Echoes of Mitla

3 minPoetic Documentary2024Festival Circuit

A poetic documentary exploring the archaeological site of Mitla in Oaxaca, Mexico, examining how ancient Zapotec spaces hold contemporary meaning for indigenous communities facing linguistic and cultural erasure.

Synopsis

This documentary delves into the sacred spaces of Mitla, connecting ancient Zapotec architecture and spiritual practices with modern indigenous communities' struggles against cultural assimilation. The film explores how physical spaces can serve as repositories of memory and resistance, documenting the ongoing efforts to preserve Zapotec language and traditions in the face of globalization.

Themes

Cultural PreservationIndigenous KnowledgeArchaeological MemoryZapotec HeritageLanguage Revitalization

Recognition & Support

🏆 Gilman Scholar Project

🏆 Cornell Latin & Caribbean American Studies Grant

💫 U.S. Department of Cultural Affairs

💫 Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship

💫 Cornell Latin & Caribbean American Studies Program

Poetic Inspiration

"Mitla (Gueizh Anym)" by Felipe H. Lopez

English

I saw myself with eyes closed. It's me that is lying there, lying still. I said to myself, "I will not stay here. I will go back to my pueblo." People are coming in and out. There's lots of crying. "He's already gone," I hear. I want to move. My eyes don't open. I should have gone back sooner. I should have stayed in my pueblo. I try to yell. I look at my face again, my eyes shut. I don't have my clothes— Will someone else dare to wear them? There are no tortillas in my hands— What will I eat? I don't see any coins— How will I cross the river? How will I reach Mitla?

Zapotec (Gueizh Anym)

Bwia lua zhii. Naani nata ricy. Nata zhi. Rnia naa, "Re queitya gyana. Lazha gyicya." Buny ze, buny zied. Gal ruan rac. "A zeëng," rinydyaga. Rcaza ynibya. Queity rzhyeilydi bzilua. Xini queity nyaga? Loguezh nyana. Jwers runya cuzha. Rgwia lua steiby, niuag bzilua. Caria ra xaba — Nu tu gacwri e? Guet cariainy losnaa — Xi gaua? Caria muly gyinylua — Xu teidya gueu? Xu yzeinya gueizh anym?

Source: Latin American Literature Today

Director's Statement

"Echoes of Mitla" was born from my fieldwork as a Gilman Scholar in south Mexico, where I witnessed firsthand the resilience of Zapotec communities working to preserve their language and cultural practices. The film takes its title and inspiration from Felipe H. Lopez's poem "Mitla" (Gueizh Anym in Zapotec), which explores themes of ancestral connection and the spiritual journey to this sacred site. The poem's haunting questions—"How will I cross the river? How will I reach Mitla?"—resonate with the contemporary struggle of Indigenous communities navigating the currents of modernization while maintaining ties to their ancestral lands. Mitla, with its intricate geometric patterns that represent complex mathematical and spiritual concepts, becomes a living metaphor for the interconnectedness of past and present. This film is both an archaeological exploration and a contemporary document, asking what it means to preserve cultural memory in an era of rapid change.

— Māyā Murry, Director

Production Context

Created during my Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship fieldwork in Oaxaca, Mexico, "Echoes of Mitla" emerged from my research on endangered language preservation among indigenous Zapotec communities. The project allowed me to combine my computational background with documentary practice. The film involved collaboration with local Zapotec historians and community members who shared their knowledge of Mitla's spiritual significance and the ongoing efforts to maintain Zapotec language education in the region.