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1. THE MYTH OF ARIDOAMERICA 2. THE OLMEC : OUR MOTHER CULTURE 3. DIVINE DUALITY 4. MAN AND WOMAN : a pair of complementary opposites 5. THE CIVILIZATION OF THE ANAHUAC 6. HUEHUETLAHTOLLI: An ancient Toltec word 7. DO WE HAVE A FUTURE? 8. MAN: PRIMORDIAL OR MODERN? 9. IS IT POSSIBLE? 10. A CULTURE OF TOTAL QUALITY 11. WHY WRITE ABOUT ANCIENT MEXICO 12. THE MYSTERY OF LIFE 13. HIEROPHANIES OF THE ANHUAC TOLTECAYOTL The wisdom of the Old Grandfathers of Ancient Mexico Are Mexicans uncultured foreigners in their own land? Does the Future of Mexico lie in its past? Is everything ancient necessarily primitive? Do Mexicans know the name our ancestors called themselves? What did the ancestors call our country and continent? Are we Mexicans a people viewed to be more indigenous than Spanish? What does it mean to be indigenous? The object of this web is to create a bridge between reflection and communication for individuals with the potential to revive the wisdom of the Old Grandfathers. An ancient legacy that has disappeared from our society and is dormant in our subconscious, a wisdom and legacy that still is true today and embrace the many ethnic peoples that form the Mexican nation. We Mexicans have lived for more than five hundred years in the intricate labyrinth of desolation. By choice we have ignored and snubbed our Mother Culture in trying to be more Spanish from colonial times, more French from the XIX Century and more like Gringos in the last hundred years. We continually deny our roots, belittle our own ancestry and ancient legacy while on the other hand, we exult foreign culture and extol the white race. Ironically, we are ignored and rejected by the same people who colonized us and other foreign powers. The future of all Mexicans lies in the capacity and will of each individual to cleanse our minds and our hearts of past colonial imperialism. We must all reclaim our past, our ancestry, our legacy, and revive our languages; for only then we can rewrite history in our own words instead of the foreign accounts interpreted in the words of our conquerors. We must reclaim our own physical space, our ancient spirituality and our own ancient knowledge to reclaim our dignity and rightfully demand justice. How can we continue to ignore and reject the harmony our ancestors once knew and lived? They achieved a harmonious balance between men and nature. Our Old Grandfathers knew and practice these laws in remote times, in Teotihuacan, when one day, they learned to become gods. This is our ancestry. We must know to live with these ancient decrees and be worthy of this magnificent legacy.

1. THE MYTH OF ARIDOAMERICA Guillermo Marn. The children of the children of the Old Grandfathers, have been subjected, since 1521, to the systematic extermination of language, historical memory, religionlo, old knowledge and their own space. The conqueror wrote Mexicos history according to their words and for their own gain and personal fame. The vast majority of "great" historians writing about ancient Mexico, are foreigners that either lived for short periods in the country to gather information and observe the locals or research others to gather information to base later on, their own knowledge in the topic. The might research the works of anthropologists and archaeologists to give depth to their new writings, but, like Hernan Cortez and other Spanish chroniclers, the essence of the real ancien world will remain untouched. The Cartas de Relacion, or correspondence between Cortez and the King of Spain, deal with judicial arguments whether disregard for the law and authority of the Governor of Cuba took place; a totally partial fact of the of the historical event. This text, however, is considered today to be of "great historical value"as a tool to understand the motive and process of the Spanish conquest and an inappropriate source to understand th history of the Old Grandfathers. Ever since that fatal year of 1521, the history of Mexico has been written by the hands of the conquerors themselves and then by other foreigners, but never in the hands of the people, whose ancient records, language and hearts, were destroyed by the invaders. Our millenary wisdom, an outcast in the new society was substituted with alien culture, religion and laws. The foreigners "studied" and "considered" our ancient history, so one day could divide our civilization in two sections. The first was called Mesoamerica and embraced the area from state ofZacatecas all the way down to Nicaragua. This region was acclaimed the place where " good ancient Indians" developed sophisticated cultures, centers of wisdom, built fantastic ball courts, lived in magnificent palaces and erected many pyramids. The second region was named Aridamerica, in these parts, "bad Indians that were savages, bellicose and blood thirsty lived. The former left evidence of advanced craftsmanship in the form of beautiful decorated ceramics and other artifacts, that today are in the possession of European museums and other in the world. The peoples of Aridamerica, however, left nothing, but records of bloody sacrifices and persecution and killings of other ethnic groups. These records reported and written by the conquerors themselves, for our own millenary historical and religious records were destroyed by the invaders. It is curious to note, that European culture measures, by their own standard, other cultures in the world. And yet, we know that Europeans have taken hold of everything on this planet that produces revenue. In the last five hundred years of human history, they have dominated other civilizations, claiming natural resources for their own profit and in poor countries, exploit the people to process and manufacture goods to be exported and sold at great price. To them, culture must be based on its three origins: Greco-Latin, Germanic and Judeo-Christian to be considered "advanced and modern". These three cultures sustain what is called "Occidental Culture" engages in wars that are explained as necessary to uphold democracy, are ruled by uncaring and despotic governments, practice a religion centered on material possession, worship money as their god, and put their trust in military power. Yes, these

are the same European that once declared our civilization to be bellicose, primitive and pagan. This European culture, admire the splendor of the grecas that adorn some of our ancient edifices. These grecas that are the essence of the philosophy of the Anahuac. These ancient motif design that are named petrography in their language, were the expression and creation of the people of Ancient Mexico. Miguel Leon Portilla, an Mexican investigator, has called this ancient knowledge TOLTECAYOTL, This knowledge and its practice is still observed by Indian peoples in the northern part of our nation. It is no coincidence then, that Carlos Castaneda made the discovery of the century in the field of anthropology, in Sonora and Baja California. Castaneda was put in contact with an old and experienced shaman, a Yaqui Indian that instructed him in the ancient knowledge of the Mexican people, that has been transmitted from generation to generation. The nagual or sorcerer, revealed his ancient philosophy that caused the waters to part and touched people. It is ironic that these northern Indians are respected in the world and their philosophy recognized and added to others, but these same Indians remain in anonymity and unrecognized in their own country. The Indians living in the northern part of ancient Mexico, were as wise and advanced as their counterpart in the south. They are different pueblos, but only geographically, for their wisdom and societies rose in the desert. Their teachings and philosophies are solid and have managed to survive to the present day. This knowledge is an important millenary inheritance to the inhabitants in the north. Geography does not erase the genetic origin. These people know the wisdom and teachings of the Old Granfathers. This is enough for us in the south, to call these peoples our brothers. The name of Aridamerica as called by men of culture, is a myth that rose from among many other myths in the Spanish Conquest and Colonial times. Aridamerica is a contradiction. It means that nothing grows and is impossible to sustain in the desert and yet, we have seen that it is not so, for the people are great contributors recognized by the whole world. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 2. THE OLMEC : OUR MOTHER CULTURE Guillermo Marn. The Olmec represent the culmination of a people that were original nomads, hunters and gatherers to the first and well established culture that develop sophisticated systems of astronomy, mathematics and spirituality. From remote centuries and from generation to generation, this culture enjoyed a long period of existence from 1,500 B.C. to 1,200 B.c. This is the period known as the Pre-Classic. This period of formation and achievement is not considered important by the so called experts. Yet, these centuries are the roots of our civilization and the culture influenced greatly other cultures that developed and rose from the Olmec. "One of the most controversial aspects in the Olmec culture, beside its chronology and influence in other peoples in Mesoamerica, have been their ethnic and linguistic affiliation to other cultures. In the south part of Veracruz and eastern part of Tabasco, the Olmec eshibit a new form or organization in economics, and social, political and religious life. This was totally different from the one lived in the geographical space by tribalsin many villages. These

existed prior to the Olmec, that in the passing of time, they would develop a macro cultural area that is denominated as Mesoamerica." (Tomas Perez Suarez, 1994). It is necessary, however, to point the philosophical synthesis that was left in the Olmec iconography and that this is a thread that maintained a link to all the processess of development in the civilization of the Anahuac and that the Spaniards themselves, were aware of these, when they found that the same Quetzalcoatl that appeared in the stones of Chalcatzingo, Morelos, in the PreClassic, was also found in the Classic in Teotihuacan and in the Post-Classic, with the Toltec in Tula and the Aztec in Tenochtitlan. An intricate philosophy and religion were expressed by the cult of the serpetn. This is clearly seen in the representation of Tlaloc, the god of thunder, rain and lightening, with two snakes facing eachother.This philosophy and religion existed for more than three thousand years. This was the core of the mystic and religious realm of the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico, that give testimony to the Mexico of today, in the many archaeological sites and objects produced by this old civilization. To decolonized history, we must look onto the face of our real history to see our faces and stop looking at the faces of today. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 3. DIVINE DUALITY The philosophy of the Old Grandfathers Guillermo Marn. Humans have lived in civilization for approximately 10,000 years. The basis and essence of the wisdom they practiced in life, were few but important concepts. With time, these precepts that once were imperative and zealously applied in the society, were forgotten. The so called educated man, set aside the "old" things of the past and proceeded to "improve" the ancestors teachings. The final result produced an entangled skein of black thread that could not be unraveled. In this confusion, man was no longer to determine what was true and old and what was corrected or added. That is why, modern man is not able to see clearly that when European universal knowledge and wisdom that has been practiced in the last 200 years, left out the five philosophical truths that distinguished man from beast, giving meaning to our existence. One of these truths is the basic principle represented in all civilizations of what is complementary to opposites. Our Old Grandfathers throw light in this truth that is represented by a deity named Ometeotl. This is the god of divine duality. The philosophy of this duality, was known by our ancestors as Toltecayotl. Ometeotl was a powerful god, the one for whom they live. He was the lord of everything near and far. The name is a Nahuatl word that literally means: Ome - two and teotl - god. The universe maintains a balance between this duality: opposite and positive. Both are complementary to each other. Man, foolishly, see this balance as unimportant. Yet, man must continue to achieve this equilibrium in life. Perhaps, a good example of this balance can be explained in the differences between a man and a woman. The differences are balanced when both beings get together. It is not possible for an individual to maintain a distance between the two.

