Modern Mexican society has its roots in two diverse cultures, those of the indigenous Indians and the Spanish. Mexico's language, religion, and the racial composition of its people—Spaniards, Indians, and mestizos (those of mixed ancestry)— clearly reflect these elements. The official language is Spanish, but many Mexicans still speak only indigenous tongues. Some 90 percent of the people are Roman Catholic, but the practice of Catholicism in Mexico is heavily influenced by pre-European religious ideas.

In "Fable," Paz takes readers back to the dawn of time and offers mythical retelling of the creation of the world. Much of Paz's poetry is influenced by mythology from Mexico and other cultures, and this poem seems to have elements of both Christian and ancient Mexican mythology. Before the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico in the early sixteenth century, the great indigenous civilizations of the Olmec, Aztec, Maya, Toltec...