As always I started this weeks readings with some research on the authors. Miguel Angel Asturias is definitely a very well regarded author is more than qualified to write about the topics in his stories. Asturias first story legend of the singing tablets was so incredibly captivating and colourful. His prose invoked so many beautiful images into my mind regarding indigenous culture in pre-colonial Latin america. I think legend of the singing tablets was meant to recognize the importance of song and written culture, specifically symbology in indigenous culture. The wonderful images of moon and the singing competition the usage of cycles encapsulates a lot of themes in pre-colonialization latin american indigenous culture.

Legend of the crystal masks was just as colorful and the introduction of the sentient creation of beings like jaguars and giants had me rereading lines and basking in the lyrical component of the story. I don’t think I was fully able to grasp the meaning of this piece but I did catch on to the mention of colonialization and white people. More importantly the ending was very jarring. The natural betrayal of man by his own creation is somewhat symbolic of the cycle of life. Creation then death. I’m not sure I understand the meaning of nurse rain but the blindness and the mask invoke an image of complacency. I think it might be about how the indigenous people were receptive of the colonizers and the blindness to their effects. Honestly the story was so absolutely beautiful I’m kind of amazed.

Legend of the Silent bell was a very creepy story in my opinion. The gold imagery I think was used to denote the colonial extraction of latin american resources, specifically gold. The story was easier to grasp in terms of thematics; the obvious struggle between colonial and indigenous identity, the betrayal of christians and the piracy. The gold, silver, bronze bells. The sacrificial element of indigenous property. Taking away from all these stories I think Asturias attempted to preserve the beauty of indigneity (indian nun) whilst also exposing the internal struggles of the colonized and the usurption of culture. Asturias uses notable latin american symbols like gold, jaguars, snakes, the moon and sun, and contrasting that with spanish imagery like christian religion, the bell all the wealth being melted into the bell. Asturias stories capture intrinisic elements of latin american identity struggles bursting with colors.