Austin 360 (subscription), TX -

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

AMERICAN-STATESMAN ARTS WRITER


Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Claudia Zapata thinks you should take a second look at the Mexican
flag.

That eagle with a snake in its mouth and perched on a nopal cactus
that's growing out of a rock that rises above a lake?

Yes, it has been on the flag since shortly after Mexico declared its
independence in 1810. But its symbolism is older than you might
think.

"Most people don't know that when they're looking at the Mexican flag,
they're looking at the Aztec creation myth," says Zapata, curator of
"Aztec and Maya Revival," the current exhibit at Mexic-Arte Museum.

According to Aztec legend, the gods told the tribe to build a city
where they saw an eagle perched upon a nopal that was growing out of
rock submerged in water. The spot the Aztecs chose was Lake Texcoco in
the central valley of Mexico. They called their city Tenochtitlán;
today, it's Mexico City.

"It's not haphazard that that Aztec symbol is on the flag," Zapata
says.



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