Eric Demay

The most striking aspect of this—other that the idea of launching yourself backwards, twenty meters above the ground, harness-less and turning upside down for 10 minutes till you slowly descending to the ground—is the evident presence of pre-hispanic heritage still present in contemporary Mexican culture.

The aftermath of colonial invasion strikes a very different chord down here in Mexico than up in the States and Canada, where aboriginal cultures and people have been nothing short of annihilated, leaving them today still scraping for recognition and rights.

Though the Spanish conquest has been too many times ruthless and bloody, it has nevertheless assimilated the local aboriginals in a way that is has interestingly evolved into a rich blend of both parties. And seemingly somewhat balanced, the wide array of face and body types walking the streets of Mexico genetically invoke this melting pot: a spectrum which varies from the stubby to slender, dark skinned to lighter tones, all united by a unique and strongly identifiable culture.

Thus today, the same way spanish is spoken and christianity is practiced, these aboriginal roots are still alive, embraced and sometimes even celebrated: may it be by the flamboyant use of color, to street names, to distinctive architectural elements, to the flying Aztecs in Chapultapec park.