Sunday, June 26th-Day 2 (3 of 3): My Aztec Moment

We had a special guest that evening, David Carrasco, a humble and passionate man with a heart for the religious history that is intertwined with our cultura. He accurately described how important our religious roots are – you cannot pretend to understand Latinos without first understanding the deeply religious blood that pumps in our hearts.

David Carrasco, religious historian, anthropologist and Mesoamericanist scholar, presents “Can the Latino Demography Lead to a New Democracy?” during our first dinner.

And he would know about our culture. The man has a Ph.D. in Religious History from the University of Chicago. He co-wrote an encyclopedia on Mesoamerican culture. He’s had widely viewed exhibitions -- only 800,000 people viewed his Aztec exhibition in the Denver Museum of History.

He’s been honored with the “Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle” – only the highest honor possible from the Mexican government for a foreign national for contributions to understanding Mexican history and culture.

What I did not expect, however, was to walk away for a yearning for understanding my own roots. A realization, for the first time, of my ancestors will within me. And the picture that drove it home:

“Listen: to your ancestors” by Gabriel S. Gaytan 

Carrasco helped me to be recognize that there is a long line of ancestral history behind each one of us, a will that lives in our hearts handed down from generation to generation. A common scar that has worn on the sweated brows of those who labored here before me. And the good news? We have an opportunity to be their voice.

Vanessa Chalmers, Laura Barrera, yours truly, David Carrasco, Jessenia Guerra, Luis Sanchez, mentor Natalie Sanchez and Anabetsy Rivero.

Needless to say, I’ll be spending some time en mi patria, Colombia, and I’ve already spent countless hours updating my iTunes library.