Come and Conquered
We have come
for your women and children.
for your women and children.
We have come
for your silver and gold.
for your silver and gold.
We have come
for your oil and opium.
for your oil and opium.
We have come
with a pretense of peace
to bring hell upon your land.
with a pretense of peace
to bring hell upon your land.
We have come
with a pillar of salt.
with a pillar of salt.
We have come
with a manifest destiny
to shove down your throat.
with a manifest destiny
to shove down your throat.
We have come
to suck dry your land
and then leave it behind
as an arid desert for you to perish upon.
to suck dry your land
and then leave it behind
as an arid desert for you to perish upon.
We have come
as wolves in sheep’s clothing
as wolves in sheep’s clothing
We have come
with smiling faces,
crossed fingers,
and bombs strategically held behind our backs.
with smiling faces,
crossed fingers,
and bombs strategically held behind our backs.
We have come
with banks
to pilfer everything you’ve worked for.
with banks
to pilfer everything you’ve worked for.
We have come
with mercury for your shots,
pesticide for your food,
smog for your air,
and a cross for you to bear and bow down before.
with mercury for your shots,
pesticide for your food,
smog for your air,
and a cross for you to bear and bow down before.
We have come
with our program of chaos
and promises of a New Order.
with our program of chaos
and promises of a New Order.
We have come
with our machines
to welcome in a future
where humanity is obsolete.
with our machines
to welcome in a future
where humanity is obsolete.
We have come
with our blueprint
for a One World Revelation Kingdom.
with our blueprint
for a One World Revelation Kingdom.
We have come
with our televised frequencies
to keep your revolution in a trance.
with our televised frequencies
to keep your revolution in a trance.
We have come
with our marketing campaign
to make you feel inept and worthless.
with our marketing campaign
to make you feel inept and worthless.
We have come
and conquered
while you slept in apathy.
and conquered
while you slept in apathy.
The central focus of the Rivera mural is Quetzalcoatl. He is wearing a headdress of quetzal feathers and a conch on his chest, a symbol of the wind god, and carrying a curved baton, the scepter of the 7 stars or constellations. Behind him are the pyramids of the sun and moon in the city of Teotihuacan, the great political and religious center of pre-Hispanic Mexico which became the modern Ciudad de Mexico. But the upside down sun indicates the decline of the pre-Hispanic culture. On the left, the plumed serpent, a divine form of Quetzalcoatl, rises from the erupting volcano's mouth; on the right, the god takes the form of the morning star Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, which appears near the sun at sunrise. He was mythologically predicted to return to earth. The left side depicts subject peoples bringing tribute: the huge bales, a grand victorious warrior colorfully dressed, and a prisoner of war wearing a garment with bone designs waiting to be sacrificed. The bottom left shows a battle between gloriously attired Aztec warriors and others. On the far right, dancers and musicians engage in a ceremony before the corn harvest. Various plants are represented which refer to hallucinogens used in rituals. Below the dancers are farmers planting corn. The Aztec ruler Moctezuma II initially believed the landing of Hernán Cortés in 1519 was Quetzalcoatl's return, an attitude which prepared the way for the Spanish conquest of his kingdom. According to Bernardino de Sahagún in libro XII of his "Historia general de las cosas de la Nueva España" (General History of the Things of New Spain) [1576], the king told the conqistador, "You have graciously come on earth, you have graciously approached your water, your high place of Mexico, you have come down to your mat, your throne, which I have briefly kept for you, I who used to keep it for you.... You have graciously arrived, you have known pain, you have known weariness, now come on earth, take your rest, enter into your palace, rest your limbs; may our lords come on earth."
ReplyDelete