Creation produced this opposite/complimentary situation and the balance is of this law is then seen in the fruit of a union between the couple: children. This is how our Old Grandfathers understood and identify this balance known as Tonal. The laws that governed the world were negative and positive, opposite and complementary, cold and hot, dry and wet, night and day, etc. Agua Quemada or Burnt Water, to our Old Grandfathers, signify the epitome of knowledge. Water was, more or less, burnt on fire and the steam was the result of a creative force. The steam, however, was considered to be superior to the two other elements because like steam, the philosophy of ancient Mexico was taught by the Nahuatl philosopher, Tescatlipoca, whose name means Smoking Mirror. Man and woman no longer walk the complimentary paths. They are in perpetual competition with one another because they walk in different paths. This are considered to bring power, riches, knowledge and success. Both, man and woman, demand social recognition. Women desire to be superior tomen because commerce and government have divided the fundamental principles of the former. Men and women alike do not realize that they are being exploited and manipulated in this modern society. We must try to recuperate and practice the universal principles and truth that were once part of the wisdom taught by our Old Grandfathers and this might help us to create a society more humane and just. Dear reader, what do you think about all this? Indice de artculos Pgina principal 4. MAN AND WOMAN : a pair of complementary opposites Guillermo Marn. In the ten thousand years of human existence, modern man uses a small portion of his total potential. This small portion enables him to get by in life, The secret of essential knowledge has been erased from our memory. On the other hand, others have tried to illustrate and foolishlly emulate the teachings of the great masters, our ancestors. The result was an entangled skein of black thread that lacks veracity and purpose. Modern man has not been able to distinguish between the old truth and the one told to us by the European conquerors in the last two hundred years. They lost, or rather, they conveniently left out the five truths that liberated us and set us apart from animals. One of these truths, was the ancient principle that for every opposite there is a complimentary side. The knowledge of opposites and complimentary was observed and still remains as a basic principle in all civilizations. Our Old Granfathers knew that center of this luminous knowledge was represented by Ometeotl, the lord of divine duality. This ancient philosophy was known as Toltecayotl, the one being for whom we live. This lord was a powerful god of everything near and far. Ometeotl is a Nahuatl world that means Ome-two and teotl-god. The ancestors knew that the universe was ruled by a series of negative and positive energies. These energies were opposite and complimentary, but most of all they were always in balance. This is also found in human beings, but the energies are not always the same and man must strive to maintain an

equilibrium of these two forces. The two energies or forces are man and woman. These are opposites and yet, complementary to one another. Just as the world is in constant movement and held by two forces, man and woman must hold these forces to achieve totality. Destruction of one of these, as well as elimination of man or woman, would result in total destruction of both. There is no denying that magnetic forces are made of negative and positive charges. Man is no different. He is attracted to the opposite female force and the same is for the woman. These two beings need each other to maintain balance in their nature. Both individuals walk on different paths, but eventually must walk together on the same path in order to achieve their potential. This is necessary for the preservation of humanity. The love of man for a woman brings together the differences and similarities , the opposite and the complimentary sides, a basic philosophical principle is applied and the result of this basic need for survival is manifested in the final outcome, our children. Our Old Grandfathers identify these constant manifestation of positive and negative attractions as Tonal and understood the principle when they observed that for every action there is a reaction and f everything has an opposite side: cold and hot, day and night, dark and light. They cleverly illustrated this knowledge with a deliftul allegory: Burnt Water. This term, in the modern mind, is a disparity, but the Old Grandfathers knew that an action would produce an reaction. In this instance, the opposites fire and water, will result in the elimination of one element. When these were brought to work together the two opposites to produce a complimentary reaction: steam. Another philosophical figure in the world of ancient Mexico, was Tescatlipoca that means in the Nahuatl language, Smoking Mirror. He was represented with a mirror in which he saw the deeds of humanity and judged men. What would he say to modern man and woman who now walk in different paths and compete with one another. What about the destruction of this planet and the ignorance of the values and principles instructed in ancient times? reconocimiento social. A couple is not only lured to walk the path of material possession by tempted to judge the love for the families by the amount of money bestowed or showered on them. Children are deprived of the maternal care for the sake of a second income. The couple are no longer opposite and complimentary sides, but rather, they are now competitive and antagonistic for each side fights to be better than his or her partner. There is no struggle to achieve equality. Therefore, we are in dire need to recuperate and practice the four ancient precepts that were so diligently practiced by our Old Grandfathers. Only their wisdom and philosophical attitude will enable us to rebuild a society that will be more humane and know how to apply justice with wisdom. We must return to our ancestors way of life, when they lived in a world that respected nature, natural resources and spirituality. Not everything old is necessary primitive and useless. Let us be once again opposite and complimentary by nature. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 5. THE CIVILIZATION OF THE ANAHUAC Guillermo Marn.

Thanks to the mental colonization we were subjected to and have endured for so many centuries, we do not know and care less about our ancient civilization. It is sad that most of us do not know what was the name our ancestors called their land, the world they live in and what they called themselves. For instance, do you know that our country, Mexico, was formed by an autonomous society that ranks among one the oldest civilization in the world? That is right, our country was the cradle of one of the six oldest civilizations on this planet and our Old Grandfathers called this civilization: Anahuac. The name comes from the Nahuatl word meaning land surrounded by great waters. The 7,500 years of the history of cultural development, is known to experts as the pre-Hispanic epoch. It is important to note here, that the Spanish colonial understanding and vision of the old culture of our Old Grandfathers is referred to by their term: Pre-Spanish. Why not pre-Cuauthemic. This at least would explain the time before the last emperor of the Aztecs, Cuauhtemoc. Therefore, our own history is known through the accounts and understanding of the invaders. Another interesting fact is that the epoch of our Old Grandfathers before the European invasion is given, by archaeologist and anthropologists as the Pre-Classic that dates as far back 6,000 B.C. to 200 Bc. The second period is called the Classic and dates from 200 B.C., to 900 A.D. It is true, that the majority of individuals interested in our own history, that claim to have studied and investigated our past, are foreigners and most of them write as observed by Bonifaz Nuo, director of the Study Center for Mexico Decolonization, with an air of superiority and sense of ownership to our culture and history. This sense of "ownership" appeared to have given them the right to divide our country into Mesoamerica and Aridamerica. They only know about the "Indians" of the past whose old cults led them to build pyramids and beautiful objects or art for their gods. Their term for the other region of our country, Aridamerica, conveys the message that "Indians"who lived in the states of Sinaloa, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas . As I said before, that for 500 years since the colonial period, we lost interest in our own culture and are ignorant of what our ancestors called themselves. We have sadly accepted the term "Indian", a term applied to all the peoples of North America, simply because the "great and educated" Europeans were confused in their travels and believed they had reached the Indies. We have seen that Our Old Grandfathers called the country Cem Anahuac. They called themselves, Anahuacan and knew that other peoples existed that called themselves, Maya, Zapotec, Mexica, Olmec, etc. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 6. HUEHUETLAHTOLLI: An ancient Toltec word Guillermo Marn. The greatness of our Old Grandfathers, was based on two fundamental axis and four structural columns and these enabled their culture to survive the element of time and its effects. I am referring, of course, to their teachings in philosophy, ethic and moral values. The four columns supported agriculture, medicine, social organization and a judicial system. These principles and laws

were applied during the process of human development from 6,00 B.C., to 200 B.C. A fruitful and splendid era was enjoyed from 200 B.C., until the middle of the 8th Century, in the Christian Era. This period is known as the Classic, when mysteriously, the civilization of the Anahuac ceased to exist. The arrival of the European invaders took place when the culture was in decadence because of the absence of the old venerable teachers that caused the civilization in the Anahuac to form towns with each town being ruled by a lord. The degradation of the civilization reached its peak with the arrival of the Aztec that ignored the ancient Toltec teachings of spirituality, respect for human being and other values. Instead, the new religion demanded war and human sacrifice. This period embraced the last one hundred years before the arrival of the Europeans. In this period, the Aztec destroyed the origin of the ancient teachings left by the ancestors in numerous codices. Most of the valuable codices where the teachings of the Toltec had recorded their millenary wisdom were altered and the new codices showed the Aztec as the chosen people. Not long after, the European destroyed the Aztec records and set systematically to destroy any vestige of the ancient word, culture, traditions and religion in order to impose their own laws, beliefs, culture and language. The invaders succeeding more or less to destroy from our memory the Mother Culture. They left us without land, without history, blind, mute, incapacitated to live neither as Indigenous nor as Europeans. We, Mexicans, are ignorant foreigners in our own land. We were stripped and robbed of our natural resources and human dignity. We have suffered despicable atrocities at the hands of "civilized" Europeans and for 490 years this abuse continues to be manifested in the exploitation of human labor, injustice and disregard for all traditional values. We have suffered since the arrival of Hernan Cortes and his greedy subordinates through past and present heads of government. All of them have depleted the richness of this country and have attempted to destroy the four columns that once sustained our great civilization. If a country does practice and exhibit "advanced western colonization," it is then viewed as primitive and, therefore, unworthy of respect Some ancient text that exist today, date back from the time after the conquest and written in Nahuatl, Old Spanish and Latin. Some old humanists, like Andres de Olmos, Bernardino de Sahun, Bartolome de las Casas, Vasco de Quiroga are followed by modern writers like Angel Maria Garibay, Miguel Leon, Laurrete Sejurenett, Alfredo Lopez Austin and Ruben Bonifaz Nuo. These men are great contributors in the preservation of the ancient scripts that await the sons of the sons of the Old Grandfathers. These texts are available to those who wish to cease to be strangers in their own country and stop being ignorant of the wisdom of the ancestors. These are powerful weapons to use in the XXI century to aid our society to build a more humane and just world four our sons and their sons. The recovery of old wisdom and ethic and moral principles that guided our ancestors, is absolutely necessary to build our future. This was the case of many Europeans that lived in the darkness of the Middle Ages. They turned around and began to search in the past. They re-discovered the Greco-Latin wisdom of the ancient culture and applied it to their lives. Like them we must strive to accomplish this re-discovery of our past, but learn to balance it with the wisdom introduced by the Europeans. We must see our reflection in the smoking mirror and recognize our own face and heart that has traveled through a labyrinth of confusion, the result of ignorance and

disregard for the ancient Toltec word: Huhuetlahtolli - teachings. At continuation we give the reader some examples of this ancient teaching. Come closer, my children. Your mother and your father are on this world, but for a brief time. During our lives, we must guide you in the path of virtue and spiritual knowledge. This path takes us to a place of glory made for us by the one who created us. My son, my necklace and precious plume, you were born out of the womb of the earth on this land of our lord. He formed you and gave you life to live it for the one we live for. Your parents, aunts, uncles and other relatives have cried and suffered for your arrival. Now, you are born on this land, your land. "My daughter, my little turtle dove, little woman. You were born and at my breast suckled to be molded. My prayer is that you do not suffer on this earth. How would you live among your people? How would you survive danger and fright? It is true that we must live through great difficult times, but how would you overcome? Because there is hope on earth when the faces of humans are no more. We are then rewarded with honor, warmth, sweetness and peace by our your maker. Be sure you do not waste your life. Do not astray and be left behind, you, my precious quetzal feather. I pray your face, your heart, your body are not harmed. My children, you are of my blood and color. I have taught you and molded you. I pray you are not only fashioned like precious metal and your eyes remain closed by scales. You, whom I have watched and taken care of, I hope you unveil your own face and discover who you are. Perhaps you are a tiny bird covered with feathers, but you will have wings. If this is the case, do not be disrespectful with others. Do not engage in needles flight above their heads. Peace and wisdom will take you to nest in the Ceiba - silk cotton tree -. Be careful not to damage it in any way. For only in that manner you will find peace and live in happiness. (Huehuetlahtolli. Testimony of the ancient word. Trans. by Miguel Leon-Portilla and Librado Silva Galeana. SEP/FCE. Mexico 1991) Indice de artculos Pgina principal 7. DO WE HAVE A FUTURE? Guillermo Marn. The future, at present, seems to be based on oil, computers, stock markets and travels to explore space. However, I am concerned with the real futre. Fifty years from now, because at the speed we are world powers are depleting the planet from its natural resources, our children and their children will be left on a vast desert. How much more can our planet take? This abuse and contamination that goes on at the expense of progress and financial gain. Mother Earth, your children are, like you, in peril. It is true that most of your children do not care about the brutal rape you are subjected at the hands of careless and greedy industries and governments. It I sad that only a fistful of your children care about you and your future. How can awaken those who are so arrogant as to think that death is so far away or young enough that death cannot reach them?

