Resumen de The Colonial Legacy in Ernesto Cardenal's Poetry: images of Quetzalcoatl, Nezahualcoyotl, and the Aztecs
In his poetry, Cardenal presents the Aztecs as a symbol of evil due to their militarism and practice of human sacrifice, whule the two pre-Hispanie Mexican heroes, Quetzalcoatl and Nezahualcoyotl, symbolize righteousness because of their peaceful religious and civilized practices. Through this contrast among indigenous figures, Cardenal indirectly denounces contemporary social injustices committed by dictators and imperialists, and implies their inevitable downfall. Cardenal uses a variety of historical and literary sources such as Nahuatí poetry to interpret preHispanic indigenous society, and literary critics have not questioned the historical validity of such representations. Cardenal's interpretation relies heavily on the images of the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl, and Nezahualcoyotl that were influenced by a colonial ideology. Ironically, by doing so, Cardenal engages in a colonization of indigenous culture, the kind of activity that he condemns.
