Tuesday, September 14, 2004

The Walmart Where Men Became Gods

It seems tragically oppropriate, in this day and age, that a Walmart store is being built in Teotihuacan (Aztec for "The Place Where Men Became Gods"), Mexico, within sight of the ancient the Pyramid of the Sun. In a way, Walmart is one of the monuments of the spirit and ingenuity of our consumer culture, just as the pyramid is the monument of the spirit and ingenuity of Teotihuacan's native culture. Even more appropriate might be the presence of an ancient alter on the store's construction site. This "small pre-Hispanic alter" will be placed under plexiglass in what will be the store's parking lot. You can pass by the site where Aztecs and their predecessors once worshipped, and then worship the retail gods. Ah, the "progress" of culture.

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