Never before in the history of humanity such horrendous acts are known to have taken place. It is ironic because at the time when the world inhabitants were considered to be primitive, they took good care of the earth, the place where they live. Now, we are modern. We pride ourselves of the progress in technology and the new inventions and yet, we are now committing unspeakable acts against our world, for the sake of money and progress. We have discarded moral and social responsibilites. We ignore the importance of our spirituality and the obligation we have to future generations. We do not know nor care about our purpose to live our lives and to live them for the one who created us. That was the purpose in life, our sole mission on this earth. Our Old Grandfathers practiced this decree and taught their children to respect and live by it. This spirituality and respect for the planet was well known and practiced in China, Egypt, the Anahuac and other ancient civilizations, but unknown in the "more civilized" countries than the ancient world. Failure to practice this simply law have resulted in the loss of spiritual values in so many individuals and societies. It is exactly this disregard and respect for our Mother Earth that we do not hesitate to contaminate and abuse the bounty of her womb. This contamination is also within the soul of many individuals who are concern with financial gain and disregard the future, a bleak future , that will affect the lives of others, and strangely enough, the children of the children of those committing such atrocities at this time. Politicians and industries reap financial profit at the expense of others, in this case poor countries whose inhabitants are helpless to prevent the dumping of chemical waste and garbage at their door. These powers do not live themselves in garbage and in dirt, they do not eat in dirty dishes, but they do not hesitate in dirtying their hands and hearts to commit horrendous acts. The little spiritual flame that lives in the heart of the human being, was snuffed by this corruption, greed and disregard for the well being of others. Progress has a price and in poor countries, this price is paid at the expense of so many. The world powers are aware and acclaim many beautiful places where Nature is still untouched by human hands, but these places are viewed with potential for modern development. These powers see themselves as the rightful owners to do with Gods legacy as they please. These powers claim they trust in God and practice the good faith, but in reality they worship the Goldn Calf and their god is the god of capitalism, industrial dehumanization and the myth of progress. Mans paradigm in the triumph of modern society is his apology for violence, competition in the business world and indulgence in sensuality and sexuality and the same applies to the modern woman who competes in the business world with men. She is also guilty of material gain, sacrificing motherhood for a better social world. Modern society in this part of the world abandoned the ancient rules and mores for the European approach to life in a world that is viewed as modern and civilized because fashion, business and social development dictate humans how success, fame and money are the most important things in life. Under the distortion of reality and the manipulation of the truth combined with the lack of interest for the well being of this planet and disregard for the principles and spiritual values that were once practiced by our ancestors, I ask myself, and you, dear reader: Do we still have a future? Indice de artculos Pgina principal

8. MAN: PRIMORDIAL OR MODERN? ... that is the question Guillermo Marn. Christians are at the beginning of the third millennium of Judeo-Christian theology. The question still remain from Mediaeval Europe time to the present about he debate of the imposition of modern man on the primordial ancestor and modern society over primordial society. These are two distinct ways to view the world and life. Primordial man dates from around 150,000 years ago and then evolved in what anthropologists named Homo Sapiens who supposedly lived for about 40,000 years. In the last 10,000 years, Homo Sapiens began to apply their discovery of agriculture that led them to settle down and form the first civilizations. During the first 9,700 years, Primordial Man lived under the universal law that governed all living organism. In fact, all living organism are ruled by a universal principle that determine specific functions of the human body. The human body is an excellent example to understand how this universal order works. We know that the human body is made up of millions of cells and these form organs that in turn work in systems. These systems are complex and like the brain, they are ruled by a genetic order where DNA can be found. Thanks to this extraordinary mechanism we call the human body, individuals enjoy what is known as life. Like the human body, our mother earth is governed within a macro organization in the Solar System and together with mankind, the two enter a mega system to live within until infinity. As above, so is below and what is within is also without. The same happens to the individual that is in a world society. He is like a cell that belongs to the major system. In this manner, for over 8,000 years, mankind has lived on this planet in the "Ancestral Order," where a ruling group is prepared from birth to govern and develop in society and apply the universal principles of nature and divine and sacred values. Responsible individuals looked after their families and cities and animals and insects that live in societies apply similar rules to their communities. This was the general rule in the entire planet. Monarchies were established based on the nobleness of humanity and wisdom that led them to a spiritual awakening and development. But as we had said before, humanity is ruled by universal laws that also govern this planet like good and bad, day and night, cold and hot. Civilizations also experienced within their societies, at one time or another, negative aspects that caused severe recessional blows and impeded high expectations of development and spiritual blockage. The great merchants of the Orient, moved west to the zone less evolved and in some cases, parts of a savage world, to initiate their transformation of humanity, for they proposed to eliminate the old order of things. They proposed instead to install a new universal order of things, thus giving them the power to rule the entire world. So, these merchants settle in Europe in the XII century and commenced their work of corruption and dominion over the less evolved and bellicose monarchal societies. At the end of the XV Century, they were in control of the economy, but were unable to ascend to the power of the nobility. For this purpose they turned their eyes to kingdoms almost destroyed by wars and poverty to embark in the conquest of other kingdoms and obtain land. Spain had just finished her war to reclaim the land. She had succeeded in expelling the Moors to Africa. Merchants made use of a cartographer from Genoa that was familiar with old maps to explore new trade routes to the

Indies. This route was necessary for the merchants to consolidate their power for the Turks had closed the passages to the far East thus stopping all commercial trade. Merchants were aware that by doing this, they were initiating the Universal New Order. The new routes would bring the globalization in free trade, private enterprise and democracy would destroy the Primordial Man for the Modern Man. In doing this, ancestral values, principles and spirituality would be abandoned in favor of financial gain. Religion would be versus technology, priesthood versus science, church versus state. The philosophers soon engaged in battles against the economists and politicians and the new religion of materialism became in effect. By the end of the XVIII century, the populace set out to rid the country of monarchy. Encyclopedist were the ideologist of the time; the New Order. These began to demand liberty, quality and fraternity and demanded the abolition of all monarchal power. Ironically, however, merchants in the new order had ever since, the money, the means and the power to dictate and control society. In the XIX century, philosophers were at the service of merchants. They decreed that God was dead. They defined the search for happiness and the latter was found in the material world. Metaphysics was ended and monarchies collapsed in Europe. A democracy was established by the merchants and with that step, the colonization of the bellicose Europeans, that were in a way, employed by the merchants, became mercenaries in the New World. By the XX Century, the shameless consolidation of the "New World Order" was in the hands of merchants that took control through capital finances, technology, massive methods of communications and fire arms. The Primordial Man was extinct and Modern Man was now in control of the planet. With the disappearance of Primordial Man, the search for spirituality and divinity was ended. The spirituality, harmony and understanding of nature, was replaced with the understanding of economics, production, consumption of natural resources, exploitation of people and abuse of labor condition, domination of ethnic peoples and a hunger for power and money. Primordial Man lived in search of his spirituality and of God. Modern Man has adopted money as modern god. At the beginning of the third millennium, we find that Primordial or Modern man does not exist in any society, because at the center of first worlds we see the appearance of the so called "green" movement and other conservation movements that are an example of human spirituality. On the other hand, in third world countries, like the Amazon and other remote areas, have been afflicted with the fever to make money at the expense of nature. In Asia and Latin America, we find the manufacturing of illegal drugs for the consumption of modern man. In Mexico we debate this problem in an schizophrenic, while the poor search for an adaptation to the old primordial way of life. The proof can be seen, every year, at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City Shrine, when four million pilgrims gathers for the festivities of Dia de la Raza on October 12th and again on December 12th, to celebrate the feast of Virgin of Guadalupe. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 9. IS IT POSSIBLE? Guillermo Marn.

Is it possible that in the history of mankind a sophisticated and advance civilization created and made use of a philosophical system that empowered them to rule their society? Is it possible that they created and practiced an advance scientific knowledge and based their laws on human rights? Yes, this was possible. This civilization in question evolved in Mexico. Its inhabitants practiced a religion based in nature and other natural phenomenon. They practiced a complex religion and worshiped the god s of water, of wind, of fire and air. They observed the heavens and follow the movement of the Earth around the Sun, to explain their human existence and their relation with the gods and the universe. They recorded their observation and left the testimony of their wisdom in magnificent buildings that today we call archaeological zones, and if this is not enough, how about their knowledge in architecture, irrigation systems, accurate calendric systems and incredible trepanation surgery. Yet, this astounding civilization was viewed right from the beginning, as primitive and the inhabitants considered to be nothing but savages and heathens. It is ironic that the conquerors who considered themselves to be superior in every aspect based their opinion of this civilization on what they saw and not on what they knew and understood of this people. They regarded all indigenous people to be less than dogs and administered vicious laws and bloody punishments to a society that existed before them. A 3,000 years old civilization that practiced social justice. That had respect for the elderly , law, authority and religious beliefs. This, so called primitive civilization had services of sewerage and potable water. Aqueducts were know and in use to carry water from its source to supply their cities. They frequently bathed and use steams baths for a variety of purposes. Many of these things were unknown to Europe. How then, a society ruled by a system that was able to sustain peace for more than a thousand years be considered primitive. Was it possible that a civilization that enjoyed a well established public system of education where knowledgeable teachers instructed their students in a wide scope of different subjects be regarded by the foreigners as an uncultured and ignorant society? Yes, it was possible. For the foreigners passed judgment based on what they saw. They based their observations on their own cultural and religious background and they assumed, therefore, that all New World societies differed from their own in any aspect, including the color of the skin. These observations and opinions were enough to justified the invaders to submit the people to their demands. They had the power to ridicule, used verbal and corporal abuse, persecution, slavery and if all this failed, they did not hesitate to kill. In spite of the bad treatment received at the hands of the Europeans, Mexicans did not changed their spiritual values, their cheerful personalities, the mystical attitude, creativity and optimism. We have been able to face past adversities and have confronted those in the present with the same philosophical approach inherited from our ancestors. We had and still have the strength to continue to live using our old wisdom, creativity and imagination. Our ancient determination is also seen in the preservation of ancient rituals that were attacked and threatened to be extinguish at the hands of the invaders. The millenary religion of the ancient peoples of the Anahuac survived thanks to the astuteness of our eldest that managed to concealed ancient beliefs and essential rituals from the eyes of our tormentors. Rituals and worship that still persist in spite of the new imposed by the alien religion. A foreign system of worship that was backed by the

sword, threads and brutal punishments for we were accused to be primitive and idolaters. One day, we will learn to accept and recognize our own face and identity on the smoking glass. With a new heart and open mind we will realize we are heirs to an ancient civilization and stop to ignore and belittle our Mother Culture. It is true we are a half-breed culture, but because of our ancient spiritual and philosophical teachings that were inbreed in us, we are more indigenous in our thinking and cultural background than we are European. The wisdom of our Old Granfathers that set the foundations for our spirituality, education, traditions and way of life, one day will surface once again to help us re-build our society based on justice and democracy. One day, we must put an end to the colonial systems that continues to exploit our ancient civilization in the name of progress. We must put and end to the import of foreign products. We must end the discrimination of Indian by the white race and narrow the distance between the rich and the poor. In short, can we do it? Can Mexico return to its old traditions and face a luminous future? Is it possible? Indice de artculos Pgina principal 10. A CULTURE OF TOTAL QUALITY Guillermo Marn. Mexicans belong to one of the oldest autonomous civilizations in the world. More than eight thousand years of cultural development testify to this human achievement. We must thank our Old Grandfathers for this culture that exhibits a total quality. In fact, thanks to our ancestors, we inherited a rich cultural patrimony that is recognized at a universal level and everything left by our ancestors, as evident in the magnificent archaeological zones and artefacts, are greatly appreciated by other civilizations. The quality of the craftsmanship and the quality of the various materials chosen for the manufacturing of their object, enabled the preservation of these through the centuries. Pyramids, plumes, ceramics, etc., are testimony to this great culture, for our Old Grandfathers knew how to do a great job of anything they wished to accomplish. But, the most important element they desired to teach us, was the spiritual and moral values that transform individuals into honest human beings. All ethic, moral, mystical and social values were practiced by our ancestors and present laws and mores practiced today, have their roots in the past. Traditional family structure is not based on European values, for we already knew the importance and function of the family nucleus in a civilized and ancient society. Our staple foods, traditional methods of healing, use of medicine and former education, testify to our ancient knowledge and this continues to be evident in our daily lives. In a way, our Mother Culture has managed to survived modern changes and a continual denial for justice for the people and acceptance and recognition of the most precious of the gifts: our ancient culture, that is, in many cases, ridiculed and unappreciated by those who set their eyes on foreign traditions. To you, Mexicans, I ask if you can imagine how it would be to live without corn and tortillas. Indice de artculos

