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Mexico City’s Cathedral… a Big Church with an Even Bigger Name
The Metropolitan Cathedral or the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary Into Heaven sits on one side of the Zocalo, the main square of Mexico city, and on top of the pyramids of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. Originally built after the Spanish conquered the Aztecs. To add insult to injury they tore down the Aztec temples and used the stones to build the Catholic church. They wanted to show the power of not only the Spanish but also the church. Mexico city is now predominately Catholic but they often incorporate the Aztec customs. The church has undergone enlargement many times and each time they…
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Dancing With the Aztecs
From across the Zocalo, Mexico City’s largest square , I can hear the beat of drums and the chants of the Aztec dancers or Concheros as they are known in Mexico. While their bright costumes and rhythmic dancing may make you think their purpose is to entertain tourists, while that is a side effect that does bring them some money, these dancers do it to show a history rich in culture that was almost eradicated by the Spanish. Concheros a name given to them by the Spanish is not the original Aztec name, that may be lost forever. Concheros were names for the Concho a stringed instrument that they danced…