Who Killed the Bishop?

The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop? by Francisco Goldman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book. Francisco Goldman is a beautiful writer and he somehow navigates the lives of many characters and the complicated intertwined interests of the case of Bishop Gerardi’s murder, introducing unfamiliar readers to the vast and complex relationships between military, church and state in Guatemala. I learned a lot about Guatemala’s recent history through this book, and gained a basic grasp of the interests at stake in the investigation of a case like this one.

I was disappointed when the book ended, however, because there were still so many unanswered questions. Obviously, that’s because there are still many unanswered questions in the case that may or may not go on unanswered forever. But Goldman set up foreshadowing and dangling questions throughout the narrative with the implication that he would in some way tie them up at some later point in the book. For many of these dangling issues, that never happened. We never found out more about Father Mario’s perspective? And there was little analysis of what exactly the motives were in this crime. “Why would the Army have killed the bishop two days after the release of the report?” is a question Goldman poses but never quite addresses. For me, the motives behind the crime were eclipsed by the intertwined lies and cover ups. The book carries the tone of a fly-on-the-wall journalist (albeit an extremely knowledgable one with incredible access to the case), who tirelessly describes everything that went on. Maybe the omission of clear conclusions was a safety measure for Goldman, who surely must have felt endangered himself by his close participation and contact with all the case’s stakeholders. More likely, the confusion and lack of clarity on most questions was natural and intrinsic to this case. He never clearly discounts any of the other accusations and theories that were put forth, although it’s clear he does not support them. The personal friendships that Goldman clearly had with the investigators in this case make him an ideal teller of this story.

The cliffhanger at the end leaves us wondering what happened with the “second stage” of the judicial process.

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Tags: guatemala

Muertos

In honor of Dia de los Muertos last weekend, an intrepid friend and I visited the Mexican Bicentennial exposition at the Palacio Nacional. Dubbed the “Patria en Construción” expo, it reminded me of a sign I saw on the Viaducto on the way over.

In addition to the fascinating retelling of Mexico’s history, the highlight of the exhibit for me was the Mausoleo de los Héroes de la Patria, where the mortal remains of the heroes of Mexican independence are displayed in gilded boxes for all to see.

Observe the six most relevant skulls of Mexican Independence:

(I won’t explore the question here of whether the mentioned figures are, in actuality, the most important heroes in Mexican history. They certainly aren’t the only ones, but the fact remains they are the ones who are most remembered and venerated in the collective consciousness, and in public schools. I know many people are opposed to the bicentennial celebrations in the first place, in part because of their unilateral view of the country’s history. Point taken. But I still liked this expo!)

 

Seeing the bones of some of Mexico’s national founders and heroes made me wonder where we keep the remains of our important historical figures in the US? Some digging around (heh) revealed that the bones of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln and the like are not at risk of being displayed in public anytime soon.  They each remain buried near their respective hometowns, and in the case of Washington his bones were locked up and they threw the key in the Potomac. Sheesh.

Last year I visited the D.F. cemetery where many illustrated figures are buried, including Mariano Escobedo, Diego Rivera, and many military heroes, politicians and celebrities. It was from this very cemetery that the remains of some of those on display for this expo were removed.

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Diego Rivera:

My only fellow visitor that day:

Even if there were not many people visiting the Illustrated people’s area, the rest of the cemetery was packed with family members tending to graves of all kinds. Vendors had set up shop to sell flowers and gifts, and ten feet outside the front gate the traffic of Avenida Constituyentes was bumper to bumper.

What do we make of this close contact with heroes’ remains? Or frequent visits to the cemetery? It has long been said that Mexico has a special cultural reverence for Death. Carlos Fuentes wrote, “El llamado gusto mexicano por la muerte es un doble recurso de la vida… la muerte también es el recurso de la transfiguración. Es la salida de la vida…”

If death gives us transfiguration, an exit from life, maybe we should be visiting cemeteries more often. And stop making Halloween so fluffy! It’s supposed to be about death!