Pgina principal 11. WHY WRITE ABOUT ANCIENT MEXICO Guillermo Marn. Not long ago, I was waiting my turn at the local bank, when I was approached by a man that recognized me. In a most sincere manner, he asked why some authors write about the past. He told me that he knew a well read and educated person that had in his library a large amount of historical books about ancient Mexico. He also told me that he himself was bored with the past and tired to read about ancient topics. He wanted writers to write about the future. He like the subject and wished there were more books about the topic. I was very surprised to hear his commentary and I tried to explain that if all Mexican writers were still writing about the past, it was, perhaps, because it was still unresolved. I used the illustration of a sick individual whose doctor prescribed medication that did not cured the ailment and was forced to go back to the physician for new medication. In a way, we writers have to go back to the past and revisit it in order to understand our history. No doubt, some of this valuable information has been overlooked and it is necessary to bring it to light. This obsession is experienced not only by Mexican writers like myself, but by others individuals in the world, like painters, musicians, historians, anthropologists and archaeologists. Studying and searching for the past tell us who we are and where we are heading. Going back again and again is to discover that History has been written in many forms. One has only to read a newspaper. The reports in the news, by the time they reach the reader, are events that took place in the past. Take any event reported in the Jornada and read the same in the Herald or any other newspaper. You will find that the article is a bit different. History, then is written in various forms and under different circumstances. In our history, we have the "official" version, but written by our conquerors. The same can be applied to wars. It all depends what side was favored by the writer and what nationality wrote the events. Many times, these events were written a long time after the events and at other times, the events were reported by people who no longer remember the events with clarity. Our own history is related by many writers and in different forms. For instance, the accounts of the conquerors differ greatly by those given by the missionaries. Today, even schools teach about President Benito Juarez under a different light and image. It all depends if Juarez is taught in public schools or private religious schools. Historical accounts can be compared to the same report given by the Liberal Party or the Conservative.Mexicans have to continue to write their own history. Why is it important? Consider this: a person cannot live, fully live, if he or she suffers of amnesia. Do you think that Mexicans, even those who have been fortunate enough to obtain higher education know about our history? No, not at all. We are uneducated foreigners living in our land. How many, for instance, know about the history of the revolution; how many know what took place in the last century, and how many know about the three centuries of colonial government.

It is sad, but true, that we know nothing about the 7,500 years of our history, called now Hispanic. You see, then, that if you, your children and your childrens children do not know your own history, your roots and origin, your identity, we will never attain stability, either social nor economical. We do not live, but merely exist. Now you see why it is imperative we turn our heads and eyes to the past. The first transgressors were the Mexica, better know as the Azec. They were the last arrivals in the Valley of Mexico. Their leader, Tlacaelel, ordered the destruction of the records written by the Old Grandfathers, erased the their names and placed their own as the chosen people. When the Spaniards arrived, they in turn, destroyed the old records and set out to re-write our history. They knew so little and understood nothing. The Spanish arrived at the time when the civilization was in decadency, but did not bother to know why. After the Spaniards, the Creole wrote the history of "their country" and at then end of the century, President Porfrio Daz, ordered the "official history." This official history contained myths and legends created, in most cases, by the vivid literary imagination of the time. An example is the legend of the Father of Independence, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, represented as an old man with graying hair, that is, what it was left on his head. In reality, the man was 56, healthy, strong, but the image of the priest was created for the Centenary celebration of the re-make of the "official history of the country" and the desired effect was successfully obtained. In the late 40's, a tomb was discovered in Ixcateopan, State of Guerrero. This tomb was believed to be the resting place of Cuauhtemoc, who according to legend, Cortez ordered the feet of the Indian be slowly burn on a charcoal fire, to extract information on the great gold treasure believed to be hidden somewhere in the city. The president, at the time, was faced with the dilemma to to declare whether the bones found in the tomb were the bones of Cuauhtemoc, or they were the bones of some one else. After a long debate, the president decided to announce to the people that the bones found were Cuauhtemocs. It did not matter if they were not. What it was important at that time, was to reassure the people of their identity. So, the bones were officially accepted and declared an old legacy, because it was also important that the State claim the old bones as a relic and symbol of the past. In the Third Millenium, there is the need to revise the "official history" for the reasons discussed beore. We must strive to obtain the truth in the matter that history be told as accurate as possible. Searching the past is absolutely necessary to exit the colonial labirynth we have lived in for five centuries. Our historical wounds must be healed totally and completely once and for all. The healing is necessary to stop the festering inour hearts, minds and race. You will be surprised to hear that many do not believe this is necessary because nothing wrong took place long ago. Indice de artculos Pgina principal 12. THE MYSTERY OF LIFE Guillermo Marn. Is it true that we live on this earth?

Not on this earth forever, but only for a bit. Even if is made of jade, it will shatter. Even gold would break. Quetzal feathers will tear. We are not here on earth forever, but only for a bit. This energy, brighter than light is called spirit or soul and it is present in humans. This essence or energy is immortal. It was the first source of energy born out of the experience of our evolution on the different planes of existence in the spiritual world.. It is so old and remote from our own mind that it is no longer comprehensible. Do you, heart of my heart, think you will live alone on this earth? You fear, my heart, because I was born on this earth!... I cry and I am sad. After all, I am a singer. If only at times, I could take some flower, And with them I could adorn the place of those without bodies.(*) Life circumstance in this world are no more than "a field of flowery battle", so called by our own ancestors that were wise and knew the origin of the spiritual energy that we all possess within the core of our being. There is an eruption of precious stones. There is a surge of quetzal plumes, Are these perhaps, your heart, giver of life?... Eagles, and tigers, like us, one by one will perish, Thee will be no one left.(*) The spirit needs of matter to trascend and at the same time, matter finds in the spirit the energy that transform the heart and the reason for being. The spiritual energy permit the purification that otherwise was obtain in the fire and the anvil. The fire feeds the happiness, the hopes and the anvil forges the adversities in life. What was I vaguely looked for? Was I looking for your heart? A heart that you give to everything, Without aim you go as you destroy your heart. While you are on this earth, can you go after your desire?(*) The mystery of life is then revelead in a simply and transparent way. Life is the opportunity we hae to purify our souls. It is not important what we do, but what it is important is to strive and arrive at this important level. Our conscience determines the authentic intensity of our acts and the quality of the experience. At the end of our lives, when there is nothing more to do, all material things are left behind. Nothing material passes to the other side. Our corpses will deteriorate and will leave, eventually, nothing behind, but our spirit or soul will live forever. We are no more. Are we nothing? You have destroyed us. You have made us disappear from here.. (*) The opportunity we had at our disposition has ended. Many have wasted life in a series of indulges in lust, greed, avarice and other sins. Their spirit was dragged through the lowest level and because their own stupidity and blindness, they reached a sad end. Others have accumulated knowledge and experience in the flowery battle and are are closer to their final destination. Now, the hearts that was beat in live are no more. We all leave this empty

life. Mundane pleasure and vice have been purified to enter the other realm: Heaven. The beautiful flowers and songs are muddled by our mundane desire. Our own doing spoil them. Here on earth, our stay is brief. Is this the same in other places? Is there happiness and friendship? Or is it here, only on this earth where we came to know our own faces? (*) We, human beings are not limited by our spiritual energy. We are luminous spiritual beings living and working on a mundane plane. We are here temporarily, but our origin is old. We are on a journey to return to eternity. This life, is brief, our bodies are not eternal. This world is the hearth where we are tested and molded to produce a spiritual being. It is wonderful, but at the same time, we are weak and fear the end that will take us back where we came from. Back to our place of origin. March in the direction of the eastern light. In that direction aim your darts. Yellow Eagle and Yellow Tiger, Yellos snake, yellow hare and yellow deer. You will then march to the region of death....(*) Indice de artculos Pgina principal 13. HIEROPHANIES OF THE ANHUAC Guillermo Marn.

The ancient Mexicans were part of one whole ivilization, but a different culture than those that xisted in time and space in the Anahuac. However, fundamentally, they all shared the same philosophy with others; that is, the ideas and beliefs that explain life and death in relation to nature, the universe and the divine. This philosophy was not different from any of the other five ancient civilizations in the planet. As a matter of fact, when human beings and cultures arrived to a superior state of development and when their basic needs were met, invariably they turned to define and to understand their purpose in life, and sought the spiritual fulfillment and knowledge of the divine. Agriculture was invented in Cem Anahua in the sixth millennium before the Christian era. The Mother Culture appears with its own personality, between the now states of Veracruz and Tabasco, approximately 1,500 B.C. The Olmec left testimonies of the civilization of the Anahuac. In the period known as the Formative or Pre-Clasic, the Old Grandfathers developed and perfected the systems of nutrition, health, education, and social organization and these would be the structural foundation which further down in history, would be known as the Period of Splendor or commonly known as the Classic. ( 200 B.C. to 850 A.D.)

The Toltec, in turn, took the philosophy of Cem Anahuac, initiated by the Olmec, to its zenith. The cultural philosophy of the divine and the sacred can be appreciated in the iconography and symbolic designs in sculptures, paintings, and engravings. For example, the eagle, the feathered serpent, the jaguar, and the representation of the divine duality in humanity. This is clearly manifested by two profiles of two snakes in opposite positions or represented by two quetzal birds. We must also mention the supreme construction of truncated pyramids and temples, ball courts, stela, and many three-dimensional works of art. However, few people are aware that the same similarities were maintain, for at least three millennia, not only in Cem Anahuac, but surprisingly, it also took place among the indigenous peoples all the way from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. This observation was never accepted in the European vision of the colonizers. They denied that in the new world existed, before their invasion, cultures with more advanced civilizations than theirs. It is also amazing to find the conquerors never found, or chose to ignore, the fact that all the indigenous peoples shared the same philosophies in their cultures, and in the realm of the divine and the sacred. The point we want to make is that there is a necessity to know and to understand the philosophical and theological structures of Cem Anahuac. This is, of course, a titanic challenge to visualize the character of our Mother culture. The challenge lies in changing the conditioning of our minds and disregard the interpretation and views inculcated in all of us by erudite foreigners about our culture. The Hermeneutic of Old Mexico is, therefore, presented to us, as an urgent task to clear our minds of foreign concepts and sometime erroneous interpretations of our culture. There is an urgency to get educated in our own history, study the past, and learn about the lives our ancestors. We must see and accept the fact that after achieving the satisfaction of their basic necessities, our ancestors they did not stop there, but focused their capacity, ability and knowledge to transcend the human spirit and enter the vast universe of the divine and the sacred. This was their mission. It is also ours. It is our turn to embrace a consciousness of the duality of humanity. Cem Anahuac reveals this duality in mankind. Its humanity and its divinity. The other old civilizations of the world, Egypt, China, Mesopotamia, India, and Peru, together Mexicos, show how all these civilizations accomplished this tremendous task. The knowledge of the Old Grand Fathers is a legacy to all Mexicans. We are heirs to this millenary evolution and cultural and historical development of this ancient civilization that our ancestors called TOLTECAYOTL. Yet, despite this fountain of information we still live in a materialistic culture. We are a pragmatic society blinded by the mental, cultural, and spiritual results of colonialism. We have lived under its hold for over five centuries, but we must stand up for ourselves, reclaim our past, and take responsibility for the desecration of cultural heritage and to the earth. Yes, this earth, part of the universe. We all are intimately linked to both because it is our sacred legacy. This concept is explained to us in the myth of the creation of the Fifth Sun. Where time ceases to be ordinary and becomes sacred. Where we accept our responsibility and mission to maintain the balance in our environment.

