El Rio del Tiempo was an opening day attraction located in the back of Epcot's Mexico pavilion. It opened on Oct. 1, 1982 and closed on Jan. 2, 2007 to make way for the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. In this home video I take a few exterior shots of the Mexico pyramid. Inside the lobby area there was a "Spirits in Wood" exhibit in the display cases. I enter the Plaza de los Amigos and walk around the brightly colored Mexican arts and crafts merchandise. There's a brief shot of the restaurant, San Angel Inn, along the peaceful water. Then I go through the queue for El Rio del Tiempo "The River of Time".
This slow moving Small Worldly boat ride begins by winding through a central Mexican jungle past an Aztec pyramid and volcano. On the other side of the river people are eating enchiladas in candlelight at the pavilion's restaurant. We enter the temple and various projections on screens take us through ancient Mexican cultures. The spirits of the four elements dance on one screen. In another you see the battle between good and evil with Quetzalcoatl (serpent) and Tezcatlipoca (tiger).
Things become even more Small Worldly as we enter into Mexico's Colonial years, represented by vivid papier-mache figures that dance around and celebrate Dia de los Muertos, "Day of the Dead". The earworm song "Vistas de Mexico/Fiesta de Mexico", written by X Atencio, begins to play at this point.
The last section takes us through modern day Mexico. On screens you see activities like scuba-diving, waterskiing, and cliff-diving. In town, peddlers try to coax you to buy their goods. They follow your boat as you head through the market. A pretty neat effect for 1982. We drift into Mexico City's Reforma Boulevard with fireworks in the air and big marionettes dancing in a kazeebo. Of course that song is playing again to enhance the atmosphere and to stay with us the rest of the day. A large map of Mexico is on the wall on the way to the unload platform. I exit my boat and film the exit corridor, like a good Disney geek should.
