Today I went to the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in the Pilsen neighborhood. Mexican culture is so rich and layered and complex, and this particular exhibit featured the African presence in Mexico. Really, most modern Mexicans are a genetic mix of Spanish, American Indian, and African genes, but because there used to be such a stigma associated with interracial relationships, many people don't consider or acknowledge the possibility that they have a mixed heritage. Africans were brought to Mexico as slaves when the Spanish came to conquer the native Indian groups, and just like in the States, they played an integral role in the development of Mexico's modern society. It's a fascinating exhibit, and it makes me really bored of my own heritage. It does highlight, however, the fact that some things about the human experience are the same across cultures, and that we should be working together to bring fairness and equality for everyone, an idea especially relevant right now with all the discussion in this country about immigration rights.
I regret that in the almost 3 years I've lived in the city, I couldn't get my act together to go to the Dios de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) exhibit, which runs every year in September and October. Perhaps I'll have to make a special trip back to see it.
