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It is fascinating that the Catholic Inquisition lasted up to the 1800's in Mexico. The censors dit agood job of suppressing that history.

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In the U.S. we don't pay much attention to Mexican history. There are so many books but most of the scholarship is in Spanish. The first printing press in this hemisphere was long before the Pilgrims showed up, but "book history" doesn't pay much attention. It wasn't until about 10 years ago with Nesvig's book in English where this has become more understood. What surprised me in reading about this was the sea dogs of Elizabeth's court in addition to slave trading and fighting with the Spanish in New Spain also got in trouble for trying to bring in Lutheran books to the Catholic colonies.

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All I remember is "Viva Zapata!

Emiliano Zapata's most famous quote was "I would rather die standing than live on my knees".

And I agree with his famous quote...which seems to enrage my neoliberal critics.

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thread drift ahead:

There are several Zapata movies, but Kazan/Steinbeck's VIVA ZAPATA (1952) with Brando is probably my favorite. It is, of course, historically inaccurate and corny in the way that Message Movies of the early '50s are. Weirdly more of an interpersonal drama than action/war/Western.

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I saw that movie. Brando movies are always special...just because his is BRANDO!!

I actually learned a bit about Zapata during the Reagan adminstration and the Sandanista resistance to Samosa, which was very much inspired by Sandino who was very much a Nicaraguan Zapata.

Sandino was a revolutionar at war with the Samosa regime (supported by the US) He was assassinated by Somosa's troops who labeled him as a simple bandit.

These were the days when the US used military assistance to dictatorships under the false pretences of fighting Communism. The United Fruit pretence, as described in "War is a Racket" By General Smedley Butler.

US Colonialsm under a different name.

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There's a fine line in between being a bandit and a revolutionary.

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I disagree, a revolutionary is a patriot to principles. A bandit is nothing but a criminal, highway man and robber.

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Remember back when Jack Nicholson was good?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLnxgfjQelU

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And another blast of much-needed education. I was aware of Mexico's rich history of literature and science because I read Spanish; I have never read about the censorship, so it was evidently most effective.

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When the president of Mexico made that allusion I realized it must be in the minds of the people. In the U.S. we think about the censorship over the years as landmarks like Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973), but I don't think it is something a president would reference.

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Jul 28, 2021Liked by Kathleen McCook

That sort of civil liberties thing has been out of fashion for a coupla decades now. But every Mexican schoolchild is going to be learning about Spain and the Inquisition. Most American schoolkids learn about Galileo and the Inquisition etcetera.

elm

the inquistion, let's begin/the inquistion, look out sin

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