Our manifestations of who we are and what we believe, are only partial expressions of our European indoctrination. Only fragments of the same totality. The Moon, Sun, Venus and the Milky Way together with elements of water, wind, fire, and earth, are represented in their duality by the feathered serpent, the jaguar and other symbols. These are not only metaphoric symbols of divine duality but expressions of their inter-action with human beings. These interactions entered our material body through the umbilical cord, believed, by our ancestors, to be the unifying center of human existence. The four cardinal directions, believed to be the four different paths of our existence, each has a philosophical, esoteric, and religious significance. These are a few fundamental elements given as examples, to understand the complex and vast ancient religious concepts and system, that taught our ancestors to believe that humanity was created for the purpose to serve, to worship, and to sacrifice to our gods. These laws were for the sole purpose of helping the gods to maintain order and balance in the world. Was this system wrong? The Europeans gave us a similar system with the only difference in the Western culture and doctrine that God created humans into his own image and He delivered the earth and everything in it to his human creation. This resulted in the wrong interpretation that man was given the earth for his own, and because of the power given from above, he assumed it was, and still is, alright to do as he pleases without regard to other human beings and nature itself. In contrast, our ancestors regarded the earth as a Mother, who nurtured its inhabitants. Therefore, the earth was considered sacred. Not theirs to possess, but to take care of it and leave it in good condition to future generations. This concept of historical and collective responsibility continued to be manifested in the Post-Classic, even at the time when the society began to crumble and decline and the system saw a reform by what the Mexica called Tlacaele. This was the case with Monte Alban, which initiated its construction in 500 B.C. It was abandoned in 850 A.D. The second object in the civilization of the Anahua, known to the Toltec as the Flowery Wars, was for the purpose of engaging the individual to search within his inner-self. The weapons of the warriors were the song and the flower. In other words, the song and the flower represented the beauty of wisdom. Peasants, artisans, public servants, those who practiced medicine and architects, were all guided by an elite dedicated to the study of the potential spiritual energy based on solid social, moral, and religious teachings. In the XVI century colonizers did not accept that the fathers and sons of the old cultures possessed human qualities and much less that they had an advanced civilizations. The truth is that even in the Post-Classic Period, a time of decadence, the peoples of Cem Anahuac had a better standard of living than Europeans. The invaders viewed us as inferiors and therefore, discarded our culture as advanced and worthy of admiration. Even our daily nutrition, left to us by our Old Grandfathers, was ridiculed, but in fact, it had better nutritional values and variety. Our old agricultural technology produced all year round the desired results. This is so even today.

Through a process of biogenetic transformation, our ancestors developed corn from Teozintle. We had an efficient health system where medicinal plants were widely used and the complicated method of trepanation was known. Hygiene was practiced by all. A concept not commonly practiced by any European. Our old educational system was more advanced that those in existence in Europe. In short, when the Europeans arrived in Tenochtitlan in the XVI century, they found a city with libraries, schools, markets, parks, zoos, sports courts and cultural and religious centers. This was the result of seven thousand years of wisdom left to us by our Old Grandfathers. Our culture is not found in the archaeological ruins of our ancient civilization, nor in the treasures exhibited in art or anthropology museums. The richness and roots of our Mother Culture is found in the heart of each descendent of the Old Grandfathers. In this way, Toltecayotl reveals to us that we are heirs to an ancient culture and spirituality. This is manifested in our traditions, fiestas, and customs. Unfortunately, investigations and discoveries in archeology and history, only reveal the material and profane world of Ancient Mexico. It is high time we practice spiritual archeology and begin to reconstruct the sacred history of the Anahuac. It is necessary to recapture the wisdom, knowledge, and legacy of our ancestors. We must revive the traditions, legends and teachings to understand the cultural patrimony as tangible and intangible. The sacred essence of our civilization and its people, as well as the principles and values must be acknowledged because we have been made to think that there is no connection between modern Mexico and the Mexico of our Old Grandfathers. It is time we learn to recuperate the historical and spiritual legacy; a valuable legacy that teaches us who we really are. The Europeans robbed us of our true identity. We let them and still believe who we think we are. Our sacred vision and mission in this life, is to reclaim our identity found in the teachings of TOLTECAYOTL, because they represent the HIEROPHANIES OF THE ANHUAC. Indice de artculos Pgina principal Books Author : Guillermo Marn. The Old Grandparents: Our indigenous roots Guillermo Marin is a cultural promoter concerned with the complex process in cultural identity. He is the director of Cultural Development , a project in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos

and Mexico City. He is the author of Daany Bedxe: the spirit of the warrior; The True History of the Profound Mxico; And To Read Carlos Castaeda; The Basic Manual of the Cultural Promoter; Calmecac: A Cultural Alternative; and Cultural Administration. He is also the author of various tourist guides like: Monte Alban; Mitla, the City of the Death; The Sacred Valley of Tlacolula ; and, The Treasures of Monte Alban and Oaxaca: spiritual reserve of Mexico. The Old Grandparents: our indigenous roots By Guillermo Marin Translated by Marie Eugenie La Ru de Eibich INDEX Introduction The four anterior Suns Sun of Water Sun of Fire Sun of Wind Sun of Earth The creation of the Fifth Sun The creation of human beings The "invention" of corn Education The warriors of the flowery battle The ancient gods Tloque Nahuaque: For whom we live Ometotl: Divine duality Tlloc: The giver of material life Quetzalcatl: The giver of spiritual life Huehueteotl: The grandfather of the gods Tonantzin: Our beloved mother Mictlantecutli: The lord of death Tezcatlipoca: Smoking mirror The millenary civilization of Anhuac The Olmec great-grandfathers The old Toltec grandfathers The Zapotecs The Mixtecs The Mayas The Nahuas The Totonacs The Purpechas The young Aztec grandfathers The centers of knowledge: Monte Albn Mitla Palenque and the Lord of Pacal Chichn Itz The people of Mxico

To professor Ventura Lpez For his invaluable and generous support to the Oaxacan culture. The fact of having no knowledge of the past nor of the place where they live, is the reason that many people leave to cross the border to seek work. The day when our people get to know their ancestors, the day when they get to know that the places where they live were inhabited by famous men, the day when they learn that this land has given ample proof of ancient cultures, man will be firmly rooted. He will take pride in his labor and will be conscious of the land where he lives. He will have the courage to defend his birth right and to work not only with enthusiasm, in his own land, but with love for the place where he was born. That is the importance of history. Juan Rulfo I. INTRODUCTION Mexicans are heirs to one of the six oldest civilizations on this planet. Approximately eight thousand years ago our ancestors ceased to be barbarian nomads when they domesticated corn and embarked on a long journey through the path of spiritual and personal development in their human existence, kept uninterrupted, to this day. We are, unquestionably, a mestizo people that cannot continue to deny its indigenous roots, a legacy of many millennia beginning with the development of agriculture until the arrival of the Spaniards. To ignore our past, our roots, to stubbornly deny the existence of the civilization of the Anahuac in our genes, in our historic memory, traditions, feasts, customs and education. as well as to know not friendship, love, death, the sacred and the divine, we are condemned to live in a labyrinth of emptiness and loneliness. By systematically disdaining and refusing our own origins to exult and admire instead what is foreign, we pretend to be someone else. This behavior causes the disrespect and unworthiness to be accepted by our foreign ideal models of the past, be either Spaniards, French, or in this modern times, Gringos. In the pre-Hispanic epoch, the solid and profound basis of what we are as a people and as a nation already existed. It is clear that the only thing we own and we dont share with other civilizations is our own past; a past before the arrival of the Spaniards. Everything that we own in the present either by appropriation or by imposition of more than five thousand years cannot dismiss or deny our indigenous roots. At the same time, we cannot ignore that the ontological spiritual essence of our indigenous beginning has its origin in this land and has been transmitted from generation to generation in a continuous and permanent manner. At the beginning of the third millennium, globalization, new technologies and communication lead to the dehumanization of peoples and the homogenization generated resulted in the loss of regional and national identity. Therefore, as our Old Grandparents used to say: "Our own face and true heart, the principles and values of our people are threatened." The urgent need to recuperate our own historical memory and to strengthen our

own identity must be met in the lessons taught to our children to value our culture, to understand its roots and its fruits and to know who we are and ought to be. This is why we must inculcate the knowledge, value and respect for our own ancient Mother Culture to our children and grandchildren. It is imperative we forget the ignorance and disregard for our culture in colonial education that we have been forced to live and accept for more than five hundred years. We must now teach our children the legacy of our culture, but at the same time, as parents and teachers, we must ourselves begin to take pride in our heritage, our blood, our origins to be worthy descendants of the Old Grandparents, for only then we can be true Mexicans; worthy heirs to Netzahualcyotl and acknowledge at the same time, Miguel de Cervantes, a complementary part of our totality because we cannot deny and ignore that other root. Not knowing and not accepting equally both sides, we are incomplete. This leaves us without our own face and true heart. The main objective of this book is to lead and encourage our youth to take the path to return to the heart of ancient Mxico and to find there the values, principles and inspiration to build on their own future. II. THE FOUR ANTERIOR SUNS All the peoples on this earth have their own stories of how the world was created because human beings have the need to know and explain their origins. They need to know who they are and for what purpose they are on this planet. They must know and understand the meaning of this existence and where they are heading. Our own Old Grandparents, just like the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, India and Per, had their own accounts of how the world in which we live was created. To our Old Grandparents, the world was in a constant estate of change and evolution. That is why four epochs or eras called Suns, have always existed. In each of these eras, human beings evolve and each Sun ends in a cataclysm that allows the creation or formation of a new Sun to intent a new optimized beginning. This is a new opportunity for human beings to improve on this earth. Therefore, since remote times, our ancestors have been aware that in each generation we must better ourselves, be fully responsible for our own evolution and perfection and that of each individual. We are charged with the task to utilize our existence as a marvelous opportunity to fight for the individual and collective advancement of humanity through family and society. Our Old Grandparents possessed this knowledge and passed it on from generation to generation, through verbal teachings and in the writings of codices that were, if you will, their books, colorfully depicting our history and wisdom. Our people, in fact, kept alive since memorable time its history, its language and its customs passed on from parents to children. The greatest legacy left to us is the written word, therefore, our Old Grandparents left their knowledge in writing less we forget: Our grandfathers and our grandmothers, Our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, Old ancestors, Repeated their accounts in discourses And left the stories as a legacy To their descendants. These will never be lost, They will never be forgotten To those that came after. For they wrote to reaffirm In black and red ink

Memories, names, history, We will never let their stories die. We will keep them with us forever. We are their children, We are the grandchildren Descendants carrying their blood And same skin color. We will continue to tell And to communicate What we know To the new born. By Fernando Alva Ixtlixchitl In this manner we get today in their own words, the memories, the history and accounts of how the world was born and how each of the Suns in ancient Mxico came and went. This was so we never forget our past and keep it alive in the present by passing it to our children: thus says history, thus we remember. SUN OF WATER Here is the account the Old Grandparents used to tell in a remote time so long ago nobody remembers exactly when. This is about the birth of the First Sun that came to be when Quetzalcatl blew his divine breath on the first human beings. At the same time, Tezcatlipoca, an eternal adversary of Quetzalcatl, sent down a great flood and all human beings drowned, but were transformed into fishes. This happened at the time when the people ate teocintle an early form of corn. SUN OF FIRE Many years went by and the earth was kept in darkness and void of human beings. The gods tried once again to populate the earth and in a second intent to perfect it, they placed Tlloc, the god of rain and celestial fire, as initiator of a new Sun, but Quetezalcatl sent a shower of fire and human beings burnt to death to rise as birds of the sky. At that time, the food was the acecently water corn. SUN OF WIND Again, the earth experienced many years without sunlight and without human beings to worship the gods. Then, Quetzalcatl created the third Sun and attempted the new creation of human beings. At that time, humans ate of the acconcentl pine acorns. It was Tezcatlipocas turn to send strong winds that destroyed most of the trees and human beings. The few survivals became monkeys and lived on the trees. SUN OF EARTH This Sun was created by Tezcatlipoca and populated the earth with gigantic human beings. When these giants fell, they did not rise again. These giants did not cultivate the soil and did no planting. They ate roots, acorns and other fruits they collected around the forest. One day, Qauetzalcatl defeated Tezcatlipoca using a cane and the latter fell in the water and was transformed into a tiger. The tiger ate all the giants leaving the earth depleated of human beings and, the earth, without Sun. III. THE CREATION OF THE FITH SUN

