March 11, 2016
We woke up to a rainy day. As Cuernavaca is a tropical region, it is much warmer and rains more often than it does in Colorado Springs. However, according to John C., a Junior in this ECS, and his conversation with a taxi driver, it usually doesn’t rain much in Cuernavaca either, but it’s rather sunny most days of the year. As we woke up, our Senoras, host mothers, surprised and delighted us once again with delicious breakfast, and we were all set to go on another grand adventure in Cuernavaca.
Our morning, once again, started with the language classes. We made another big leap towards breaking the invisible language barrier as we actively spoke and wrote and connected with the Mexican culture as we explored various aspects of the culture and customs with our Mexican profesoras. After the classes, we had a break when we were able to enjoy an interesting cultural mix of traditional Mexican snacks, such as quesadillas or tacos, and internationally wide spread American snacks, such as Coke and kinder chocolate bars. After a relaxing break, we received a brief introduction to the history of Mexico from Paco, one of the teachers at school.
Then, we got on the road to visit the grand palace of Cortes in downtown of Cuernavaca. Cortes is a significant figure in the Mexican history as he brought an end to the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. He led the army of Spanish Conquistadors and fought a local civilization of Cuernavaca, Tlahuica, and in victory, he built a palace named after him on top of the Indigenous people’s religious temple. Today, it is open to the public as a historic museum that presents artifacts of various civilizations and educates people about the Mexican history and how it came to existence. With the lead of Paco, we explored and indulged ourselves in the expansive spectrum of time in Mesoamerica by the exposure to surprisingly well-preserved artifacts and arts of the past. I personally was inspired and moved by the arts of the indigenous people, especially those of which portrayed and depicted the struggles of the indigenous people of the “New World” under the oppression of the Spaniards of the “Old World”. I find it ironic how scholars named Europe “old” and America “New” and how the “old” and supposedly more civilized people treated the “new” and barbaric people unjustly under repression and discrimination when the old and more sophisticated people are supposed to educate and treat the youngsters with much care according to the social norms nowadays; however, I guess it could have been different back then. Today, we learned an important aspect of the Mexican culture: their persistent and tireless spirit.
