The Other Conquest

La Otra Conquista has touched me in a way that no other movie has. I saw it two weeks ago and I am still under its spell, I think, in a way, I always will. Let me get to the point. There are several dimensions to this flawless piece of art, this priceless gem, this eminent, yet unassuming masterpiece of a timeless, universal message, this miraculous documentary of what happened 500 years ago and until now had only lived in the intangible inner world of those who, for ancestry or spiritual communion, have dared to reach back and touch the still pulsating heart of the Native Americans, the Spirit of the Land. All would deserve to be talked about at great length (historical, cultural, spiritual, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, religious, musical, linguistic, semiotic and so on) but I'd rather strike (and I can only try) at what I perceive its heart to be as it has done to me. Topiltzin (whose name I have called with tears in my eyes again and again for days and days), from the bottom of his pure, untainted spirit, undergoes a spiritual travail like no others, comparable in force and intensity to that of Christ, and comes out transfigured at the other end, having literally saved humanity by embracing the spirit of his oppressor, who in turn is also transcendentally transformed. This movie's message is not about revenge toward the inhumanity of man toward man, but rather about the all-conquering power of the human spirit, above and beyond the cultural trappings of one's religious beliefs, something that the Catholic Church, unfortunately, unbelievably, has yet to realize. The spiritual lessons to be learned and re-learned from experiencing this film are priceless, heart-wrenching, ultimately enlightening. If you go to church, or the sports arena, this is like a thousand high masses, a thousand super bowls. IT WILL TRANSFORM YOU. Go see it already, stop wasting your precious time.