Pedro Guerra took this photo in 1939 of a parade of a musical band on the racetrack of the Salvador Alvarado stadium in Merida. The stands are full of people and we see four men watching the parade. I would assume Pedro Guerra’s intent of capturing this photo being to preserve history, as photos are collected memories preserved in a still picture.
Music plays a large role in Yucatan’s history and in humanity as well. El Parque de Santiago has Tuesday night salsa dancing with a live band, and during our walking tour, we walked past a drum class in a park. I’ve noticed that America is lacking many “third places,” a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenberg. He characterized third places as locations that facilitate social interaction outside of the people you live or work with. It has been amazing seeing so many parks in close vicinity and so many people outside. These parks as well as the public music brings people together, and it’s interesting seeing our humanity, and how almost 100 years ago people were brought together with music.
