In this episode, we 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!

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

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

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