Tales From Aztlantis

When Spanish forces under the command of Hernando Cortes first set foot on the eastern coast of Mexico on April 22, 1519, they christened the site of their landing Veracruz, “the true cross.”. Within five years of Cortes’ arrival, a group of Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico, tasked with converting the previously unknown indigenous people to Christianity. These missionaries brought with them a worldview forged in the apocalyptic and millenarian ideas that had become characteristic of Spanish Franciscanism. Driving this project of missionization was what J. L. Phelan described as “the millennial kingdom of the Franciscans in the New World.”

In this episode, we explore the millennialist roots of these early Franciscan missionaries and argue that their apocalyptic beliefs not only influenced the emergent Mexican identity but directly resulted in what is easily Mexico’s most recognizable national symbol: the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Your Hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is currently a professor of Chicano Studies at the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo, a free online educational institution.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.
@Tlakatekatl

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

Today we are joined by geneticist Dr. Jennifer Raff to talk about genetic research, what it can tell us about the peopling of the Americas, and how it can be misused by pseudohistorians and psudoarchaeologists to promote dangerous misinterpretations of the past!

About our guest:

Jennifer Raff is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Affiliate Faculty member of the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Kansas. She has a PhD in Anthropology and Biology (double major) from Indiana University, and has been studying the genomes of ancient and contemporary Indigenous peoples from North America since 2001. Her book “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas” is a New York Times Best seller.

You can order her book here: Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas

Your Hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is currently a professor of Chicano Studies at the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo, a free online educational institution.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.
@Tlakatekatl

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

Premium Episodes are normally reserved for our amazing Patreon supporters, but this episode is too important to keep from the masses! In this episode, Kurly is joined by Ruben Ochoa to talk about the Mexika calendar system and the upcoming year 10 Tochtli.

Order your calendar here

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Kristina Nielsen to discuss the history of the Danza Azteca and Mexikayotl traditions! 

About our guest:

Kristina Nielsen received her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2017. Her research focuses on how music and dance in Aztec revitalization movements shape community histories and identities. Nielsen’s research is highly interdisciplinary and draws on ethnographic research methods, anthropology and area studies, particularly Indigenous and Latin American studies. Her current project examines Indigenous agency in the Mexican Folkloric Ballet’s staging of the Indigenous past. In addition to her ethnographic research, Nielsen has conducted interdisciplinary archaeomusicological research on Mesoamerican ceramic whistles and ocarinas with Christophe Helmke of the University of Copenhagen. She is currently in the process of writing a book that explores how Aztec dancers in Los Angeles navigate tradition, histories, and identities through music and dance.

You can follow Dr. Nielsen's and other music scholars' work here: @music_textbook

Works Cited:

Nielsen, Kristina F. “Composing Histories: The Transmission and Creation of Historicity, Music and Dance in the Los Angeles Danza Community.” PhD Diss., University of California, Los Angeles, 2017.

———. “Forging Aztecness: Twentieth-Century Mexican Musical Nationalism in Twenty-First Century Los Angeles.” Yearbook for Traditional Music 52 (November 2020): 127–46. https://doi.org/10.1017/ytm.2020.18.

———. “The Role of Interpretation in Determining Continuity in Danza Azteca History.” Ethnomusicology Review, May 17, 2014. https://ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu/content/role-interpretation-determining-continuity-danza-azteca-history. 

Your Hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is currently a professor of Chicano Studies at the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo, a free online educational institution.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.
@Tlakatekatl

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

Synanon was a drug rehabilitation program that morphed into a violent cult (and tax exempt church!) in the 1970s. Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines". Over 80 violent acts were committed, including mass beatings that hospitalized teenagers and ranchers who were beaten in front of their families. So, what does the Synanon cult have to do with noted union organizer Cesar Chavez? Find out in this week's premium episode!

Your Hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is currently a professor of Chicano Studies at the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo, a free online educational institution.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.
@Tlakatekatl

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

In this episode, Kurly is joined by Nawatl (Nahuatl) language educator Yan Garcia. Yan is the author of the book "Learn Nahuatl: Language of the Aztecs and Modern Nahuas" and a founding member of the organization Tlahtoltapazolli. Yan discusses how he got into Nawatl language education, the need for language preservation and revitalization, and how the Chicano community can learn Indigenous languages.

Your Hosts:

Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is currently a professor of Chicano Studies at the Colegio Chicano del Pueblo, a free online educational institution.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus.
@Tlakatekatl

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)

Merch/ Premium Content / Join the Discord server: talesfromaztlantis.com

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/hcarchy)