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