Xi Focus-Closeup: Different civilizations under the same sky

BEIJING - To this day, Mexican archaeologist Jose Huchim Herrera vividly remembers a tour of the ancient Maya civilization site about nine years ago, during which he served as a guide for visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On June 6, 2013, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan visited the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza upon invitation from then Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Located some 1,400 km east of Mexico City, Chichen Itza features stepped pyramids, temples, columned arcades and other stone structures sacred to the Maya. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

Recalling the trip, Huchim Herrera said Xi showed great curiosity about the Maya civilization. Throughout the tour, the Chinese president listened to his narration attentively and asked specific questions regarding the features of the ruins, such as the connotation of the relief sculpture carved on the ruins' foundation.

"Different cultures and civilizations, while retaining their uniqueness, should tolerate and coexist with each other with an open-minded attitude so as to achieve common development and prosperity," Xi said.

About a year later, when attending the opening ceremony of the Exhibition of Mayas: The Language of Beauty at the National Museum of China in Beijing with Pena Nieto, Xi reiterated that China is willing to join hands with Mexico to promote mutual respect, learning and exchange among civilizations, so as to make new contributions to the progress of human civilization.

Today, China and Mexico are striving to revive the long-standing association between their civilizations. Just as how the Chinese people are fascinated by the Mayan ruins and its cultural embodiment, people in Mexico are awestruck by the marvels of Chinese civilization manifested by archaeological findings in China.

For years, Huchim Herrera and his colleagues have paid close attention to the archaeological work at the famed Sanxingdui Ruins in China's Sichuan Province. He has attended a number of symposiums focusing on ancient Shu civilization and Maya civilization, and has personally visited the site.

In June 2022, more astonishing discoveries were made at the site. For Huchim Herrera, the advanced technologies used by his Chinese peers were impressive. He expressed hopes that China and Mexico can continue to work together to preserve humanity's collective legacy of civilizations and spiritual heritage.

From the Acropolis Museum in Greece to ancient ruins in Mexico, President Xi has promoted and championed vibrant and constructive dialogues between the Chinese and other cultures, achieving fruitful outcomes.

"We should encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live in harmony, so as to turn exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations into a bridge promoting friendship between peoples around the world, an engine driving human society, and a bond cementing world peace," Xi said.

Echoing a similar view, Marco Antonio Santos, director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, said about the findings in Sanxingdui -- "Both that culture and the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the horizon."