In Excess: Sergei Eisentein's Mexico - Cineclub

Figure 26. Image from “Maguey.” Courtesy Mexican Picture Partnership.
But aside from these contemporary associations, maguey in Mexico
has a rich cultural history. The symbolism of maguey goes back to the
Aztec myths. In the ritual celebrations of sacrifi ce of a woman as a corn
goddess, she wears a mantle of maguey meant to represent her son—the
god of corn. 50 Eisenstein must have read the description of this rite in
Frazer even before his trip to Mexico, but he was undoubtedly reminded
of this fact in Tetlapayac. The death of Sebastian mediated through Aztec
mythology clearly hints at sacrifi ce as a fertility rite, especially emphasized
by the fact that the victims are half-buried in the ground. While
such sacrifi ces as fertility rites were practiced by many ancient civilizations,
the practice of an execution such as the one depicted in “Maguey”
is something that Eisenstein apparently invented. There is no mention
of any such punishment or torture practiced in Mexico either at the time
depicted in the episode or at any point in the past. The choice of this
image is curious. It makes an effective link between death and rebirth
(as being “planted” in the ground would suggest). At the same time, as
we have already noted, the image is clearly modeled on St. Sebastian, as
is evident from the name, and thus functions as a reference to baroque
iconography.
Marie Seton in her biography of Eisenstein and further supported
by observations from Leyda claims that shots of Sebastian’s death in
118 : chapter three