Many Americans hold the misperception that Mexico and its people have one, singular identity. Populated by Mexican storytellers, families, poets, fishermen, and others, In the Shadow of Cortés: From Veracruz to Mexico City challenges that idea through images, interviews and historical documents.
Featuring more than 30 photographs and interviews, the exhibition is a collaboration between historian Kathleen Myers and Steve Raymer, an award-winning photojournalist formerly on the staff of National Geographic Magazine. Together, they followed the path of Hernan Cortés' 1519 invasion of central Mexico. A profound cultural and political catalyst, this event is recalled very differently by the diverse groups within Mexican culture. While those interviewed near Mexico's coast were low-key about Cortés, those inland, where his army massacred thousands, "talked about it as if it was yesterday and these were their grandparents," according to Myers.
"Every Mexican has a deep sense of history and it always goes back to the conquests … It's not a single interpretation in spite of mandatory textbooks that state the traditional story," Myers said. "The surprise for me, once I started interviewing people, was the diversity of their responses," she added. "They were contradictory and ambiguous and complex."
In the Shadow of Cortés: From Veracruz to Mexico City opens September 28 and runs through October 28 at Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City. 
CAPTIONS:
Storyteller Don José Guadalupe Ramos Flores shares an affectionate moment with his granddaughter, Ofelia Andrea Huerta Vergara, in Tzompantepetl near Puebla in central Mexico. Cortés and his army defeated Tlaxcalan forces at the base of the hill near Ramos’ home. Interviewed by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, Ramos regularly recites his conquest story at local re-enactments of the 1519 battle.
A couple descends from the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, a colonial church built atop the ancient pyramid to Quetzalcoatl in Cholula. Inside, visitors come from across Mexico to see the sacred statue carried by Cortés’ army. Known to some people as the Virgen Conquistadora, because she was said to have appeared miraculously and led the Spanish army in battle, and known to others as “Nuestra Madrecita Tonantzin,” the Virgin of Remedios is the focus of fervent Cholullan religious devotion.
Warm, early-evening sunlight bathes a conchero Aztec dancer who celebrates Toxcatl, a ceremony dedicated to the sun and Mexico’s bountiful dry season, on the zócalo in downtown Mexico City. The dancers are called concheros for the conch and armadillo shell instruments they use. While most are nominally Roman Catholic, the concheros have become a powerful symbol of a resurgent interest in indigenous cultures and spirituality.
Additional events of interest include:
November 5, 5−8 p.m. (Chicago Time) FREE First Fridays @ 5: El Día de los Muertos Help us build an Ofrenda (altar) honoring the deceased by adding photos, candles, flowers, sugar skulls, favorite music or foods as we celebrate the season with art activities, music, refreshments and more! 
The Lubeznik Center is located at 101 W. 2nd St., at the lakefront in Michigan City, IN. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Galleries are closed on Mondays. For more information please visit www.lubeznikcenter.org or call 219-874-4900. All times are based on Chicago time.