Memories Of The Moon

by digby

I’m not one to reminisce too much about the wonder years, but I do have a little story about the moon landing that might be slightly amusing.

Like most 12 year olds I watched it on TV. But I was in Oaxaca Mexico and I watched it on a small set that was rigged up above the bandstand of the town square. And I watched it in the company of a crowd of Zapotec and Mixtec Indians, many of whom hadn’t seen TV much at that time, much less something as momentous as man landing on the moon. There were townspeople there too, of course, and traveling foreigners, but I recall that everyone had the same awestruck look on their faces.

We all watched it and then there was a big fiesta. In Mexico everything is cause for celebration. But this one was special. Everyone was patting each on the back and congratulating them as if we’d all accomplished something spectacular together. And from the perspective of humankind, we had.

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