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72 Values of history—it seems to us that history has two values: the speculative and the transcendent. History is essentially the collection of information about the nature, origin, character evolution, and tendencies of past civilizations. When this information exists passively in libraries or in the minds of men, the value of history is only theoretical. But history offers a transcendent value if we think of it as a copious archive, as an inexhaustible fountain of the experiences through which humanity has reached its diverse stages of florescence and decadence. This is especially the case when we use those experiences to improve the well-being of contemporary civilizations. The careful observation and progressive application of these past experiences give us an important perspective on the progress and ascendant march of humanity. This is the case with scientific knowledge, which becomes more extensive and better grounded every day. This said, we cannot overgeneralize about the course of history, as there are many cases in which evolution has not been ascendant, in spite of the influence of previous historical experiences. For example, art and morality ascend and decay through cycles in which the experience of the past is no impediment to the repetition of certain patterns. Theexperiencesofthepastmightconstitutehistoryinandofthemselves,but they remain mute and invisible to us if we do not make an effort to make sense of them,classifythem,andpresentthemtothepublic.Inthissimplearticle,itwould be tiresome for the reader and difficult for the author to detail all of the aspects that must be accounted for in so difficult a task. Therefore, we will only make reference to three of the most important dimensions that our history offers. 15 The Values of History 73 T h e V a l u e s o f H i s t o r y A. The Basic Aspects of Mexican History What are the chronological and geographical limits of our history? What place does it occupy and what function does it play in relation to the other kinds of knowledge? These questions have not been resolved in Mexico. Even though we do not have the vanity to pretend to resolve them satisfactorily, we will pre­ sent our general ideas, anticipating the justified criticisms and censures that will be made of them. 1. Chronological Limits. We can place the origins of Mexican history in the more or less distant past. Some authors take the point of departure of our history to be thousands of years ago, others write the history of events that took place a few decades ago, and others are sure to write about events that have not yet appeared to the historical perspective. The chronological limits of history vary according to the specific civilization or race being historicized. The point of departure for Mayan chronology—which is itself a form of history—is many centuries in the past. The experiences of the Aztec family of Tenochtitlán take on a historical character in the fourteenth century (when they were represented in the hieroglyphic manuscripts, architecture, and sculpture) and when living Indians gave accounts to the Spanish after the Conquest. On the other hand, there are indigenous groups like the Lacandónes of Chiapas or the Huicholes of Tepic and Jalisco, who have only been known to historians since the last century. Lastly, there are still groups of Mayas in the Mexican Petén that are unknown to us from the historical—or from any other—perspective. Understood in these terms, our history does not begin when the Spanish conquerors appeared on our beaches, as has been proclaimed up until today, but from distinct periods before and after that event. 2.GeographicalLimits.ThehistoryofMexicoshouldencompassthesocial groups that have constituted the population of Mexican territory and indirectly address those foreign peoples that have influenced our way of being or that have been influenced by us. We must consider the population of our current territory and of Central America as far as Panamá (Chiriquí), which is as far as our preColumbian influence reached. We must also consider the history of the North American territory that was once a part of Mexico. We must have an indirect account of the past of Spain, the South American republics, the United States, and France, as these nations exercised an important influence on our own history . One must also know something about the history of all of the countries in general, as all countries have exercised a remote or near influence on each other. [18.222.69.152] Project MUSE (2024-04-24 20:36...

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