because instead of trying to make everyone live in something not realistic, we should focus on the actual reality that most people actually experience. Everyone has different experiences and perspectives of life. Everyone has their own different resources on how they should go about things.

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“We Mexicans who do not speak an indigenous language have lost the possibility of understanding much of the meaning of our countryside.”

I found this quote the most interesting because it shows the importance of language between cultures. Not knowing our indigenous language not only affects our culture but also the whole society.

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"Independence from Spain was achieved, but the internal colonial structure was not eliminated."(Pg.16)

The sentence stood out most for me because it shows that even though Mexico had separated from Spain, the same systems of power and western ideals stayed in place. It also shows that decolonization doesn't just mean freedom from the colonizers. It also means breaking away from the colonizers world view.

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"What happened to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they have deceived us? Our language was one when we came from Tulan, one was our manner of subsistence, our origin."

I found this text interesting because it emphasizes the deep feeling of loss and disconnection that occurs when language and culture are disrupted. Language represents traditions, identity, and a common past in addition to being a means of communication.

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“What happened to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they have deceived us? Our language was one when we came from Tulan, one was our manner of subsistence, our origin. What has happened to us is not good, said the tribes beneath the trees, beneath the foliage. [Chavez 1979: 72a]” (Pg. 7)

-       This passage stood out to me because it shows how they were feeling, they felt loss and displaced in a new community where the language and unity wasn’t the same. Language is important as one’s cultural identity, losing it is not just a loss of words, but connection and understanding. This passage shows the mourning for the lose past, bringing awareness on how cultural disruption leaves people searching for somewhere to belong.

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"We cannot continue to close our eyes to the Mexico Profundo. We cannot continue to ignore and deny the potential represented by the living presence of Mesoamerican civilization (Bonfil Batalla 17)."

"Mexico Profundo" focuses on educating others on the country's origins, while simultaneously describing the various ways the country has evolved. This quote stood out to me because it emphasizes the importance of remembrance and honor. The country continues to honor previous generations by educating others, following traditions, and expressing gratitude. By staying true to its roots, the country continues to keep their legacy alive. It shows the power held within values, traditions, and culture.

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"We Mexicans who do not speak the indigenous language have lost the possibility of understanding much of the meaning of our countryside." (pg.13)

I chose this quote because I find it very common nowadays where people are missing out on their own culture because they can't speak their own language. I feel like this is a rising issue in today's era.

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"It was of Maize that the gods fasinoed human beings, and maize has been the stuff of life for the Maya ever since,.. Each stage in the farming round was relegious celebration."

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This piece of text stood out to me because in the reading we see detailed farming practices the Maya did towards Maize. We saw that it was a relegious celebration that the Maya took seriously. It was such a glorious thing that the text described it as so enchanting to the point of regarding it as a god. Although a lot of people see it as a ingredient or food, back then it was something very important for the Maya.

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"Humans do not confront the natural world; it is not an enemy or an object to be dominated, but, rather, an immediate encompassing reality, and human life must be in harmony with it." (Pg. 38)

I chose this quote because it rejects the way our current society works, it rejects the idea that we need to control and exploit something for it to be great. We are one with the world, and that's how we flourish; we are equal, not separate. What we bring to this world (love, understanding, gratitude) is considered "work" and therefore uplifts us, not only labor work.

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Passage (pg. 10–13):

"For many centuries, corn has been a controlling force in a large part of Mexico."

This quote stood out to me because it shows how important corn has always been for people. It was not only food, but also a part of daily life and family traditions. I chose it because it made me think about how one plant can hold so much history and culture. Corn is still part of everyday meals, especially tortillas, and it is also part of my every meal. Reading this made me realize how connected I am to these traditions. It reminds me that food is more than just eating, it brings families together and keeps culture alive.

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"Instead, we should create conditions in which existing reality can be transformed using its own potential. Its creative force has been unable to expand itself in other areas because colonial domination has denied it and forced it to take refuge in resistance in order to survive."

Colonial domination in Mexico did, for many years, smother the Mexican spirit. Despite this, the flame- in this case it's creative force- was never put out. Yes, it took "refuge in resistance", however, Modern Mexico has allowed space for its vibrant culture to continue existing.

This quote explains to readers that moving ahead does not mean leaving Mesoamerican traditions in the past. Instead, the two can live together and harmoniously if they explore what each Mexico Profundo y Mexico Imaginario have to offer: natural resources and human capital.

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"What happen to our own language? What has happened to us? We are lost. Where can they have deceived us? Our language was one from Tulan, one was our manner of subsistence, our origin..."

I chose this quote because its showing the change of their great city turning into something else that they didn't think would ever happen to them.

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“At the bottom of this question is the fact that to name is to under-stand, to create. What has a name has a meaning. If you prefer, that which has a meaning necessarily has a name.”

I chose this quote because it captures the central idea of the text, “To Name is to Create”, which is that Indigenous names aren’t just names; they hold memories and history, history that many Mexicans now have forgotten. They have forgotten the significance of the names behind these geographical locations.

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“Mexico Profundo is not a thing of the past but a living reality that continues to shape the daily lives of millions”

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“Mexico Profundo is not a thing of the past but a living reality that continues to shape the daily lives of millions”

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I chose an image of El Día de los Martos because it shows how people still have their beliefs and how it is practiced a lot in Mexico till this day. Although it has changed overtime, it’s still remaining strong and present.

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"The people of Mexico Profundo continually create and re-create their culture, adjusting it to changing pressures, and reinforce their own."

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"The people of Mexico Profundo continually create and re-create their culture, adjusting it to changing pressures, and reinforce their own."

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This quote stood out to me because I cannot imagine changing my own culture to fit someone's expectations of what is "normal." Having a different culture is what makes each of them special and unique. If we all had the same culture, there would be non to share.

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This stood out to me because it tells me that the people who came before or in present day in Mexico profundo its people had, incredible qualities and power that later on it could help mexico profundo,  begin a new strong foundation of the new called Mexico.

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" the struggle to survive and maintain their own cultural patterns has given the people of the mexico profundo an incredible willpower and strength to survive''.  

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" the struggle to survive and maintain their own cultural patterns has given the people of the mexico profundo an incredible willpower and strength to survive''.  