Border Town #3: Child Sacrifices

As a child, I had the serendipitous desire of Aztec culture. It was like a drug to the addict without comprehension of the drug itself. Border Town #3, Eric M. Esquivel gives us a “hit” of that desire to learn more about another culture. Aztlan is the name of the mythical homeland of the Aztecs, the ancient Mesoamerican civilization also known as the Mexica. In various historian literatures, the mythical origin notes the Mexica left Aztlan at the behest of their GOD/ruler Huitzilpochtli, to find a new home in the Valley of Mexico. Whether the ancient Aztec land, Aztlan, was a real place or not is open to question.

This story streams around folklore Aztlan GOD, Lord Mictecacihtli. He ruled the underworld “Mictlan” with his wife Mictecacihatl and together they govern the “Land of the Dead” and took children sacrifices. Last issue, we noted that the Mictlantechtli was closely associated with owls, spiders, and bats. Now, Border Town #3, Equivel provides an excellent background story that connects the mythical Aztec-Mexica homeland of Aztlan to the current events in Devil’s Fork, Az.

The Aztlan’s witches / sorceresses, known as Las Brujas passed their knowledge and wisdom onto their descendant, today titled as “Curandera”, known as a witch doctor or healer. She gives the teens a crash course in the World of Darkness history that now ravages their Arizona town. The evil has once again passed through the supernatural border with monsters attacking Curandera’s shop in search of the mini-chupacabra that clings onto Quinteh. Julietta weaponized the police to show up and kill the monster, allowing them a way of escape. Curandera encourages the teens to stay an allow her to train them for the horror that is yet to come. In fear and uncertainty, they decline. However, Aimi has secrets and knowledge of her own.

Aimi’s character was a fresh of breath air with her dead on attitude and my superhero in this issue. Equivel’s story exposes some “common” descriptive levels of racial discrimination we experience in today’s America. Their school’s preserved vice principle shows how the ignorance of people incoherently and often verbalizes various types of discrimination. Take note of the picture in his office…typical.

Racism is shamefully taught, as we see a child learning from his father. Border Town #3 is the most extreme issue of the series yet, as some of Villalobos’s visuals are excitingly repulsive and distorted. Especially with the racist punk, Blake, who is infected by the supernatural bite noted in the last issue. His wound is spreading, resulting in the shedding of his skin as he turns into a demonic skeleton monster.

Border Town is the best supernatural comic book that I have read in quite some time, but this may not be for ill-minded hearts of ignorance. Through stages of sociological achievement, relating current events into fictional world, Border town #3 tackle many current topics that lead to human ignorance and different types of discrimination. It employs the reader how to overcome these negative social behaviors/teachings and learn how to be a better human by embracing the unfamiliar as true “American” people.

Great job with much respect to Eric M. Esquivel, Ramon Villalobos and the rest of the team involved creating this awesome book!