Heart of a Pueblo Film Review by Sarah
Macedo
PLAZA Introduction
It literally translates to “place” Plazas are found throughout
Spanish America because it was required by Spanish law to build an open space that the city could gather for fiestas and important government announcements
Today, they are used as a gathering place for the community to listen to music and hang out with friends
It is the heart and soul of the Mexican town (and is found elsewhere in Latin America)
Back in the day of the Mayan people, however, the Plazas were equally important for religious ceremonies
CHICHEN ITZA
80-100 thousand people could gather together at the center
Celebrations were based on their calendar and the cycle of the year, life, and death
The pyramids at the plaza demonstrated their world view (the priests at the top)
The Plaza was used for religious ceremonies and celebrations to the gods
Built as a visual demonstration of the social structure and with the audio acoustics that allowed speakers to be heard throughout the plaza
Was a public and economic center as well
Merida
Named after Merida, Spain It was the Spanish capital of the
Yucatan Peninsula Founded in 1542 on the site of a
vanquished Maya Town Even though it is used as a modern
plaza, there is still a Mayan presence in the people who congregate there
The Spanish influence is seen in the architecture of the plaza where buildings are made from stone and brick
Called the “White City” because of the limestone used in the construction
Although these past influences are a part of the plaza, it is still changing according to the today’s people’s culture
Mexico City
Is where the symbolic flag for Mexico is flown
It is known as the central plaza because it is in the center of Mexico City
The Spanish built the city by designing the plaza first and constructing important buildings around it (both political and religious)
People are there performing old Meshika rituals and expressing modern political beliefs at the same time within the plaza
Patzcuaro
While smaller in size than the other plazas discussed, it has a deep relationship with its town
Was founded during the 13th century and was built by warriors expanding their territory
Spanish influence is seen in the Spanish language, Catholic religion, and the Architecture
The Spanish and Indigenous people gathered together in the same place
It has one plaza for markets, one for a political center, and one for religion
The women have to go to the market plaza everyday because they do not have refrigerators
Each house also has a private courtyard which acts like a private plaza behind the house
Santa Clara Del Cobre
It is located just south of Patzcuaro
The ancient people from this area fashioned tools to defend themselves in time of war using copper
Still has a famous copper shop in existence today
It takes over a week to produce a single copper piece by hand
It is currently run by fifth generation artisans
While it is set up the way a Spanish town would, the culture is influenced greatly by the indigenous people
The plaza is an expression of civic pride and belongs to the town