Mexicans are supposed to be shy. No nude beaches in Mexico, restrictions regarding nudity on TV,…
But when Spencer Tunick visits Mexico, more than 18,000 volunteers pose nude in Mexico City’s main Zocalo square! His previous record was 7,000 people in Barcelona!
This fact surprised me and probably, the whole of Mexico. The pictures where taken in Mexico City, which is known for being less conservative than the rest of Mexico, but anyway, nobody expected so many people…
Spencer Tunick arrival was at least polemic. A lot of people where angry that a foreigner was coming to make “porn” in Mexico. That’s typical Mexican: if something is bad, it comes from abroad! But the most amusing comments where the ones of the archbishop of Mexico City, Noberto Rivera (the pics where taken in front of ‘his’ cathedral). When asking Noberto Rivera his opinion after the event, he answered laconic: “I didn’t had time to see it, but nothing happened: the cathedral didn’t fall apart”. Poor archbishop: he’s having a hard time… First they legalized homosexual marriages in his city. A few weeks later, abortion is legalized and only 2 weeks later, 18,000 people pose nude in front of his cathedral… During the take of the pictures, participants where yelling “Noberto Rivera, tu pueblo se te encuera” which can be translated into “Noberto Rivera, your people is stripping off they clothes”. Of course, this was a funny reaction to Mr. Rivera comments, but it also reflects that the moral standards in Mexico are changing little by little. And I think it is in the interest of the Roman Catholic Church to adapt themselves to these new standards. Taking into account this, the Pope recent comments in Brazil that he would excommunicate Mexican politicians who support abortion is not helping maintaining Mexicans under the roman catholic umbrella.
Anyway, back to Tunick. The organization of the event was typical Mexican. Very professional in it’s preparation, but a big mess in it’s execution. The event was planned to start at 6 am and people where asked to arrive 2 hours before. How did the organizers expect to let in more than 72 people per minute trough one gate??? As a result, a lot of people couldn’t enter the Zocalo which of course caused a lot of anger. But some of these “denied nude models” found a solution: they prompt striped their clothes off in front of the police causing a lot of attention of the press. Mexicans shy? But the lack of control on the gates, also has less positive consequences: cameras, drunk people, voyeurists also got in, precisely what the organizers didn’t want to happen...
Regardless if nude pictures of thousands of people is moral or not, for me, the most important issue to remember about this event is that Mexico is changing…
Pics about the event can be found here: http://ourdudeinmexico.typepad.com/photos/tunick_in_mexico
Saludos,
Peter. Study Spanish in Mexico at Anders Languages México: http://www.andersmexico.com !
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