Tags: bicentenario, bicentennial, cemetery, death, dia de muertos, mexico, mexico city, muertos, palacio nacional, panteon

Lacuna

Lacuna is “an opening, like a mouth, that swallows things… It goes into the belly of the world.”

I loved this novel. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver has one foot in Mexico, one foot in the U.S, as does its protagonist who lives years in both countries. It takes place throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and captures a strong sense of the public sentiment and cultural feel at the time in each nation surprisingly well. Kingsolver is the rare author of historical fiction who gives balanced importance to her characters and the historical events going on around them, not letting them be overshadowed by the loudness of the history they’re living through. In this case, it’s the communist movement in Mexico, Kahlo and Rivera, Trotsky’s exile there, World War II, the McCarthy era, on and on. In the end, the character finds a way to slip behind this historical backdrop and context, quietly escape into anonymity just as the U.S. is blossoming into the loudmouth, sound byte culture we have perfected today.

Highly recommend it! And Kingsolver is doing a reading in NYC at Cooper Union on Sept 28.

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Lacuna Found at Teotihuacan

Unbeknownst to me when I wrote this post a few weeks ago,  INAH archeologists recently found a ritual tunnel under the Temple of the Plumed Serpent at Teotihuacan. Apparently this is the first tunnel they have been able to find and open at Teotihuacan. It was closed and sealed tight with huge stones thousands of years ago. Check out the article in Spanish here.

Another thing found just below the surface.

In other news, INAH is getting some heat again, from a group of protesters who demand that the Museo Nacional de Antropología return Tlaloc to the indigenous community it came from in Texcoco. Of course they refuse to budge. The eternal discussion, do treasures like these belong in museums or with the communities whose ancestors created them, to whom they have incredible cultural significance?

Tags: Barbara Kingsolver, Communism, history, inah, McCarthyism, mexico, Museo Nacional de Antropología, teotihuacan, The Lacuna: A Novel, United States, World War II

Bola

Mexico City’s Museo Casa de la Bola is a bit out of the way, but worth the trek. I drove around the block about 7 times the first time I went, before figuring out where to park. It’s hard to imagine Tacubaya used to be a very natural residential area where elite Mexico City residents had their country homes in the 19th century. Now it’s industrial and close to major highways. This house is one of the few old ones that remain in the middle of gas stations and paint stores.

Oasis:

The house is decorated by a collector with many elite styles from Europe that were popular in the 1800s. It is not furnished as it originally would have been around Independence, but rather contains pieces from many different periods, mostly collected by its last owner. You can take a guided tour, which is mildly interesting (if not very historic), especially if you have some travieso in your group who dares to step off the designated walking carpet. This will definitely incite the wrath of your guide.

The best part is definitely the “backyard” of the house, which resembles something like a jungle with overgrown marble statues forgotten in many covered corners. The garden property is enormous and a sharp contrast to its surroundings and neighbors.

What a nice seat

Many historians and interesting professors come to speak here on Sundays, and they have a lot of events celebrating the Bicentenario this year. I was amazed by how packed those lectures were with people of different ages. When they asked questions they seemed really fascinated and identified with Mexican history and local history of the neighborhood.

Rumor has it the Guera Rodriguez hung out here with the original bachelor owner. A supposed proponent of Independence from Spain, it seems likely that they would have known each other since the high society crowd in Mexico City was relatively small around Independence. I feel a certain affinity to her having been called by her name without end, but I think that’s all we have in common.

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Tags: casadelabola, distrito federal, history, mexico, mexico city, museums, tacubaya, Travel and Tourism

Pirámides

The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) takes care of the ancient ruins and pyramids throughout Mexico. Well… at least those that qualify for this support and maintenance. I’ve heard about hundreds of hidden pyramids that remain on private property under grass (and even small vegetable gardens), there’s never enough resources to protect them all. And of course it’s not easy task to fight with the landowners and residents, or convince them to turn over their land for the good of cultural/historic preservation. I mean, who really cares about that? If I grew my lunch on top of a pyramid, I probably wouldn’t want to give it up either. The INAH gets a lot of flack.

