24 September 2009 – 24 January 2010

What would we do if the Messiah came to the world right now ? Would the governments headed by members of the three Abrahamic faiths hand over their reigns of power to the Messiah ? Indeed, what would the governments, religious authorities, armies and laymen do in such a situation ? Would people feel this was the fulfilment of a prophesy or Armageddon ? What would followers of non-Abrahamic faiths or atheists do ?

These are the sort of questions Moctezuma and his council of advisors must have faced when the Spanish first appeared on the coast of Mexico. The Spanish appeared in the year, manner and in the way the Mexica expected their nemesis, Lord Quetzalcoatl, was suppose to appear, spelling the end of their world as they knew it. This was no messiah of deliverance, he was expected to destroy their way of life – and the Spanish did do that !!

By the time the Mexica realized the Spanish were no Gods but only all too human, it was too late. New diseases, new weapons, new animals, new alliances, new religion and new political ideas destroyed the Aztec empire.

Some of the best remains of their splendid civilization are exhibited at the British Museum at present. Fantastic works in carved stone, fine gold and iconic mosaics made of turquoise and semi-precious stones are beautiful to see and very thought provoking. What we can see on display is all that managed to survive the iconoclastic missionaries and greedy Conquistadors. Its amazing to think what the bigger, better pieces must have looked like !

There are paintings showing human sacrifice, ceremonial weapons covered with precious mosaics, wooden drums, model of the central space in Tenochtitlan, stone animals in realistic and fantasy shapes, books written by Aztec and Spanish on the life and times of the Mexica people etc etc etc. There are objects from various tombs, temples and palaces of the Aztecs.

There were some Pre-Spanish paintings, with fantastic colours, shapes and designs that seem curiously modern ! For example, there is a painting of New Fire ceremony, reminiscent of the lighting of modern Olympic torch ceremony. There are the political manifesto style paintings showing the king having “the common touch”, visiting different parts of the empire. It was fascinating to see the king, royal family and aristocrats offering their own blood for various sacrifices. Seeing these, it’s easy to understand how the idea of “the son of heaven shedding his own precious blood for the good of the world” must have resonated with the Mexica people.

Black décor, erie music, and plenty of pictures of blood letting, skulls, death masks, weird serpents, ideas of obtaining strength by drinking human blood made this seem like a Gothic vampire’s utopia !

The exhibition is extensive, interesting and very thought provoking. Don’t miss it for the world !

This article is copyright Bhagwat Shah and appears by kind permission of the author.