The tremor was over almost as soon as it began. The rumbling faded and my beer bottle stopped dancing on the table. As soon as the earthquake was over, dogs began furiously barking and I heard a baby crying next door. But otherwise, everyone remained glued to their telecom sets, watching the ollamaliztli game. No one even ventured outside to see whether any damage had been done. Life in Aztlan continued, earthquake or no earthquake. People just held their collective breath a moment, then carried on.