Part 2, Section 6, " The Eagle Being Animate" Summary

Ixca goes to visit Robles, who is concluding another successful real estate deal. Robles will be dining that evening with Norma's friend, a young writer named MZ. Ixca tells Robles it is important to listen to the young, especially when one has no children. Robles meets Manuel that evening and they extensively debate Mexican culture and politics.

Manuel says Mexico must understand it's own history before it can move on, while Robles insists that nothing matters except making the nation sufficiently wealthy through capitalism. Manuel insists it is a mistake to follow the European and American models, and that Mexican leaders should satisfy the people's real wants, which cannot be reduced to merely having houses, cars, schools. Moving blindly towards capitalism when it is clearly not the ideal system for the...