Time went by and the earth continue to be unpopulated and in darkness. There was no one who would take charge. Then the gods convocated, thus says the legend: When still there was night, When still there was no day, When still there was no light, The gods convened In Teotihuacan. They said, Speaking among themselves: Come here, oh gods! Who will take charge Of the new day, The new light? All the gods agreed that two of them would have to sacrifice themselves to create the new Sun. For this purpose Tecuciztecatl, the Lord of Snails and Nanahuatzin, the Purulent, came forward. The first one was the exultation of beauty and the latter was the representation of human imperfection. Both of them wanted to be the Fifth Sun seeking the perfection of humanity. This required a week of sacrifices and purification and then jump over the cosmic fire to convert matter into energy. Tecuciztecatl used in his sacrifice, the feathers of the quetzal bird instead of the branches of the fir tree and the balls made of pine needles needed to hold in place the magueys sharp needles to prick the penitents. He offered instead spines made of coral. Tecuciztecatl avoided material and spiritual self sacrifice and offered instead ostentatious offerings. Nanahuatzin, on the other hand, offered sacrifices with fervor using the required branches of the fir tree, the balls of pine and the spines of the maguey. The first one confused spiritual sacrifice with material richness; the latter understood his responsibility of total sacrifice of flesh to purify his spirit. The big day arrived and the gods in Teotihuacan sat around the great cosmic fire where the two gods had to jump to let the fire cleanse them of impurities. The first to try was Tecuciztecatl, but intense fear froze him to the spot. It was Nanahuatzins turn. He jumped without hesitation into the great flames. Tecuciztecatl, ashamed of his cowardice, jumped into the fire, but he was too late. Nanahuatzin became the Sun of the fifth era and Tecuciztecatl became the moon because at the end, he overcame his fear. As the moon, he also rose in the west, but the other gods threw a rabbit in his face so he could not be as brilliant as the Sun. How can people live now? How can we strengthen and keep the Sun? We must offer in sacrifice Ourselves. In this manner, the gods decided that the sun would shine. It was because of them that the earth had a new sun and movement; however, the most important thing was still missing: people; called macehuales deserving of the sacrifice made by the gods. IV. THE CREATION OF HUMAN BEINGS When the earth had again light and movement, the gods convened once more. They said: "Who will live on earth? The heavens already exist and the earth was made new again. Who will populate the earth?" The gods ask themselves the same question again and again for they worried.

It was then decided that the god of the Sacred Breath, Quetzalcatl, be in charge to go to the region of the death and ask Mictlatecutli, the Lord of Death, for the bones of human beings that lived in the Fourth Sun. With these bones, the new generation of human beings will come into existence in the Fifth Sun. Quetzalcatl descended to the dominion of the Lord of Death, accompanied by his nahual his double - called Xlotl. Mictlantecutli proposed two conditions: that they sound the conch shell and performed four complete turns around his holy circle. Qutzalcatl summoned the help of his friends: worms and bees. The first made holes in the conch shell and the latter entered through the holes. Once inside, the bees flapped their wings so vigorously that sound came out of the holes. When Mictlantecutli saw this portent he ordered his vassals to capture Quetzalcatl, who, with the help of his double, took the bones. Though he suffered minor injuries he was able to reach Tomanchn, the mystical place of origin where the goddess Quilaztli, ground the bones on a metate grounding stone. Then, Quetzalcatl mixed his sacred blood with the powder obtained from the bones and offered the mixture as a sacrifice to the gods, for the birth of new human beings to populate the earth. That was the way we were born. A product of the sacrifice offered to our ancient gods. Since that time we continue to live in the Fifth Sun. This heritage left by our ancestors must be kept in constant balance with the material and the spiritual; between the absolute certainty of reasoning and the insurmountable faith in the mystery of the divine. Our mission is to populate the world and to maintain the existence of the Fifth Sun. We must do this through spiritual sacrifices and live a virtuous and harmonious life, in the same manner our Old Grandparents did, for seven thousand and five hundred years in a time so long ago nobody can recall. When once long ago, in Teotihuacan Place of Gods - our ancient gods created the existence of the Fifth Sun, an era in which live today. V. THE CREATION OF CORN AND FOOD The gods were attentive to the development and perfection of life in the Fifth Sun. They worried about the food for the living beings. For this purpose, they commanded Quetzalcoatl to provide food for the created beings. Since ants are hard workers and live underground. Quetzalcoatl observed a red ant coming up to the surface of the place where the food for the living beings was hidden. He asked the red ant to tell the truth. The red ant confessed corn and other grains were buried inside the Mountain of our Sustenance. Then, Quetzalcoatl transformed himself into a black ant and together with the red ant they went to search for the food for the human beings of the Fifth Sun. To the Old Grandparents, the metaphor of the red and black ink, means wisdom. Accordingly, with wisdom and labour, our ancestors extracted from the earth all our food. Quetzalcoatl carried all the corn he could take from the Mountain of our Sustenance and took it to Tonachan - Place of Origin so the gods could taste it. Everyone agreed it was delicious and decided to place it on the lips of Oxomoco and Cipactonal equivalent to Adam and Eve to grow strong. Since the gods discovered that corn was an excellent source of food, they decided to grant the Mount of our Sustenance to human beings. To accomplish this, the gods ask that one of them should send lightening to open the mountain. From the four corners of the world, the Tlaloques Rain gods arrived: The Tlaloque of the Blue South, The Tlaloque of the White West, The Tlaloc of the Yellow East and the Tlaloque of the Red North. All four together succeeded, with their rain, to fertilize the corn in the Mountain of Sustenance,

then one of them sent a powerful lightening that split the mountain causing the corn to spill together with the other grains. All these became valuable food that have been the basis of our sustenance for more than eight thousand years. In the matter already explained, the people received corn of all shades and colors, beans, chia, chilies, squash, tomatoes, nopales, cacao and avocadoes, just to name a few of the many food the gods granted to the people. The Old Grandparents developed through the centuries an excellent and nutritious balance cuisine. They learned to cook beans, make corn tortillas, salsas, tamales, atole and chocolate. They added honey, grasshoppers, ants, worms, and other insects. Fish was included in their diet and eaten regularly. Once in a while, an especially during important festivities, they ate venison, turkey, ducks, rabbit, armadillo and snake as well as hairless dogs called Xoloescuincle, considered a delicacy. Without this rich diet for sustenance, the people of ancient Mexico couldnt have been able to build the pyramids, temples and other buildings and attain such wisdom and knowledge in nature, architecture, cosmology, medicine, etc. The domestication of corn, that is to say, the genetic transformation of the grass called Teozintle into the present plant known as corn, the use of corn fields and irrigation canals and other complex methods of irrigation, permitted our Old Grandparents to lay the foundation for the development of what later on would be known as the splendor of Ancient Mexico. VI. EDUCATION Education in ancient Mexico began at home. There were ancestral traditions related to the upbringing of children because education was very important to our Old Grandparents. Among the many treasures of education, we find the one called Huehuetlahtolli the old word zealously transmitted from generation to generation that taught ancient wisdom and rituals. For instance, when a girl reached adolescence, the mother would instruct the following: My daughter, precious bead of gold and fine feathers, conceived in womb. Blood of my blood made into my image, pay attention to what I am going to tell you. You have reached the age of discernment and discretion: god the creator has given you the use of reason, the ability to understand the meaning of worldly matters. You know that in this world there is no true rest nor pleasure; there is, however, beside work and affliction, poverty. You are noble, generous and considerate. A maiden sculpted like a precious stone, a sapphire, but of noble blood, descendant of a generous family. Take care you never be ashamed of yourself. Never participate in vile and dishonorable acts that bring shame and effrontery to your family and to our ancestors. My daughter, what I have told you, let it be your doctrine. What I have just done in front of the gods, was my duty; to teach you never to forget your blood, who you are. You now take charge. Oh, my beloved daughter, my first born, my dove, may you be blessed with peace and fortunate to attain rest. In a similar manner, when a boy attain adolescence, his father took him aside and said to him during a feast prepared in his honor: My beloved son, please pay attention to my words and take them into your heart because they were left to us by our ancestors: wise old men and women. They came into this world to teach us and warn us to keep their teachings. Their teachings are to be kept, like precious jewels and gold in coffers, because

their words are like precious stones polished with advice and wisdom. Live your life well, without blemish of any kind. Be perfect like the precious stones called chalchuites sapphires and like fine and brilliant feathers. There were, in Ancient Mexico, three great institutions of education. The first one was called Telpochcalli boarding house - where seven year old children were prepared to enter, harmoniously, into society. There was a school for boys and another for girls where they were taught how to be citizens and learn the rules of their society. They also learned, history, religion, language and the secrets of astronomy. In this manner, their identity and wisdom of their culture became valuable tools to live with family and society. The old Grandparents considered community life more important than the life of an individual, therefore, the children were taught from an early age, the spirit of community and service to others. The Telpochcalli, like all education in ancient Mexico, was free and obligatory. In the evening, boys and girls gathered at the Cuicallai second learning institution. This was a cultural center that taught them all forms of art; like dancing, singing, how to play instruments, painting, poetry and oratory. These were taught with the aim to develop individual talent, polish and refine manners and be sensitive art appreciators. The third educational institution was called Calmecac. This instruction was reserved for those leaving the Telpochcalli and wished to continue with their education. At this third level, they were trained as teachers, administrators, government officials and priests. It was here, that leaders were born to form groups to continue to preserve civil and cultural laws that lasted for more than 7,500 years. In the XVI century, when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, they were surprised to find that there were no children who could not attend school. The schools were self- sufficient. The Taltocan supreme government council provided great portions of arable land to all the schools. The teachers till the land, planted crops and harvested them for their own sustenance, at the same time, they taught the children the importance of agriculture. The schools counted with the support of committees called cuadrillas. These looked after the construction of public buildings and their upkeep. In an all girl school, the children were educated in millenary traditions in the art of cooking, embroidery, spin cotton, use the loom, raise children, look after domestic animals like the turkey, Xoloescuicle a type of edible dog cochineal insects- for dyeing cotton- use edible and medicinal plants, to sew garments, keep house and how to be a good wife. The purpose of education in ancient Mexico was to "form our own faces and true hearts," because through education our Old Grandparents could transfer continuity in their society. A good example of this is the sacred place of Monte Alban, founded by the Zapotecs, 500 years before the Christian era. This city was not built by slaves forced to work under the rule of a tyrant lord; on the contrary, it represents the work of thirteen centuries of a community joined by enthusiasm and faith, as the result of an excellent system of education. It was abandoned in the IX century after the birth of Christ. This era embraces more than 1,300 years of cultural and spiritual knowledge of the people. It is a rich heritage that continues to be alive today. VII. THE WARRIORS OF THE FLOWERY BATTLE The symbol that perhaps can be understood by all, is the primordial aspiration of the Old Grandparents of ancient Mexico that can be found in the Flowery Battle. As we have said before, our ancestors knew that humanity was under

