The Hacienda of the Alcatraz
Is the sacred place chosen by the sun, the moon and the eternal cloud. The roots of its land hold the magic, secrets and mysteries of the cultivation of the alcatraz (calla lily) and the agave. And so the legend tells that in a single night, ten thousand alcatraz (calla lilies) blossomed in the inner patio of the hacienda, at the center sprang a six hundred pound agave. At dawn, a bolt of lightning struck the agave, its pointed leaves, like swords in the air, bowed to let its heart be born. While the cloud danced to distract the jealous moon, the sun, with its music, narrated to our ancestors, all the caring, the patience and the love that the agave would need in order to grow for ten years and to weigh two hundred pounds. And how to, in the ripeness, peel its thorny leaves with a sharp knife in order to reach its heart. Knowing and wanting to conquer its tears, it becomes sweet, profound and enigmatic. It separates reality from appearances. It erases grief and makes the soul sing. This is what makes it powerful and irresistible. 1869 |
