UUFSMA: “México Before and After Columbus” Speaker: Albert Coffee

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service
“México Before and After Columbus”
Speaker: Albert Coffee

Sunday, October 11, 2020
10:30 am

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040 

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

In this Sunday’s UUFSMA Online Service, archaeologist Albert Coffee will explain the consequences of the European conquest of Mexico and the mixture of cultural identities that is the result. He will address forms of syncretism — mixing of religions – and brutal methods of conquest not only by the invading Spanish but among indigenous people as well. He promises a fascinating explanation for why Mexico is Mexico.

San Miguel de Allende’s rich heritage makes this historic city one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Anthropologists continue to uncover, analyze, and share knowledge of the region’s many layers of history going back to pre-Hispanic times. Coffee will also discuss migratory patterns dating to the original settlers of indigenous Bajio culture.

Coffee places special emphasis on the ancient nomads who built and gathered at La Cañada de la Virgen, one of only four ceremonial centers studied extensively among 1,400 ancient sites identified in the state of Guanajuato. Conquistadores encountered the fierce-fighting, semi-nomadic hunters, gatherers, and pyramid builders known as the Chichimecs. However, they were not the first or only cultural group to occupy the Bajio. Before them there were the Chupícuaro, famous for ceramic figurines depicting women with wide hips, geometric painted patterns, and cranial and dental deformation.

A specialist in ancient Mesoamerican culture, Coffee worked alongside the team excavating La Cañada de la Virgen during 2004 and 2005. Since the site’s 2011 public opening, he has guided more than 6,500 people on tours there and at other archeological sites in Mexico. He gives presentations and classes at schools and public institutions in San Miguel. He is also an investigator of the legends, wisdom, and memories of elders of ranch communities around the site and has worked in archaeological surveys of the state of Oaxaca.

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button displayed on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in between 10:15-10:25 am.

Through grants and awards, UUFSMA donates at least fifty percent of its budget to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the website home page Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the coronavirus, UUFSMA has suspended in-person Sunday services and other gatherings. A growing collection of previous online services can be found on the UUFSMA’s YouTube channel. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ and enter UUFSMA in the search box. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.