Teoti-Wal-Mart

Progressive, The, March, 2005 by John Ross

Mexico is a four-millennium-old civilization with a culture as obdurate as granite and obsidian. When the Europeans came, they pulled down most of the Aztec temples. But the majestic pyramids of Teotihuacan remained. And so they will remain long after all the Wal-Marts in Mexico crumble into dust.

Veteran reporter John Ross has lived in Mexico City's old quarter for many years. His latest volume, "Murdered by Capitalism: A Memoir of 150 Years of Life and Death on the American Left, "is published by Nation Books.

Illustration by Aaron Piland