Environmental determinism states that a society's physical environment predetermines its social and cultural development. Of course, environmental determinists argue that Mexico's appreciation for nature and agricultural roots influences its circular outlook and thus determines its laid-back mentality. The Underdogs by Mariano Azuela tells the story of Demetrio Macias, a rebel, who becomes general in Pancho Villa's army during the Mexican Revolution. Although Azuela quickly conveys the events of the Revolution, he describes the landscape of Mexico in vivid detail. The novel ends in the same sierra where it began with Macias and his men still fighting the Federalists. Despite the lack of progress, The Underdogs is considered one of the greatest novels of the Mexican Revolution because its interest in nature brilliantly encompasses the cyclical nature of Mexican society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mexico's environmental memory has been strengthened through decades of rituals and sacrifices. In the ancient world, the Aztecs believed in a deep connection between the human body and their chinampa agriculture. The different crops they grew had different representations: “human flesh was equated with corn, plant foods, and the earth itself; human blood with rain and running water” (Clendinnen 74-75). To ensure that the chinampas produced enough food, the Aztecs sought the help of cosmic forces through the practice of human sacrifice. They believed that the gods controlled the seasons and provided the sun and rain needed for plant growth. The Aztecs thought that these cycles would continue until the world was finally destroyed. Mexicans' ancient dependence on these cycles of planting and harvesting led to their relaxed and cyclical conception of time. During the Conquest, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma did not originally view the arrival of Hernan Cortes as a threat: "The gods left because their time period was over, but another period returned and with it other gods and a another era" (Paz 94). Mexicans are typically more interested in religion, tradition, and relationships than time because they believe time is infinite. Montezuma thus interpreted the arrival of the Spanish as the beginning of a new cosmic period and welcomed Cortis to Tenochtitlan with gifts. Mexicans' deeply rooted laissez-fair attitude toward time and events largely influenced the outcome of the Revolution. Aesthetically appealing landscapes are woven throughout The Underdogs. Azeula celebrates the land by describing the physical environment in more detail than the battles during the Revolution. When Macias and his men leave Camila's ranch, Azeula intricately describes how the men "rode through the canyon up and down the steep hills round, dirty and bald as a man's head, hill after hill" (Azuela 59). The comparison of hills to a man's bald head cleverly links humanity to nature and the cosmos. However, the negative connotation of the word “dirty” suggests that Azeula does not support the Revolution because it covers the beautiful hills with worthless dead. Azuela's eloquent accounts of nature suggest that human actions are relatively insignificant in an environmentally determined society. The rebels' behavior is the same behavior they are fighting to end. The novel begins with Macias fleeing to the mountains after the Federalists arrive in Limon and kill his dog. Likewise, when the rebels come in.