I like the fact that Mexican citizens and residents pay a discounted rate when visiting these sites (or sometimes it’s free for them.) In this case, making foreigners pay more to see Mexican national treasures seems MORE than fair.

Some of my favorite pyramids in Mexico:

At Monte Alban, Oaxaca

Calixtlahuaca, Estado de México

This rounded pyramid is uniquely shaped and located, a short drive from the industrial city of Toluca.

Teotihuacan, Pirámide de la Luna, Estado de México

Teotihuacan is a requisite visit when traveling to D.F., I’ve been there 3 or 4 times with visitors. They are slowly opening up some of the inner tunnels and temples inside the pyramids, so every time there’s more to see.

For a city mouse, the coolest of all is the Templo Mayor, an Aztec/Mexica temple discovered underneath buildings of Mexico City in 1978 during routine electric work. Major example of syncretism because the Spanish constructed their cathedral on the already-sacred spot of the Aztec temple.

Literally lying just below the surface.

Tags: calixtlahuaca, df, inah, mexico, mexico city, monte alban, piramides, pyramids, templo mayor, teotihuacan

One More Try

New Mexico was a good place for picking up a crazy heart.

Very American state but has a life of its own and a history completely independent of the U.S. There was this fascinating period at the end of the 19th century, between being part of “Old Mexico” and gaining statehood, when New Mexico just was.

Views from the top of Sandia Peak, near Albuquerque. Longest aerial tramway in the world. If this place looks empty now, I can’t imagine what it was like 50 years ago.

Visit Sandia Peak

Even in downtown Albuquerque, the sky is beautiful and huge most of the time. It just felt livable.

An everyday sunset on our Albuquerque street

Definitely a good place for one more try.

Tags: albuquerque, crazy heart, jeff bridges, new mexico, sandia

Grand Canyon

Oh! The years of junior high and high school when Thelma & Louise watched over my every move from this poster on the wall of my room. Who knows what effects this had on my subconscious.

“Somebody said get a life… so they did.”

Love this movie.

In 2010 I finally visited their end of the line.

Bottomless pit for real. It was eerie standing on the edge of the grand canyon, in the rain, waiting for the cute little shuttle they send around. I was thinking, the grand canyon has been here for quite a while. It probably doesn’t even CARE what we’re doing. The Hopi first brought the Spanish to the canyon around 1540. Railroad arrived in 1901, bringing lots of tourism. GC still hasn’t budged. Kind of nice.

Next stop, the gift shop!

Tags: arizona, grand canyon, thelma and louise, travel

Swallows

Rancho de las Golondrinas is a living history town about 15 minutes from Santa Fe. The rancho is full of Spanish colonial era buildings containing real live blacksmiths, weavers, and artisans who work on their wares and chat with visitors. It’s a pretty, spacious piece of nature to walk around for an afternoon and, unlike many museums, you can walk into the buildings, touch, and interact with history face to face.

I love these light fixtures that could be lowered with rope on a pulley system to light the candles.

Beautiful candlelight fixture in a chapel

The general store reminded me of the Trading Posts on Oregon Trail. Major formative computer game.

New Mexico buildings used lots of wooden pegs since metal was so rare

We visited during their 4th of July wine festival and did much tasting of New Mexican wines.

Visit! http://www.golondrinas.org/

Tags: golondrinas, history, living history, new mexico, rancho, santa fe, swallows, wine festival

Where is everybody?

Walking through downtown Albuquerque today, I found out that some places really do shut down on Sundays. There were very few places open and the highest number of people I saw at one time were these:

After much wandering around I found the answer to my question when I walked past the air conditioned movie theater. Packed.

Tags: albuquerque, new mexico, public art, sundays, walks

Lugares

Many places lately.