the constant estate of evolution and perfection. They understood that humanity existed thanks to the spiritual sacrifices of the gods and in return, the people were expected to live a virtuous life and make other sacrifices in order to continue with the population of the earth and at the same time, to maintain a perfect balance in nature, the cosmos and humanity. A formidable and difficult task that the Old Grandparents called "Battle of the Flowery Battle," demanded that if an individual wished to dedicate his or her entire life to embark in constant battle against spiritual weakness, were called warriors. This battle, a spiritual warfare took place in the individuals heart. The weapons used in battle were called Flower and Song and these weapons were understood as wisdom and beauty. The purpose of these battles was to attain the Flowery of the heart and rid the individual of flaws and other weaknesses. An accomplished warrior was distinguished by the sacrifices performed, frugality, sobriety and austerity. These accomplishments were highly regarded in their society. When a male warrior died, it was believed they were sent to keep guard to the sun from dawn to noon. If the warrior was a woman, they guarded the sun from noon to dusk. The ideal of the society in general, was to encourage in life, these people to built and develop the societys status. In death, they were expected to sustain the Fifth Suns course, with their spiritual existence. VIII. THE OLD GODS All ancient peoples of the world created a religious structure to understand life and give meaning to their existence, after the primordial need of food, shelter and clothing was satisfied. Humanity, in all levels of life, seeks to find a relation between the cosmic and nature through ideas and conjectures of how the world and human beings were created. Then, through either complicated or simple religious beliefs, a society tries to understand and explain what happens after death. The majority of the worlds cultures believe that death is not the final step because there is a link between an unseen supreme force and the people. Our own Old Grandparents believed in a pantheon of ancient gods known by different names in various cultures, but the deities served for the same purpose: to explain the belief of creation by unseen minor and major holy gods. TLOQUE NAHUAQUE - FOR WHOM WE LIVE Our Old Grandparents recognized the existence of an all-powerful god that was the creator of heaven and earth and all there is in both. They believed in this omnipotent god and because they were mere insignificant mortals, they could neither give him a name nor build an image to represent him. The people refer to this supreme god by three names: the first was "One for Whom We Live." The name given to the god was because the entire life of an individual was consecrated to him from birth to death. The god was also known as "Night Wind," because the people said he could not be seen and was invisible as night itself. The third name was "Lord of Near and Far," because his power allowed him to be present with them and at the same time in any other part of the world. OMETEOTL DIVINE DUALITY Another form to refer to the supreme deity was to call him Ometeotl Divine Duality, because the Old Grandparents believed the god was so powerful that he could be both, male and female. His power was seen in everything found in the world because every thing in his creation had negative and positive qualities: Day and night, cold and hot, above and below. Therefore, the name Ometeotl was derive from the word Ometecuhtli Of The Two: Lord; while Ometecihuatl was Of The Two: Lady. TLALOC - THE GIVER OF MATERIAL LIFE

The people believed that the world was made up of two realms: material and spiritual. The material realm, life, was symbolical represented by water. They understood that when there is no water, there is no life. Therefore, Tlaloc became the god of water. The god was known by other names in different Mesoamerican cultures, The cult, however, had the same basis in theology and philosophy. Tlaloc represented water in all forms: in lightening and thundering and rain. The Mexica call him Tlaloc, the Zapotec called him Cocijo, Chac to the Maya and Tajin to the Totonac. Though known by different names to different cultures, his image always retained the large discs around the eyes and a tongue like a serpent. QUETZALCOATL GOD OF WIND Quetzalcoatl Feathered Serpent was represented as the divine breath of the one who gives consciousness to human beings. He is the protector of humanity, the giver of consciousness and wisdom. The one who teaches us how to live virtuous and purposeful lives. That is why, the third level of education we explained before, called the Calmecac, was consecrated to this deity. The Maya called him Kukulcan, the Mexica called him Quetzalcoatl and the Zapotec called him Belaguetza. To these cultures, he represented the spiritual, the wisdom and virtues in all human beings. HUEHUETEOTL GRANDFATHER OF THE GODS The old god Huehueteotl, was known as the grandfather of the gods. He was associated with the fire that transforms and liberates the essence in matter. He was the symbolic energy of life, the vital force that runs along the spine chord. The knowledge and use of fire was the main achievement of ancient peoples. Fire protects, destroys, provides warmth, and a necessary element to cook meals. It was around fire, that people gathered at first for warmth. Later on, they learned to use fire to cook their meals. They also learned to use it for protection against beasts and other human beings, but they also sought answers to problems, deliberated on theological matters and attached mystical powers to this element. TONATZIN OUR BELOVED MOTHER Tonatzin is the goddess representing earth and birth. She stands for generosity and kindness. The earth gives us our sustenance. The earth gives us shelter and protection. Its love is like a mothers, infinite and maternal. Human beings turn to her for help, for food, for protection and liberation. Like in all worldly religions, religious figures are metaphors of complex and profound truth. Tonatzin, like all the gods of ancient Mexico, she has many representations and patronages. One of this was incorporated in the Catholic faith as the Virgen of Guadalupe. MICTLANTECUTLI LORD OF DEATH Our Old Grandparents believed human beings went after death to four different places, according to the way they had lived. The first place, Ilhuicatltonatiuh, was destined for the Warriors of the Flowery Battle who accompanied the Sun with music, song and dance, from sunrise to sunset. The second place called Chichihuacuahco, was reserved for infants. In that place, there was a large tree that fed the infants by exuding milk drop by drop. The infants would return to the world at the end of the cycle of the Fifth Sun. Tlalocan was the mansion of the Moon and of Tlaloc. It was a paradise for those who had encountered death in relation to water. The last place, Mictlan, was governed by Mictlantecutly and Mictlanciuahtl , the Lord and Lady of Death. This was destined for those who have lived unproductive lives. Because of this grave sin, they were forced to make a trip, four years long, full of hardships and sorrows before they could attain entrance to the

underworld. When they arrived at their final destination, the souls dissolved into nothing; thus leaving no evidence of their existence. TEZCATLIPOCA SMOKING MIRROR Tezcatlipoca is the counterpart of Quetzalcoatl, He represents the night and he is associated with the Moon. This god, eternally young, was the patron of the Telpochcalli, that is, the school for the Warriors of the Flowery Battle. Tezcatlipoca was the intercessor for those who have fallen into the dark side of life. He is represented in the figure of a jaguar. The name Tezcatlipoca means Smoking Mirror because through him, the image of man and his conscience can be seen. Lord of darkness and of shadows, he knows the human heart. He represents the untruthful inner spirit. His presence meant immediate danger. In the temple of the warriors, he represented the interior battle against darkness. IX. THE MILLENNARIAN CIVILIZATION OF THE ANAHUAC The Old Grandparents called their land, Cem Anahuac Land surrounded by great waters. Since the land was called Anahuac, they called themselves Anahuacans and the culture became known as Civilization of the Anahuac. We believe that Mexico had only one civilization that branched into many different cultures through time and space united by the main philosophical/cultural frame, like the human hand with its five different fingers all attached and dependent of the same part. The history of the civilization of the Anahuac began with the domestication of corn and the birth of agriculture, approximately six thousand years before the Christian era. This civilization ended with the arrival of the Spanish. Ours was an ancient civilization that emerged and developed without the intervention of foreign influences. We are , without any doubt, one of the six oldest civilization known to man. Our culture consists of three distinct eras: Pre-classic: 6,000 B.C., to 200 B.C. This is known as the formative period. The culture representing this period is called the Olmec. Classic: 200 A.D. to 800 A.D. In this era, the Toltec culture reached its splendor. Post-classic: 850 A.D. to 1519 A.D. This era, represented by the Mexica known as Aztecs, is the end of ancient cultures. X. THE OLMEC GREAT-GRANDFATHERS The Olmec civilization is known as the Mother Culture. The Olmec are the oldest civilization known in our history. Our Old Grandparents established themselves before Christ, but the Olmec are considered to be our greatgrandfathers. Their culture emerged between the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. This civilization grew and expanded throughout Mesoamerica. It is believed the Olmec invented a system to measure time that consisted of three exact and perfect calendars. The first consisted of 260 days based on lunar observations. The second calendar of 365 days was based on the movement of the earth around the sun, and the third had 52 years that was based on the observations of the earths movement in relation to the stars and constellations, known as the Pleiades. Even today, 4,000 years later, their accurate calendars are a source of wonderment because the Olmec knew how develop and use the system. Their superb knowledge in mathematics is evident in the architecture of pyramids, plazas and temples that also demonstrate their knowledge in astronomy for their buildings are precisely aligned with the four cardinal points. In Oaxaca, like in the rest of Mexico, there is ample evidence all significant cultures were influenced by the Olmec. A vivid example is the Dancers of Monte Alban. These magnificent engraved stones depicting deformed human

beings show Olmec influence. The Olmec culture left evidence of their existence in the form of gigantic stone heads with Negroid features wearing helmets. The Olmec - People of the Rubber - knew how to use this product in the balls used in their games and other various forms. Their most famous archaeological sites are found in La Venta and Comalcalco in Tabasco; San Lorenzo, Tres Zapotes and Catemaco in Veracruz, Oxtotitlan and Zumpango del Rio in Guerrero, Monte Alban and Huamelupan, in Oaxaca, Uaxcatun in Quintana Roo and Chalcatzingo in Morelos. XI. THE TOLTEC GRANDFATHERS The ancient mystical men of knowledge, possessors of the "red and black ink," wise men, master builders, artists, authors of spiritual works and founders of splendid civilizations were known to others as the Toltec. According to information received by Bernardino de Sahagun, he says: The Toltec were painters, scribers of codices, sculpturers, wood carvers, stone engravers, builders of temples and palaces, writers and ceramicists. The Toltec, truthfully, were wise, their literary works were good and virtuous. Their plots were well planned and marvelous. They were experienced speakers that knew how to speak from their hearts They knew the stars by name and their influence in their world, for the Toltec knew how to follow the course of the stars in the heavens and their movement in relation to the earth. The splendor of this ancient culture lasted for more than 1,000 years. This period was known as the luminary of Quetzalcoatl. During that time, there were no wars and human sacrifices. Teotihuacan was the beating heart of the Toltec civilization, the cradle of Toltecayotl - Wisdom of the Old Grandparents - because from Teotihuacan, all the peoples and cultures of the Anahuac were guided and directed. Monte Alban III, Zapotec culture and Chichen Itza, Maya culture, demonstrate Toltec influence. This influence is also evident in all the cultures during the period know as classic. THE ZAPOTEC The Zapotec lived in what today is known as the state of Oaxaca. Their first important center of wisdom was in San Jose del Mogote, in the region of Etla. They moved, for some reason to Teotitlan del Valle in the region of Tlacolula where they founded the city of Yagul. Later on, in the Valley of Zimatlan, known at that time as Teozapotlan, they settled in Zaachila. The Zapotec called themselves Zaa and together with the Mixtec, they are geographically located in the center of Old Mexico or what is known as Mesoamerica. The Mixtec and Zapotec are the bridge between the Nahuatl and Maya cultures. The Zapotec built Monte Alban and Mitla. These two sites are of significant importance in the continent. As we have previously explained, the civilizations of the Valley of the Anahuac, exhibit the same cultural and philosophical structure, but each culture added their own individual touch according to the interpretation of the original. The Zapotec distinguished themselves for their unique style in pottery and their exquisite urns depicting the symbolic representation of the jaguar, the serpent and the eagle. In the post-classic period, the culture moved further south to the Isthmus where they founded Tehuantepec, a Nahuatl name that

