Ritual

After a week when the full pageantry of the Catholic Church was on display, Aztec dancers convened today on the edges of Parque Mexico, wooden bells on their ankles stomping out a percussive rhythm. Reenacting pre-columbian rituals is something of a national mania here, where historical processes of mestizaje and the slow grind of global cultural penetration have withered the roots of indigenous tradition. Whether the dancers, who can be found in nearly every public plaza, seek a spiritual connection to the past, or simply a few pesos from a passing tourist, their presence is a reminder that the gleaming glass facades of the country's modernity are not Mexico's only face.