ATZOMPA THE NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

The valleys of Oaxaca are the spiritual of the Mexico reserve, because in her tectonic depths beats the flowered heart of our ancient grandparents, those who dedicated their lives, generation after generation, searching for spiritual transcendence of existence.

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Indeed, that is the real and most important Cultural heritage which bequeathed us the creators and developers of one of the six oldest civilizations on the planet, and that, in the last five centuries, had no place in projects of the Spanish colonizers and the neo-colonizer of the Creole Governments from 1821 to date.

Knowing the reason why our ancestors invested the lives of many generations, who by the will and self-awareness, worked for 1350 years building the largest material testimony, of their exalted vocation to transcend material reality and penetrate into the unfathomable mysteries of the spirit..

The sacred Jaguar Mountain, Daany Beédxe in Zapotec language and Monte Alban in Spanish, represents the purest expression and decanted of this willingness of the Oaxacan peoples to work the material realm only as a means to penetrate into the spiritual realm.

Otherwise cannot be -respectfully- explained the shared effort of peoples and Oaxacan cultures by all together and with centennial tequio, building the "architectural complex" that includes four hills: Monte Alban, Monte Alban chico, the Cerro del Gallo and the newly opened to the public, Cerro de Atzompa.

Aquioaxaca on this occasion came up to this "new archaeological site" open to the public by the INAH. In principle, we will say that the road from a street from the Atzompa village to the parking is completely paved and parking is ample and comfortable. The problem encountered is the guards lack of training, that instead of being guardians, assume themselves as "Nazi guards in concentration camp" and make an uncomfortable sight.

We wanted to visit the site museum which is at the start of the ascent to the archaeological area, but has been for more than three weeks without electricity, so in another visit will make the corresponding report, giving more and more time, so that the respective authorities can make CFE to fix the damage.

But returning to the Ancestral heritage of Oaxaca, we say that the lack of interest, knowledge and political will of Oaxaca, both State and municipal officials, have prevented that this Cultural heritage, develops not only as striker and activator of tourism, but most importantly, become an activator of the strengthening and enhancement of Cultural identity and self-esteem of the Oaxacan people.

In fact, when the "archaeological" no longer serve only as a "tourist attraction", and the human wisdom that designed and built them, and become the steering axis of the values and principles that govern the life of the cultural Inheritors of the original builders.

Because it is precisely there where lies the richness of this potential. Imagine, gentle reader, what would mean for "the ancient Oaxacan", without metals, without spikes and no blades, no pack animals, flattening these hills, carry from distant places and raise billions of tons in stone, carve them, assemble them to build over centuries and centuries these wonderful buildings in a really impressive site.

The architectural plane of these exceptional sites is exactly the same, since its inception (500 BC) up to its abandonment (850 AD), and only extensions of the buildings were made over the centuries. That is they did not build and then removed and was built elsewhere. Which clearly means that what was built, worked permanently for 1350 years.

That tells us that the use function must have been of such magnitude and importance that did not expire or went out of fashion. The city of Oaxaca has less than five centuries and no longer works for what was planned and designed. Houses are now hotels, restaurants, shops, offices, banks, etc., the city no longer works as was planned, it is now a tourism hub, commercial and governmental services.

Up till just the middle of the last century, the Creole State became interested the Anahuac ancient past, which with the colonizer language is called "pre-hispanic". During the Colonial period was literally destroyed every trace of the vanquished civilization, considered "demonic and evil".

During the 19th century it was brutally sacked by foreigners, who destroyed and stole with indifference and sometimes complacency of the creoles, which have always been characterized by their ignorance and despise of the civilization that has given them asylum and have everything they have.

We might easily suppose that hundreds of thousands of pieces of our ancient Cultural heritage are part of private collections and museums in Europe and the whole world. Unfortunately, perhaps the best of our Ancestral Tangible Cultural heritage is outside the country, and that if we have today monumental pieces like the so-called Aztec calendar or Coatlicue, it is because they could not "carry them".

The lack of a Cultural policy"- by the Creole State, for revaluation and dissemination, especially in the philosophical field it is the reason why the "archaeological zones" are totally disconnected from reality and consciousness of Oaxaca in particular and "Mexicans" in general. It's as if Indian, Chinese or Greek, citizens were completely disconnected from their history and ancient culture.

Conversely, in those countries their Governments support their development precisely in their millenary past, which gives them strength and power to live the present and design their future. What would the Parthenon be if Greeks and the world did not know Plato, Socrates, Pythagoras, and Tales of Mileto, among many others. It would be just a bunch of stones unconnected with reality.

That is what happens to us Mexicans and especially to the Oaxacan people, many of who live in Oaxaca City and towns of the Central Valley, and do not know Monte Alban and much less Atzompa. But, it is not their fauylt, but the Creole state that, from the educational system and mass media, still calls the "own-ours", the most ancient and genuine, to our essence and root... PREHISPANIC.

This "distance" from the own-ours- ancient leaves us defenseless, vulnerable and fragile. Always feeling sorrow and shame, becoming insecure and incapable creatures. Always trying to be something we will never be. Always scorning the own and exalting the foreign.

We are sure that, the "deep and respectful knowledge of the ancestral own-ours past, is precisely the way to build a bright future". Where "the victors and the vanquished" are finished forever, racism, classism, and the lack of equity and opportunity for all, regardless of their color of skin and phenotype.

What Mexico is today, is the birthplace of one of the six oldest civilizations in the world. The current "Mexicans" are a mestizo society culturally, as all in the contemporary world. But not we cannot continue denying stubborn and fanatically the "other part" of ourselves. We cannot build a better world, without the wisdom of our old Grandparents.