means In the Mountain of the Tiger. The Zapotec have always been a resilient people, excellent merchants and able politicians. THE MIXTEC Apoala is the mystical place of origin of the Mixtec culture that claims to have inhabited the region of the clouds. Legend tells that the first people were born in trees that grew in the banks of the river that form a cavern. Four individuals took hold of each different cardinal point where they settled. This decision accounts for the region of the Mixteca being such a large region extending through the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla. The Mixtec were superb jewelers working with gold and silver. Their magnificent pieces of jewelry were found in the famous Tomb 7 in Monte Alban. They left a legacy of magnificent codices or books painted on deer skins and folded in the form of accordion. Few of these survived the destruction of the Spanish invaders. They are also distinguished by their ceramic work and beautiful, perfect polychrome pottery. During the apogee of great lords and rulers of the Mixtec, the great market of Coixtlahuaca, flourished among other great places like Tlaxiaco, Tututepec and Tilantongo, considered by archaeologists to be important centers as Monte Alban. They were great warriors as told in the legends of the Archer of the Sky and 8 Deer Tiger Claw. THE MAYA As we already know, all the cultures in ancient Mexico were interconnected because all of them rose from one mother culture. Therefore, between the Nahuatl and Zapotec architecture, there are may similarities, but the Maya are an exception. Their world covered the Yucatan Peninsula, the state of Chiapas and the countries of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras in Central America. The culture had a higher style in art. It was complex and took capricious forms. We can see the Maya were different even though they are part of the Anahuac culture. They were the first culture to invent a mathematical system using the cero. This allowed them to handle large numbers, too large, for todays standard. In their method of adding known as long counting, they were able to count tenths of thousands of years. They were also excellent astronomers. In fact, their astronomical calculations are so precise they were able to measure the duration of a year in exactly 364.3420 days. The Maya recorded a fountain of philosophical literature. An invaluable legacy of knowledge is found in the teachings of the Chilam Balam and the Popol Vuh. Their archaeological sites have revealed the importance of their cities like Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Palenque and Bonam Pak. THE NAHUA The Nahua were located in the Valley of the Anahuac, but their culture spread to other places, including Teotihuacan, through a complex system of channels that joined several lakes and other bodies of water. The central region consists of the states of Mexico, Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Valley of Mexico . The Nahua culture then went further than the Valley of Mexico, reaching the states of Guerrero, Hidalgo, Queretaro and even Oaxaca. All the cited places exhibit, therefore, Nahua influence. Indisputably, in the period known as the classic, Teotihuacan and Tula were the major centers and in the period known as the post-classic, the most populated area was around the lake where Mexico City is located today. The Nahuas of the high planes and surrounding areas share the same mother culture and their Nahuatl language was the lingua franca in Old Mexico. These strong cultural ties despite the passing of

time and of the diversity of regions that they influenced with their presence and culture, provided the basis and sustenance for their descendants today. THE TOTONAC The Totonac people share the same origin with the Nahua. The Totonac remembered they originated from the mystic Chicomostoc and wandered about until they founded Teotihuacan. They continued to Puebla and finally they settled in Veracruz. In this state, the most important evidence of their existence is found in the archaeological sites known as El Tajin and Cempuala. Tajin was the first city dedicated as a symbolic representation to the God of Water. Tajin represented to the Totonac what Kukulcan was for the Maya and Tlaloc was for the Nahua. The Totonac tattooed their bodies, they shaved their heads and wore fine cotton garments. The Old Grandparents left us the inheritance of the Flyers of Papantla and these in turn gave the world the cultivation of vanilla. THE PUREPECHA As all the peoples of the Anahuac, the Purepecha shared the same basis that unified them and at the same time, they exhibit multiple differences in their culture. They remembered to have come from South America, specifically from Peru. This account is not impossible because for more than 7, 500 years the people of the Anahuac came in contact with South American cultures like the Tawantinsuyo. Any way, the Purepecha are part of the multicultural mosaic that forms Mexico. The Purepecha are magnificent artisans. They developed the art of metallurgy and knew and applied the technique of cold hammering known as laminate, the melting of molds through the process known as lost wax, filigree , welding and working with gold, silver and copper. They knew how to work wood and produced beautiful ceramics. The Purepecha culture developed along the lake of Patzcuaro in the state of Michoacan. They were formidable warriors and excellent fishermen. They engaged in frequent battles against the Aztecs. Their famous hero, Calzontzin, fought constantly against the Aztec and the Purepecha successfully avoided being conquest by the enemy. The most important ruins of this culture are the Yacaras in Tzintzuntzan and the ones in Tingambato in the State of Michoacan. Their influence embraces the states of Guanajuato, Queretaro, Guerrero, Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa. XIII. THE YOUNG AZTEC GRANDFATHERS Four centuries had passed since the splendor of Ancient Mexico ended, when the Aztec arrived to the Valley of Mexico from the northern plains. This was the last barbarian people in search for a place to settle down. They did not speak Nahuatl. They were gatherers and hunters and fierce warriors. Their search ended when they encountered the shore of a lake. In 1325, they founded their city, Tenochtitlan. The people living around the shore of the lake, were descendants of the legendary Toltec, but the culture was already in decadence. Several centuries had gone by since the departure of the great masters and the people lived in fear that the Fifth Sun was about to end. The Aztec quickly learned the language and got thoroughly acquainted with the knowledge of the Old Toltec Grandparents with an 180 degrees twist to the ancient culture. To be exact, Tlacaelel was the individual who modified the philosophy of Quetzalcoatl, that had been the symbol of Toltec wisdom, and gave him instead a warrior status by imposing their own god, Huitzilopchtli. In this manner, the Aztec named themselves People of the Sun and through human sacrifices they believed they were able to prevent the end of the Fifth Sun. The new ideology and cult of their deity, Huitzilopochtli, came to be. The Aztec grew and their power was felt and feared by many

cultures that were subjugated and forced to pay tribute to the conquerors. They were feared for the frequent human sacrifices of captives, in constant demand, for their wars referred as flowery wars, which they claimed to be in remembrance of the spiritual flowery wars observed by the former Toltec. Their impressive culture did not survived for too long. Victims of their own mistakes, for they confused the arrival of Hernan Cortez, In 1519, with the return of Quetzalcoatl and with the peoples they have dominated and terrorized that joined forces with the Spanish, these two powerful combinations contributed to the downfall of the Aztec Empire in less than three years. XIII. THE CENTERS OF KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM In the northern part of Mexico City, in the State of Mexico, we find the city of Teotihuacan, one of the most beautiful and impressive cities found in the six ancient civilizations in the world. Teotihuacan Place Where Men Learned To Be Gods is, indisputably, the place where the plumed serpent embarked in its flight to seek celestial heights. Crossing the ample avenue that runs from North to South, the Street of the Dead is found in the northern part where the splendid pyramid of the Moon was built to crown the road of the dead in search for the ultimate reality. In the central part of the Street of the Dead, facing West and under a huge grotto in the shape of a shamrock, emerges a monumental and imperturbable man-made mountain, the Pyramid of the Sun. This pyramid pays homage to "For Whom We Live," Lord of the darts of fire, solar eagle that guides and directs life. To the south of the street of the Dead, there is a complex net of fourteen edifices called "The Citadel." The complex is breathtaking for its symmetry and beauty. In the center of the plaza the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, Lord of Divine Breath, looms in Teotihuacan, monument to the human spirit. Teotihuan, with its millions of tons of adobe and stone, reminds us of the concept of divinity and humanity, and, at the same time, it maintains alive and present the constant struggle to transcendence the limited material world. More than 85,00 Toltec, luminous spiritual warriors speak through "the black and red ink," symbols of wisdom and beauty, of Teotihuacan and the grandeur of the human spirit. MONTE ALBAN: THE MOUNTAIN OF THE JAGUAR In the center of a valley surrounded by numerous mountains and at an altitude of 400 meters, the sacred site of Monte Alban or Mountain of the Jaguar, was built atop a mountain laboriously flatten by hand to accomplish the impossible. To build this magnificent city in the sky by carrying tons and tons of green quarry stones to the summit. This place, still permeated by the spiritual force of the warriors of the flowery battle, gives testimony that for 3,003 years, advanced civilizations inhabited the area and produced a marvelous piece of architecture that allows the spirit to soar through the courts and spaces. The Old Grandparents sent us through the unlimited space and time the message of the grandeur of people that inhabited this sacred place and the wisdom within its walls, surrounded by natural beauty to compliment the work of man. MITLA: PLACE OF DEATH In the west part of the luminous and vast Valley of Tlacolula and appearing to seek refuge in the mountains, we find Mitla, the place of the death. The abode of the Lord and Lady Death resists disappearing despite its advance state of ruins. Those arriving at Mitla are able to appreciate a view that more symbolic it is a reality of our people. A short distance from the ruins, a Catholic church rises from its foundation and walls built with stones used in the temple of the

Lord and Lady of Death. This is Mexico, a country of mixed blood, but our origin is found deep in the ancient roots of the Old Grandparents. According to Spanish Historians they recorded a legend that speaks about a complex system of underground tunnels that reach as far as Monte Alban. In contrast to that legend, we have today ample evidence of our past in the courts, patios and the four buildings that mark the four cardinal points or directions. In these splendid buildings we also find engraved in stone magnificent fret work and millenary adornments called grecas, made by the civilization of the Anahuac. In the grecas, identical to those found in Teotihuacan, we can appreciate the same spiritual message that records the parable of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered God of Wind and Tlaloc, God of Water. These gods of the Anahuac are known as Kukulcan and Chac to the Maya, and Belaguetza and Cosijo to the Zapotec. Quetzalcoatl is also represented by a longitudinal sliced caracole or spiral shell where the divine breath passes through to give consciousness or life. Tlaloc, is represented by a flash of lightening that announces rain that in turn aids in the reproduction of living matter. The grecas are accompanied by the Cross of Quetzalcoatl representing the four sites of existence and the center that gives them balance. PALENQUE AND LORD PACAL Among all the centers of wisdom of the Old Grandparents and what today are known as archaeological zones, undoubtedly Palenque occupies a very special place because it is a monument to the creativity of the Maya culture. It is the only pyramid found in Mexico, built with the sole purpose of providing a mortuary place of rest for an important person. Many years went by after the discovery of Palenque with its Temple of the Descriptions, when an archaeologist discovered on the upper floor of the pyramid small holes that were overlooked before during the first exploration. He thought, at the time, that they were probably secret passages. His supposition turned out to be right. When the lab stones were lifted they revealed a set of stairs that went all the way down to the base of the pyramid where he found a chamber and within this chamber a huge stone sarcophagus that contained the remains of the illustrious and powerful Lord Pacal. Palenque is situated at the foot of chain of mountains in the middle of tropical and humid forests embracing the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. From the Tower of this marvelous architectonic complex., one can appreciate the gentle slopes of the terrain that reaches all the way to the Golf of Mexico. CHICHEN ITZA AND ITS MONUMENTAL BALL COURT Mexicans today ought to be proud of our Old Grandparents, who, among many other things, ranging from wisdom, food, objects and inventions, left us a the invaluable heritage of the ball game, known as the oldest sport in the history of humanity and still in existence. It is believed that our Old Grandparents invented the game in the year 1,500 BC. It is interesting to not that the game is played in various parts of the country following almost the same rules used in antiquity. In all the archaeological zones, ball courts have been discovered, but the most impressive, not only for its size but for its general arrangement, is the one built by the Maya and found in Chichen Itza, in Yucatan. The ball game served three purposes; for astronomy/philosophy, religious and, finally for sport. The latter was practice in all the towns and taught at the telpochcalli or school. XIV. THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO Mexicans are a millenary people that have developed during 7,500 years and belong to one of the oldest cultures in the world, but for the last 500 years

their culture is a mixture of races influenced firstly the Spanish, then by the French and lastly by the United States. In the last decade, however, the communication and free trade have subjected us to cultural influences from around the world. This phenomenon is neither good nor bad, but a reality that can bring to humanity positive and negative aspects. To educate our children in the sea of turbulence of the XXI century, we must prepare them as able seafarers in the raging sea and provide them with an anchor and a compass: the compass as a symbol of knowledge and the anchor as cultural identity. In fact, societies base their development in information, education and knowledge. We must prepare our youth in an efficient manner to face each day, using the values and principles inherited from our ancient civilization; our Mother culture that is the essence of spirituality in humanity and prevent erase this legacy from our minds and hearts in respect to our Old Grandparents, our indigenous roots. We must not continue to ignore and devaluate what is our only and true legacy. We cannot deny anymore we are the children, the descendants of the Old Grandparents of the Civilization of the Anahuac, our mother culture. This is present in our consciousness, around our material and spiritual worlds and fills the empty spaces in our daily lives. For 500 years, Mexican society has tried to deny our indigenous roots philosophically, ethnologically and spiritually. Mexican are dual in ethnicity; one is Indigenous and the other one is European. We must affirm despite our duality that the syncretism created in our cultural identity does not rob us of our true face and own heart. Our children should be brought up as deserving heirs to Netzahualcoyotl and Cervantes; proud of mixed cultures, of their ancestors, proud of the old Grandparents, our indigenous root. marueibich@shaw.ca Saskatoon, SK., Canada Summer of 2002