History is beginning to emerge from the mist of centuries past in Mezcala. Exciguio Santiago de la Cruz, director of the new museum there, is assembling the story. Local inhabitants have donated items for the museum such as dinosaur teeth, ritual pottery, tools and weapons.
Exciguio, in collaboration with the University of Guadalajara, has filmed a video of the history of Mezcala Island, where inhabitants fled the Spanish invasion and held out for four years until a smallpox epidemic made them seek a treaty with the Spanish. The Spanish gave them animals and seeds to restart their self-sufficiency.
As soon as they returned to the mainland, the villagers began to build a church to replace the one destroyed by the Spanish. It stands in the plaza today and still conducts mass in Nahua.
This video will be shown on national television and volunteers around the new Library in a Box in Mezcala are in the process of translating the museum signs and video into English, so ex-pats can enjoy Mezcalan history and make purchases of the work of local artisans, all to support the new museum.
Exciguio's son, Daniel, leads hikes up into the mountains to see the petroglyphs and cave paintings left by the Aztecs, who traveled beside Lake Chapala looking for the eagle, snake and cactus of prophesy and left directions on the rocks to those who followed them. Local residents can be glad the Aztecs weren't successful in finding those symbols, or this would be the current site of Mexico City.
If you are interested in doing this strenuous hike, leave your name, phone number and e-mail address at Aves Gallery, across from the front gate of LCS, or sign up online at avesajijic@yahoo or at the Mezcala museum in the delegation building. When the tour is full, you will be notified of the hike date. Price is 50 pesos per person.
You can also arrange a boat tour of Mezcala Island with Exciguio himself. Prices will vary depending on the number of people who participate. Follow the above instructions to reserve a spot.
Another project of Library in a Box volunteers, following direction from Mezcala officials, is to create a homework center. Several hundred dollars worth of resource books, in Spanish, are in place, as is a custom-built computer desk, as well as three computers and a printer/copier/fax, all donations from local ex-pats. This center will serve the students as well as the community when the village gets its internet in place. Profits will buy more books for their library.
Before that, however, a member of the Technical Volunteer Exchange will teach three students how to use the word-processing package, and those three will be charged to teach other students.
Since January, four English classes have been taught weekly, along with several personal English conversation exchanges. In March, an English class and possible first-aid class will be added for the police department.
One movie night has been held showing "Finding Nemo," in Spanish. One hundred children attended. Thirty more children's movies in Spanish are held in reserve for future Noches de Cine.
The goal of the Library in a Box volunteers is to teach Mexican children the value of books, reading and education. How to access worldwide information is also a valuable part of that process.
Great care is being taken to let Mezcala officials lead the projects. They are very proud of their culture and want to protect it.
Mezcala is interested in instruction in solar cookers, composting, and possible drip irrigation. They will also meet soon with Technical Volunteer Exchange participants having water expertise to determine possible needs in that arena.
Four times a year, seven indigenous tribes of Mexico meet in Mezcala. They are attempting to develop a unified voice.
On May 3, the village has a dance spectacular from 1:00-7:00p.m., with dancers of all ages doing the traditional indigenous dances in various neighborhoods around the village. Stop at the police station in the delegation building to ask where to view the dances.
Come see the history of Mezcala emerge, but as hikers say, "Leave only your footprints."
