Tales From Aztlantis

We here at Tales From Aztlantis would like to issue the following public service announcement: PLEASE DO NOT rely on social media posts as your sole source of historical and archaeological information. This should not be a controversial statement. Yet every day, social media feeds are inundated with well-meaning individuals uncritically sharing and reposting pseudohistory without bothering to check the sources or seek outside information.

Tik Tok, in particular is easily the worst offender when it comes to the spread of pseudohistory, pseudoarcheology, and general conspiracism. The speed with which a short video containing absolute nonsense can be created and shared on Tik Tok is truly impressive. And thanks to its algorithm, those who consume such disinformation are repeatedly inundated with more and more nonsense, creating a never-ending loop of paranoid conspiracism and pseudo historical group-think.

One such outlandish claim that frequently pops up on pseudohistory-promoting social media sites is our topic for this episode: the battle of Cagayan. For those unfamiliar with the general narrative, it usually goes like this:

“In 1582, a small, battle-hardened group consisting of 40 Tlaxkaltekah and Spanish soldiers defeated a thousand Japanese Samurai at the Battle of Cagayan in the Phillipines.”

At face value this story sounds super badass. But is this actually what happened? Did a small band of spunky Tlaxkaltekah and Spanish soldiers really vanquish a THOUSAND Japanese Samurai in a Thermopylae-style beat down in the Phillipines?

Let's find out!

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, Harvard University,  Yale University, San Diego State  University, and numerous others. He  most recently released his  documentary short film "Guardians of the  Purple Kingdom," and is a  cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation  Studios.
@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.  

I Hate Talking
A podcast about talking, etymology, frustrating topics, current events, and more.

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Find us: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAztlantis

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Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)

What is the actual history of Cinco de Mayo, what importance does it hold for Chicana/Chicano/Chicanx communities, and most importantly why is it celebrated in the United States? Well dear listener, if you have ever asked yourself any of those questions, you're in luck. Today's episode explores why we celebrate. Enjoy!

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Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)

Kurly recently attended the 89th Annual Meeting of the SAA (Society for American Archaeology) in New Orleans. While there, he gave some talks, saw old friends, and drank…a lot. For this special bonus mini-episode, Kurly is joined by Dr. Marijke Stoll to talk about her recent cameo appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast where our friend and colleague Dr. Flint Dibble appeared as a guest and laid an ass-whoopin on pseudoarchaeology!

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Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)

This Throwback Thursday we revisit Episode 16 of the podcast, where we talk about the various attacks on Chicano Indigeneity, and ways we can counter them!

Chicano Indigeneity

Sadly, the latest online trend within the “woke” and “Latinx” crowd is to relentlessly attack Chicanas and Chicanos who identify as Indigenous. Given the fact that being Indigenous is a cornerstone of Chicana-Chicano identity (and is manifested in our culture, language, traditions, ancestry, systems of kinship, and our connections to the land), I find such attacks…curious to say the least.

The basic argument goes something like this: Chicanas, Chicanos, and Chicanx folks did not grow up in traditional Indigenous communities, and therefore can only call themselves “Indigenous descendants” and not actual “Indigenous people.” Apparently, there is only one “authentic” Indigenous lived experience, regardless of how history has played out for the Mesoamerican diaspora. This bizarre bit of wordplay ignores the entirety of Chicana-Chicano history and reeks of identity policing at its worst. Interestingly, this assault on Chicana-Chicano Indigenous identity is practically identical to right-wing talking points that seek to deny Chicana-Chicanos our Indigenous cultural inheritance.

It is certainly unfortunate that a handful of “latinxers” and Indigenous gatekeepers have taken it upon themselves to police Indigenous identity as it relates to the Chicano communityt. In doing so, they are sowing deep divisions among people who should be working together. And quite frankly, I think their argument just isn’t very well thought out.

In this episode we defend Chicano Indigeneity from such attacks.

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. 

Support the Show.

Find us: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAztlantis

Merch: https://chimalli.storenvy.com/

Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)

With the passing of the Spring Equinox, we once again bring another year to a close. “In Xiwitl itlamiliz” The year has ended. This means it is once again time for the annual online arguments over whose calendar system follows the correct correlation.

We here at the Tales from Aztlantis world headquarters thought it would be helpful to lay out four things you should remember about the ancestral Mexika calendar that might help you discern which calendars are based on solid evidence, and which ones are…lacking to say the least. Now, we are not here to tell you which correlation to follow. Rather, we want to equip you with some basic concepts about the calendar system so that you might have an informed opinion to help guide your further research. But also, you should probably just go ahead and buy the calendar that Kurly just published along with Ruben Ochoa. Its available on talesfromaztlantis.com and Amazon.

And now, with that shameless plug out of the way, we present to you

Four Things to know about the Mexika calendar

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. 
@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. 

I Hate Talking
A podcast about talking, etymology, frustrating topics, current events, and more.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the Show.

Find us: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAztlantis

Merch: https://chimalli.storenvy.com/

Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)

This Throwback Thursday we return to episode 6 from our first season to talk about the racial pseudohistory of the "Black Olmec" myth, and how it serves to erase, trivialize, and destroy the cultural legacies of Indigenous and African people!

Hijacking History (The Problem With The "Black Olmec" Myth)

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.

Links:
Reality Dysfunction Podcast #83 featuring Kurly and Tlakatekatl!

Further reading:
Robbing Native American Cultures: Van Sertima's Afrocentricity and the Olmecs

Journal retracts paper claiming that group of Indigenous Americans were Black Africans

Analysis of Ivan Van Sertima's Afrocentric claims on Mesoamerica 

I Hate Talking
A podcast about talking, etymology, frustrating topics, current events, and more.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the Show.

Find us: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAztlantis

Merch: https://chimalli.storenvy.com/

Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon)