The Aztlanahuac Project

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan Documentary & Availability

AMOXTLI SAN CE TOJUAN, CANTOS AL SEXTO SOL & THE MUD PEOPLE PACKAGE

We are making available our trilingual Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan Documentary, Cantos Al Sexto Sol (A Collection of 100 Aztlanahuac writings) & The Mud People by Patrisia Gonzales for a special price.

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan - $25
(price includes postage & handling).

A signed copy of The Mud People - $25
(price includes postage & handling).

A Signed copy of Cantos Al Sexto Sol - $25

Special price:

Each at their regular price, or all three for:
$60 (includes the price of shipping, handling & insurance)

Send to and in name of:

Rodriguez/Gonzales
PO BOX 5093
Madison WI 53705

608-238-3161
XColumn@aol.com

For more info re the documentary research, go to: http://144.92.121.201/whsexhibit

* If you would like an accompanying curriculum, go to: http://hometown.aol.com/aztlanahuac/myhomepage/index.html

* Libraries, please call/write re institutional prices, including normal library use, etc. Media copies are also available.

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan can also be bought & ordered online at the regular price of $20 plus postage & handling:

Tia Chucha’s 12737 Glenoaks Blvd., #22 Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 362-7060 - info@tiachucha.com http://www.tiachucha.com/

Rainbow Book Store Cooperative 426 West Gilman Street
Madison, WI 53703 608-257-6050
info@rainbowbookstore.org www.rainbowbookstore.org


DOCUMENTARY ANNOUNCEMENT

After screening previews of the documentary around the country in the spring and summer, the 1-hour Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan documentary is now available to the public.

The documentary is in English and Spanish with Nahuatl introductions to each section. Truthfully, one of the things that makes this bilingual documentary unique is that it intentionally does not have a narrator. Viewers are encouraged to draw their own conclusions regarding the origins/migrations and the connections of the indigenous peoples of the continent. Specifically, it also challenges the traditional views of mestizaje or racial mixture on this continent. (Plans call for Nahuatl, Otomie, Spanish and English versions).

The documentary has a unique format in that it is not chronological, sequential or linear. It is a collection of stories from peoples from throughout the continent with the added feature that it has no narrator - no one to interpret or tell us what we are seeing or hearing. Peoples from throughout the continent can and do speak for themselves - about origins/migrations and of ancient relationships. Another reason for not having a narrator is that the viewer is encouraged to come to his/her own conclusions.

What is also unique is the concept of collective copyright. We believe that the stories and the songs in here are thousands of years old and need to be shared by all. The collective copyright belongs to everyone who is a part of the documentary. What this translates into is that screenings will be held throughout the Americas to benefit non-profit organizations, danzas, teatros or clinics that serve our peoples and communities.

o A curriculum based on the documentary, will soon be available.

o Also in several weeks, there will be an accompanying CD, based on the music showcased in the documentary.

o The documentary is part of a series of books, Cantos Al Sexto Sol - a collection of some 100 writers and poets (Wingspress.com) and Codex Aztlanahuac, a research volume on the same topic as San Ce Tojuan.

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ORDERING & SCREENING THE DOCUMENTARY


For a home copy, send a $25 check or money order (libraries and other academic institutions keep reading) to us at: Roberto Rodriguez/Patrisia Gonzales PO BOX 5093, Madison WI 53705

(Libraries, send $129.00 This includes a copy and the license to utlize for regular library purposes, including the right to hold small free screenings. Add $5 for shipping.) For questions, please write us at XColumn@aol.com or 608-238-3161.

* Non-profit libraries (part of non-profit organizations) ar also eligible for the $25 rate. Call/write if questions.

* We are speaking with several national distributors to place the documentary in schools and other educational institutions, etc. (More forthcoming on this).

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan can also be bought & ordered online at:

Tia Chucha’s 12737 Glenoaks Blvd., #22 Sylmar, CA 91342
(818) 362-7060 - info@tiachucha.com http://www.tiachucha.com/

Rainbow Book Store Cooperative 426 West Gilman Street
Madison, WI 53703 608-257-6050
info@rainbowbookstore.org www.rainbowbookstore.org

SCREENINGS

There will be screenings throughout the country to benefit different groups that are affiliated with the people in the documentary. Next screening is in January in Arizona and Mexico City in February.

If you would like to set up a screening at a college or university or conference - to allow us to do the community benefits, also contact us at: XColumn@aol.com or 608-238-3161.

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SAN CE TOJUAN BACKGROUND

The documentary is the result of Frank Gutierrez of East L.A. College passing the 1847 Disturnell Map to columnists (filmmakers) Roberto Rodriguez and Patrisia Gonzales. He had received it from then-Hopi spokesperson, Thomas Banyacya. This is what triggered this project on origins and migrations. The role of Gutierrez and Banyacya is explored in the documentary, culminating with the explosive revelation by Maestra Cobb regarding connections between peoples of Mexico and peoples from what is today the United States.

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan in a sense is a modern codex and a chronicle of many stories. The message is a continuation of an ancient message... of a journey of many footsteps, of origins and migrations and of connections to all the ancient peoples of the continent.

In a nutshell, that's the story, written in ancient codices -- about the origins/migrations of Mexican-Uto-Nahuatl peoples (a language family extending in the north from Canada to Nicaragua in the south, which includes the Shoshones, Utes, Pauites, and Hopi... all the way to the Nahuatl peoples of Mexico and the Pipil of El Salvador. The modern codices speak of the northward journeys of these peoples going from south to north.
The story is that of a people whose existence has long been called into question. It is that of a people ill defined by society as immigrants, but who refuse that designation. When told to go back to where they came from, they respond: We are where we came from.

One such modern codex is Jack Forbes's Aztecas del Norte, (Forbes, 1973) -- who has long maintained that people of Mexican descent are native. In that sense, the message of the documentary is already set in stone -- literally -- on rocks and on carved stones, i.e., petroglyphs, architecture and calendars throughout the continent -- depicted in the documentary when Cecilio Orozco is speaking from Utah or Laurie Weakie speaks from the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. The documentary goes beyond exploring the roots of Uto-Nahutl peoples, but seeks to understand their relationship to other native peoples of the continent and to the continent itself.


THE ANTS OF QUETZALCOATL

The opening begins with ants carrying a kernel of corn. In effect, the entire story is right here: the story of the continent and the history of indigenous knowledge.

The ant, particularly in Mesoamerican cultures, represents the means by which the people received Teo Cintli - their sacred maize or corn or sustenance.

It is also important to note that even the very method by which the story is told is contested.

First, there is no narrator. The people themselves tell their own stories. Not all the stories are linear or sequential, but together, the stories themselves are the weave. Each storyteller is the narrator. Each storyteller is the storyteller of a long ago forgotten tradition or story. The stories is the story. For that, no authority figure is needed to remind the audience of what they have just seen or heard. The message here is that the people themselves can speak for themselves.
Secondly, and just as importantly, as previously mentioned, is the use of animals to tell the story. The ants of Quetzalcoatl are, in effect, the protagonists in this story of origins/migrations and connectedness. It is animals -- in this case insects -- from which humans first learned most everything in matters related to subsistence, survival and sustenance. As such, indigenous knowledge is an unbroken chain of knowledge of millions of years - from plants to animals to human beings. The knowledge referred to is primarily about food, water and medicines.

Featured in the documentary are:

Dolores Huerta: The co-founder of the United Farm Worker's Union emphasizes that We didn't cross the borders, the borders crossed us.

Luis Leal, professor from UC Santa Barbara speaks of coming to the United States in 1927, researching the location of Aztlan.

LaDonna Harris, Comanche, founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity, Albq., NM, speaks of the need for Chicanos to recognize their indigenous heritage and of Uto-Nahuatl peoples speaking to each other about their common stories.

Ted Jojola, former chair of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico, speaks of ancient trade networks and the spread of corn throughout North and South America.

Armando Solorzano, University of Utah professor from Mexico speaks of being greeted by the chief of the Utes, informing him that he is in Aztec country.

Maestra Angelberta Cobb: Hailing from Puebla, Mexico, she stands in front of a sculpture of Quetzalcoatl in San Jose, Calif, as she reveals the story of being able to understand elders from what is today the U.S. Southwest in her own native Nahuatl language.

Nora Chapa Mendoza's relacion regarding her niece perhaps best sums up the documentary. Her niece grows up being ashamed of being Mexican until one night, she sees herself in the mirror.

The mirror, alluded to previously by Tupac Enrique (Tezcalipoca and the Smoking Mirror) functions as both symbol and metaphor. Through it, she sees her actual color and is finally able to see who she actually is.

Inez Hernandez, Nez Perce, Chicana scholar, UC Davis, speaks of the need for people to hold onto their common sense as they search for their roots.

The documentary also features the music of Grammy Award nominee, Joanne Shenandoah, Aztlan Underground, Leilani Finau, El Vuh, Will Harjo, Michael Heralda, Martin Espino and Irma Cuicui Rangel.

Also featured: Daniela Conde, Gustavo Gutierrez, Alfredo Figueroa, Enrique & Lucila Maestas, Paola Domingo, Robert Upham, Velia Silva, David Castro, David Lujan, Sylvia Ledesma, Jose Garza, Helga Garza, Celia Perez, Rocky Rodriguez, David Lujan, Fernando Nenadich, Alurista, Olga Gonzalez, Thayrohari, Dennis Reinhartz, Maestro Lauro Tairire, Guillermo Rosette, Arturo Meza, Lorena Montoya, Sara Mendoza, Noenoe Silva, Jose Montoya, Vivian Delgado, Carlos Aceves, Enriqueta Vasquez, Don Aurelio, Maestro Tata Cuaxtle, Yolanda Broyles Gonzalez.

The Nahuatl narration is done by Paola Domingo of Cuentepec, Morelos…. And playing themselves, the ants or Las Hormigas de Quetzalcoatl.

The filmmakers can be reached at: email at xcolumn@aol.com or 608-238-3161. More info at: http://144.92.121.201/whsexhibit

The Aztlanahuac Mesoamerica in North America Exhibit

"About the Aztlanahuac exhibit"

The historic UCLA Mesoamerica in North America exhibit from April 1-July 15 2004 was completely successful. The exhibit will shortly travel to other cities nationwide. For more info on this, contact us at: Aztlanahuac@aol.com or 608-238-3161. (It was exhibited at UW-Madison in 2005 and is scheduled to be exhibited in Mexico City in 2006.

Here is an explanation regarding the research behind the project and exhibit.

The Story of Maps: Mesoamerica in North America

By Roberto Rodriguez & Patrisia Gonzales



Introduction: Origins/Migrations

Our investigation of historic and ancient maps of the continent began several years ago, when counselor/instructor Frank Gutierrez at East L.A. College passed on to us a small section of the 1847 Disturnell Map (1)). We initially did not ask him where he obtained it, though later, when we decided to investigate, he told us that a Hopi
elder, Thomas Banyacya (2), had passed it on to him a generation ago at a gathering where native peoples were examining the importance of the Treaty of Guadalupe to native peoples of the continent. The map contained a type-written note on the map highlighting two sites. One notes that the "Moquis (Hopi) have been independent since 1680." (3) The other one points to the "Antigua Residencia de los Aztecas" or ancient homeland/residence of the Aztecs -- located north of the Hopi. (4) The map intimated -- in a typewritten note -- that this location was in Arizona.

There is much history regarding both these citations, the history of that map and the events of that gathering. For here, suffice to say that it led us on a journey, initially, simply to find out why an 1847 map maker would place such
information on that map. This led us to begin to look for and eventually find older maps, chronicles and codices with the same or similar information. (5)

Many people assumed that we were looking for Aztlan, "the legendary home of the Aztecs," (6) though truthfully, we were not. What we were intent on doing is a research investigation, thus, we could not begin with a conclusion. What we
were simply and initially looking for was an explanation as to why the Aztec notation appeared on the map. In reality, there are three notations on the map that allude to a southward migration. (7) This search, which took us to many of the sites on these maps, actually led us to a broader origins/migrations search of Uto-Azteca or Uto-Nahuatl peoples. (8) It later even included a broader origins/migrations search (connections) of peoples from Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central and South America -- from Alaska to Chile. (While not our primary focus, in this search, we also came across and continue to come across stories from the South Pacific Islands, from Asia and Africa. (9)

Peoples from many parts of the world have traditions and stories and even documentation that either allude to or speak of contact or trade, purportedly with pre-Columbian America.

What we initially found was quite extensive -- at least 100 maps with similar or related references to an Aztec or ancient Mexican Indian migration. (10)

And unlike what we initially thought, these maps can be found at most major libraries in the United States, such as the Library of Congress, the state
archives in Santa Fe, NM, the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Austin and the Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley. One map, showing an Aztec Pass in Arizona, was found in a Wisconsin Library (11).

In the process, we also examined many hundreds of books and chronicles from the 1800s-1500s (see bibliography), along with pre and post-Columbian codices on the subject. Again, unlike what we initially thought, a great many of these books and chronicles (in addition to the maps) specifically point to what is today the Greater Southwest and to other points in the Americas. For example,
in Crónica Mexicayotl (1576), Fernando Alvarado Tezozomoc, specifically identifies New Mexico as the point of origin of his ancestors. (12)

Yet, during this search, we came to realize that the subject of origins and migrations is a deeply philosophical/spiritual subject. As such, that's why the search broadened. Perhaps what we found is the opposite of what we was expecting.

Rather than an obscure subject, it's been studied by many hundreds of scholars throughout the centuries. Additionally, this search became not simply about north-south connections, but of connections between all the peoples of the Americas.

This is what necessarily made this search broader than one point of origin, ie, the “Antigua residencia de los Aztecas” site on the 1847 Disturnell map. (The research here, similar to the UCLA exhibit, presents only a small part of these
findings). While a large and major exhibit, the actual findings can easily fill a wing of a museum, if not an entire museum itself.) In truth, we learned much more when we began to conduct interviews of elders from the north & south -- some our own relatives and relations. (13) Much of what we've learned is deeply embedded in
memory, in stories, song, dance, ceremony, on petroglyphs and even in the foods we eat. Especially in the foods we eat.

(We will deal with this more in the future, but our research has taken us (RR) in this direction... not in search of more maps, but on the trail of maize and other related crops, such as beans and squash (The Three Sisters). We consider that (as arbitrary as though it may be) the origins of the Uto-Nahuatl peoples and the origin of all the corn-based cultures of the continent.)

About the Map. Chronicles & Codex Research

Initially, in doing the research, the intent was not to draw conclusions or to interpret the maps & writings related to the subject of origins/migrations.

That would necessarily have to come much later. However, even at this stage, it’s difficult not to come to some conclusions. Much of this material has generally not been available to the average library-goer, though it is readily available at most major universities nationwide, probably any institution that specializes in the Americas. Never did we assume that the citation was alluding
to Aztlan -- the oft-cited "legendary homeland of the Aztecs," though it was neither discounted either. If anything, what we started with were lots of questions, such as:

* Why is this citation "Antigua Residenia de los Aztecas") seemingly unknown to most people, including researchers, even those that specialize in Chicano Studies and the Treaty of Guadalupe? (14)

* To what is the citation pointing to and is it still there? (15)

* Why don't most people know about this map, considering that it is attached to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

* Is there other related information on this same map? (16)

* Where did the mid-19th century mapmaker get his information?

* Are there other maps with similar information? (see bibliography)

* Are there old books, chronicles or ancient codices that contain this information?
(see bibliography)

* What do native peoples of the region and of (Mexico/Central & South America) have to say about this? (see footnote 13)

We started with these questions, but as we proceeded, the questions multiplied amid voluminous and conflicting and sometimes confusing information. Whatever we've concluded was not on the basis of the map research alone. That doesn’t
mean that we’re unable to draw some conclusions about the research here. For example, based on the research presented here, one can conclude that:

* While the 1847 Disturnell Map and the other earlier maps allude to an "Ancient Homeland of the Aztecs" or the point of origin or departure of the Aztecs/Mexica -- we were only able to turn up one modern U.S. scholar who has ever used the map or these other maps for such a discussion. The one scholar (Joseph P. Sanchez, University of New Mexico, see bibliography) who used them, generally utilized them in a discussion of mythical places in the U.S. Southwest.

* In Chicano/Chicana Studies, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo is central to the discipline, yet in at least 35 years of scholarship, we did not turn up a published discussion by academic scholars of the Disturnell Map relative to the "Antigua residencia de los Aztecas." The same is true of a lack of discussion of any other maps relative to similar information on them. That's not to say they don't exist. (17)

* In a perusal of modern Mexican literature, there is also an absence of a discussion of the Disturnell Map or any other maps relative to the
origins/migrations of the Aztec/Mexica peoples. Most modern Mexican scholars point to the state of Nayarit (see attached maps) as the possible location of the historic/mythic Aztlan, though in reality, many do not discount an earlier point of departure...

For the full-length paper on this topic, go to: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/chavez/Aztlanahuac/index.htm

If you would like the exhibit to come to your community, please contact us at: Aztlanahuac@aol.com or call 608-238-3161.
"Cantos" Book Announcement

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT



Cantos: A Collection of Aztlanahauc Wrtiings

We would like to proudly announce that the long-awaited first of three Aztlanahuac books -- Cantos: A Collection of Aztlanahauc Wrtiings -- is now available. The follwoing is the table of contents.

(Writers/artists not included in this volume most likely will be included in the subsequent volumes.)

Cantos — which was primarily edited by Cecilio Garcia "Xilo" Camarillo — is pure Flor y Canto as it combines art & poetry from different generations.

Please consider ordering this book now as it will be both, a collector's and limited edition, and a great contribution to the field of literature.

To order and receive Cantos: An Anthology of Aztlanahuac Writings, edited by Cecilio Garcia Camarillo)" contact Wings Press http://www.wingspress.com/ or milligan@wingspress.com

Questions regardng any of the projects should be addressed to:
Aztlanahuac@aol.com or call 608-238-3161 or visit its informaitonal website at: http://hometown.aol.com/aztlanahuac/myhomepage/index.html

* If the above links are not active, paste them and send.

Thanks

Roberto Rodriguez & Patrisia Gonzales
Aztlanahuac
& co-editors of Cantos

**************
Cantos Al Sexto Sol: A Collection of Aztlanahauc Wrtiings:
Edited by Cecilio Garcia "Xilo" Camarillo, Patrisia Gonzales & Roberto Rodriguez


A.J., a.k.a. Dreamcatcher, Dream Catchers, Sage and
Medicine Wheels frontis
Roberto Rodríguez, Opening Prayer (in Nahuatl)
Preface

Para Xilo

Delilah Montoya, Photograph - Xilo
Delilah Montoya, Photograph - Garcia-Camarillo family
Juan Felipe Herrera, Poema para Cecilio
Carmen Tafolla, Semillas
Reyes Cardenas, Para Cecilio
Reyes Cardenas, Transcendental Cumbia
Itzolin Garcia, For Cecilio for Cecilio García-Camarillo, Vamanos . . .
Introduction, by Roberto Rodríguez l

Comienzos / Migrations

1847 Disturnell map
1768 Alzate y Ramírez map
Quetzalcoatl, A Prophecy of Peace
Jim Covarubias, Forward to Migrations in Ancient America
Enriqueta Longeaux Vasquez, Chicana Aztlaneca (with trans.)
Juanita Jaramillo Lavadie, Toyita’s Vallero Blankets
Ethriam Cash Brammer, From the Seven Caves
Juan Jose Peña, La raza cósmica
Jaime Chavez, Nacimiento
Manuel Gomez, China
Dorinda Moreno, Ixchel: Goddess of Cozumel
diego davalos, reclaiming our spaces
Richard de Leon, Vamos para el viejo
Leticia Hernández Linares, Odisea
Isaac Saldaña, The People of the Snowy Egret
Inés Hernández-Avila, Mi Entrega / Mi Manifiesto
Olivia Chumacero, Pequeña Ofrenda para Mi Hija
Felipe Galindo Feggo, The Manhattitlan Chronicles
Joe Gabaza, Quezallicoyotl (illustration)

Ancient Memory

Nora Chapa Mendoza, Reclaiming Our Spaces (illustration)
Micki Baldwin, Ancient Mexico and Native American Spirituality
Nancy Ovalle, Mining La Vida: Un Sueño
Sara E. Benitez, I Hear Aztlan Calling
Silvia de la Fuente Mendoza, The Color of My Roots
Chris Abeyta, Llorando al indio dentro de mi
Jacquie Moody, Return
Bobby Gonzalez, A Warrior's Heart
Bob Hadzous, sculpture
Angela Villareal Ratliff, Silenced Storytellers
Susana Sandoval, Hija del Quinto Sol
Reyna Matiz, Desert Daughter, Listen
José Montalvo, Welcome to My New World
María García Tabor, The Sea of Cortez
Michele Lopez-Stafford Levy, Something Racial about Washing Beans
Nephtalí De León, Introduction to Aztlan Reclaimed
Nephtalí De León, Canto Chicano for a New Millennium
Ricardo Sánchez, A donde llegaste
José Montoya, Like Before The War
Renee Fresquez, Native Pride
Abril Andrea Zapata García, Me Llamo Zapata
Patricia Portales, Forgetting How to Say Chanclas in English
Kat Avila, World Without Borders
Kat Avila, Open-Mindedness: A Warrior's Chant
Xavier Garza, The Mexican Crabs Myth
Trinidad V. Sánchez, A Mi Patria
Trinidad Sánchez, Jr., Crossing Rivers
Antonia Darder, ’Rican Woman
Marisol Lydia Torres, Mi Abuelita
Cris Franco, The Cultural Climate

Aztlan

Rosemary Catacalos, Nuestro Dolor
Reymundo Tigre-Pérez, Metamorphosis
Xilo Garcia, Santa Fe
Angela de Hoyos, Viva el mestizaje
Brigid A. Milligan, Soy la pequeña
Joe Olvera, Tonantzin
Carlos Cumpian, Cuento
Carlos Koyokukatl Cortez, Poema por el Día de la Raza
Phil Goldvarg, Tortillas Voladoras
Octavio de la Rosas, Adios a la Migdalia
Valerina Quintana, Chicana Code Switcher
Helen Rael, Of Eyes Brown
Donna Snyder, Coyote
Erika González , In the Darkness of a Moonless World
Tupac Enrique Acosta, Tezcatlalli
Milo Alvarez, The Revolution Has Begun
Shelia Sánchez-Hatch, a dream of bees
Rodney Garza, Mexed Up Mexed-Up Mestizo Mixican
Tammy Gomez, Home Away From Home
eddie raúl navarrete, n aztlan
Sylvia Ledesma, Aztlan
ChUZMA, The Wizard of Aztlan: The Return of Quetzalcoatl

Habla Mi Espiritu

Codex Tolteca-Chichimeca (illustration)
José Flores Peregrino, El Árbol de la Vida
Michael Heralda, A Man who Works the Land
Diana Montejano, Una oración en la tempestad
Suzan Shown Harjo, Songs Who Sing
José Antonio Burciaga, El Credo de Aztlan
Carmen Tafolla, The Storykeeper
Iréne Lara Silva, corazónaztlan
Rudolfo Anaya, In this Earth
Demetria Martinez, Blessing Poem
Jim Sagel, madrugada nuevomexicana
Victoria Garcia-Zapata Klein, Encarnación
Mariposa, Ode to the DiaspoRican
Juan Felipe Herrera, Taking a Bath in Aztlan
Marcos Pizarro, Somos Aztlan
Andrea Serrano Garcia, I belong Anywhere I want to Belong
Andrea Serrano Garcia, Nepantla
Luis Rodríguez, My Name's Not Rodriguez
Naomi Helena Quiñonez, La Diosa in Every Woman
Tony E.A. Mares, Return Home
Guillermo Gomez Peña, The Self-Deportation Project

NOBORDERSNOFRONTERAS

Eugenio Castro, Cyber Vato (Photograph) 244
Guillermo Gomez Peña, Freefalling toward a Borderless Future 245
Tatiana de la Tierra, From the Republic of Generation Ñ 247
M.E. Wakamatsu, Rita Hayworth Mexicana
Alice Aguilar, From a Boxer and a General
Esmeralda Bernal, pardon me, my sisters, there are fronteras
Martín Espada, Heart of Hunger
Jessica Jaramillo, Sounds of El Norte
Yolanda Chávez Leyva: El Regresso
Violeta Ramirez, Dead Taco
Melissa Lozano, My Freedom Song: Wire Skin
Elisa Miranda, Soil of Padres
Ramon Del Castillo, My Journey to Michoacan/From the Same Garden
Lalo Delgado, No Tengo Papeles
Josie Méndez-Negrete, Mojada! Mojada! Mojada!
Shirley Hill Witt, Contemplating Borders
Gilberto Chavez Ballejos and Shirley Hill Witt, an excerpt from
El Indio Jesús
Elaine Romero, Curanderas: Serpents of the Clouds
Leilani Michelle Finau, Go Back and Wake Up

Post Script
The Alurista Interview
The Aztlanahuac Project

Abelardo Lalo Delgado, Carnal (Closing Poem)

------------------



Nationwide

Roberto Rodriguez & Patrisia Gonzales
The Aztlanahauc Project




REGARDING CANTOS: An Anthology of Aztlanahuac Writings (See above Message)


Ordering INFO

ISBN: 0-930324-88-9
Go to:
www.wingspress.com (it 's on the first page of the site with a link to the individual page), or by phone/fax at 210-271-7805. For further info, write Wings: A Literary Press, Bryce Milligan, Publisher/Editor, 627 E. Guenther, San Antonio, Texas 78210 or by e-mail at: milligan@wingspress.com

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan Curriculum

Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan

We Are One

Nosotros Somos Uno



A THEMATIC CURRICULUM

By Roberto Rodriguez

Nov. 2005


PO BOX 5093
Madison, WI 53705

608-238-3161
XColumn@aol.com


THE ANTS OF QUETZALCOATL
The opening begins with ants carrying a kernel of corn. In effect, the entire story is right here: the story of the continent and the history of indigenous knowledge. The ant, particularly in Mesoamerican cultures, represents the means by which the people received Teo Cintli - their sacred maize or corn or sustenance.

It is also important to note that even the very method by which the story is told is contested. First, there is no narrator. The stories themselves are the weave. Each storyteller is the narrator. Each storyteller is the teller of a long ago forgotten tradition or story. The stories is the story. For that, no authority figure is needed to remind the audience of what they have just seen or heard.

Secondly, the ants of Quetzalcoatl are, in effect, the protagonists in this story of origins/migrations and connectedness. It is animals -- in this case insects -- from which humans first learned most everything in matters related to subsistence, survival and sustenance. As such, indigenous knowledge is an unbroken chain of knowledge of millions of years - from plants to animals to human beings. The knowledge referred to is primarily about food, water and medicines.

Featured in the documentary are:

Dolores Huerta, Luis Leal, LaDonna Harris, Ted Jojola, Armando Solorzano, Maestra Angelberta Cobb, Nora Chapa Mendoza, Tupac Enrique, Inez Hernandez, Daniela Conde, Gustavo Gutierrez, Alfredo Figueroa, Enrique & Lucila Maestas, Paola Domingo, Robert Upham, Velia Silva, David Castro, David Lujan, Sylvia Ledesma, Jose Garza, Helga Garza, Celia Perez, Rocky Rodriguez, David Lujan, Fernando Nenadich, Alurista, Olga Gonzalez, Thayrohari, Dennis Reinhartz, Maestro Lauro Tairire, Guillermo Rosette, Arturo Meza, Lorena Montoya, Sara Mendoza, Noenoe Silva, Jose Montoya, Vivian Delgado, Carlos Aceves, Enriqueta Vasquez, Don Aurelio, Maestro Tata Cuaxtle, Yolanda Broyles Gonzalez. The documentary also features the music of Joanne Shenandoah, Aztlan Underground, Leilani Finau, El Vuh, Will Harjo, Michael Heralda, Martin Espino and Irma Cuicui Rangel. And the artwork of Pola Lopez, Laura Rodriguez, Nora Chapa Mendoza, Paz Zamora & Marcela Garcia.

The Nahuatl narration is done by Paola Domingo of Cuentepec, Morelos…. And playing themselves, the ants or Las Hormigas de Quetzalcoatl.


AMOXTLI SAN CE TOJUAN
THEMATIC CURRICULUM
Introductory Essay

The Amoxtli San Ce Tojuan documentary is in English and Spanish with Nahuatl introductions to each section. Its focus is the origins/migrations and connections of the indigenous peoples of the continent. Specifically, it also challenges the traditional views of mestizaje or racial mixture on this continent.

The documentary has a unique format in that it is not chronological, sequential or linear. It is a collection of stories from peoples from throughout the continent with the added feature that it has no narrator – no one to interpret or tell us what we are seeing or hearing. Peoples from throughout the continent can and do speak for themselves.



THE SAN CE TOJUAN CURRICULM



1) Going Back

Throughout the documentary - both in narrative and song - the concept of Going Back is addressed. In the United States, this is uttered disparagingly and directed at people from Mexico, Central and South America. Based on our knowledge of maize and the Uto-Nahuatl language family, this notion appears to be nonsensical and ahistorical as many of those peoples do in fact have ancestral roots in what is today the United States or at least passed through there at one point.

a) Do you believe the idea of "Go back" is grounded in history, science or politics?
b) Scientists believe that all human beings have origins in what is today Africa. Is this where everyone is supposed to go back to?
c) Where does the notion of "Go back" fit?
d) This phrase is also often hurled at American Indians, African Americans, Puerto Ricans and Asian Americans. What do you think motivates those who do this hurling?

2) No narrator

San Ce Tojuan does not utilize a narrator. Additionally, it is non-linear in developing the primary argument.

a) Do you believe this unorthodox style works?
b) Narrators normally guide the viewer. Why do you believe the creators of the documentary elected not to employ a narrator?
c) The documentary is a collection of stories regarding origins, migrations and connections between the peoples of the Americas. Do the stories create an effective narrative regarding these topics?
d) Being that there is no narrator, do you believe the creators of the documentary intended for viewers to reach their own conclusions?

3) One America or two?

Some peoples use the indigenous terms Pacha Mama (Quechua – South America), Turtle Island (American Indians) or Cemanahuak (Nahuatl) to refer to the Americas. In western culture, North and South America are viewed by geographers as two continents. Yet the division traditionally has not been in Central America, but with Mexico.

A) Why do you believe divisions between the north and south begin with Mexico and not in Central America?
B) Despite language and cultural divisions, many people do not see a division and see the Americas as one continent. Is that possible?
C) The view of America as one continent - does that speak to peoples or to a land mass?

4) Aztlanahuac: Mesoamerica in North America

The map exhibit consists of some 200 maps with names or citations of name places that allude to a Mesoamerican presence in the U.S.

a) While many historians have long rejected the idea of a Mesoamerican presence in what is today the U.S., what accounts for these names on these maps, spanning the 1800s-1500s.
b) Why do you believe the literature on the topic of southern connections and relationships [between North & South America] does not mention these public maps?
c) Virtually all the maps are post-Colombian in origin. Does it mean there is no credible indigenous information on these maps?
d) Many historians say that it was U.S. archeologists who created the notion that the Aztecs had been all over the United States. If these maps predate the existence of the United States, and they do, what can we conclude from this?

5) Sacred Geography/Indigenous Geography

Many native peoples continue to view the continent as indigenous.

a) With the advent of European colonialism, America was seen as no longer indigenous. Despite this, is it still possible to view the entire continent as indigenous?
b) Virtually all those interviewed view their roles as stewards of the continent, not its owners. Considering that most are indigenous, how does this contrast with modern views of private property?
c) This view of being stewards, as opposed to owners, extends to the entire planet. Is that still feasible in today's globalized world?

6) Teo Cintli: Sacred Maize - Story of the continent

While in the process of creating the documentary, the producers were initially investigating old maps that indicated a Mesoamerican presence in what is today the United States. But as they pursued their research, they were continually told to follow maize.

a) Why is maize important to the continent?
b) Maize is not the oldest crop in the Americas, yet it is considered the root of the culture for many of the ancient cultures of this continent. Why do you believe this is so?
c) Scientists believe that rather than naturally evolving, maize was created by native peoples in Southern Mexico. Might this explain why it is held in such high regard?
d) After its creation, maize spread throughout the continent to all but the coldest regions of the Americas. How did this development change the face of the continent? How did it alter peoples' lives?
e) Maize is grown throughout the continent along with beans and squash. Together these crops provide a nutritious diet. Do you believe that this combination was arrived at accidentally?
f) In many places, chile, which is also very high in vitamin C, is also grown along with maize. Why do some farmers grow maguey in their milpas or cornfields in Mexico?

7) "The search of Aztlan."

The focus of this project [including the documentary], has never in fact been the search for Aztlan, the purported homeland or point of departure of the Aztec/Mexica. Instead, those involved set out to find out why the 1847 Disturnell map (attached to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) contained a reference to an "Antigua Residencia de los Aztecas.” This citation is near what appears to be the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers in Utah. The research turned up older maps that pointed to the Great Salt Lake. The epic migration story of the Aztec/Mexica was that the people had left from an island in a lake, somewhere north of Mexico City-Tenochtitlan. Being that there are islands in Salt Lake, this may have caused early cartographers (1728, Barreiro) to associate Salt Lake (with the assistance of indigenous "informants') with Aztlan. Despite the maps pointing in this direction, the documentary does not make the claim that Aztlan has been found. Other maps indicate that the references may have been Aztec NM or Mesa Verde, Colorado ((1845, Conde). Some researchers have in fact looked for and make claims to have located Aztlan either in Utah or Mexico. The actual Aztlan story (Sahagun & The Florentine Codex version) is that of a larger migration which includes peoples coming from across the oceans, landing near what is today the Panuco River (Tamualipas). Half the people go south and the other half go north. It is these peoples that went north (after many, many hundreds of years) that in stages later migrated south.

When Europeans first came upon the Aztecs/Mexica, they asked them about their origins and were purportedly told about having come from seven caves, somewhere in the north (not in contradiction with larger migration story). This seemingly was conflated with stories regarding “The seven Cities of Gold.” When explorers failed to find these mythical cities, the story of the seven caves was also discarded.

During the 1960s, Chicanos began to also conflate the idea of Aztlan with the entire Southwest – land that had previously been Mexico’s.

a) While no gold was found (when the explorers went searching for the seven cities of gold), why was the idea of the seven caves also relegated to the status of hoax?
b) In the story of the Aztlan migration – usually the earlier part of the migration story is not retold (coming from across the oceans). Why do you think this part of the story is generally ignored?
c) When the early explorers first came, most believed that all native peoples were part of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Why do you think they (especially the priests) believed this?
d) How credible are the post-Columbian codices that speak of origins/migration stories? Have they been contaminated by bias?
e) Why do you believe Chicanos also conflated the idea of the lands lost by Mexico with Aztlan.

8) Deindigenization

The era of first contact has been characterized as conquest and colonization. Along with the colonization came Christianization or evangelization. Not explained as much is the concept of de-ingenization – de-indigenization of the peoples and the continent itself.

a) What does de-indigenization mean in reference to peoples and the continent?
b) Were Europeans successful at both?
c) Is de-indigenization an irreversible process?
d) Can the continent be re-indigenized or indigenized?
e) On top of de-indigenization, peoples were also dehumanized. Is rehumanization necessary and possible or no longer relevant today?
g) Rather than re-humanization, is humanization desirable?
h) How does one define humanization or what are the characteristics that define [good] human beings?

9) Uto-Nahuatl or Uto-Azteca peoples

Linguists have long known that many peoples -- from Canada to Central America -- are part of a language family group known as Uto-Azteca or Uto-Nahuatl.

a) Why do you suppose this is not more widely known by the general population?
b) Taking into consideration that peoples on this continent were generally isolated (according to scientists) from the rest of the world, can we draw any conclusions about this language family?
c) The Nahuatl language was considered a lingua franca or common trade language among many peoples on the continent. Might this account for knowledge of this language among peoples from Canada to Central America.
d) Might the fact that this language family exists mean that all the peoples may have at one point been related?
e) Can the peoples that are part of this language family group still be considered to be related?
f) Some say that the reason there is knowledge of Nahuatl among peoples from Canada to Central America is not because of ancient connections, but rather because the Spaniards brought Nahuatl-speaking peoples with them on their northern explorations. Is this a plausible explanation and does this preclude a prior knowledge of Nahuatl among these peoples?

10) Myths of Mestizaje

Jack Forbes, foremost American Indian scholar has always noted that the whole world is mestizo. Yet, only peoples from Mexico, Central and South America are generally perceived to be mestizo or of mixed origin (metis in Canada). As part of this view, mestizos are generally perceived to be of mixed Indian-European heritage. While its true that these peoples are generally mixed, what’s also true is that this mixture is not in fact half and half. The root for most mestizos remains indigenous and the mixture most likely includes as much if not more African blood than European as more Africans came to the Americas (including Mexico) than Europeans (Gonzalo Aguirre Beltran). Additionally, the concept of mestizo during the colonial period was part of a much larger system of racial categorization involving mostly European males and native and African women. (Through much of history, mixture of Indian or African males with European women was either illegal or greatly discouraged). This system was not put in place as a form of census, but for the purpose of exploitation.

a) Why are only peoples from the Americas considered mixed?
b) Does the concept of mestizo imply: “not a complete human being,” half breed or mongrel?
c) If the mixture of Indian/African men with European women was greatly discouraged, why is mestizaje considered consensual?
d) Mestizos are traditionally viewed as peoples who did not exist prior to European arrival (assuming there was no prior contact). This view holds that these peoples’ histories begins no earlier than 1492. Another view of mestizaje is that mestizos have histories that go back thousands of years to both sides of the oceans. Is this a valid view?
e) If being mixed does not preclude one [Forbes, Aztecas del Norte] from being indigenous, why do you believe that people of Mexican descent in the United States are viewed as alien?
f) If being mestizo connotes at least being part Indian [the root being indigenous], why are they viewed as “non-Indian?”
g) Why do mestizos traditionally reject their indigenous roots?

11) Indigenous Citizenship

Native peoples in the Americas traditionally claim a citizenship or relationship to a tribe or nation [particularly within the United States]. The tribe or nation is usually associated with a place [homeland]. Such a claim is usually not made by de-indigenized peoples [many of whom are mestizos], particularly those that have been historically displaced.

a) Assuming that the entire continent remains indigenous, is it foreseeable that a claim to a broader indigenous citizenship by both indigenous and de-indigenized peoples can be made in the future?
b) How/when did the continent cease being indigenous?
c) What does it mean [today] to claim the entire continent – from Alaska to Chile – as indigenous?
d) To claim indigenous citizenship – does it conceivably mean to claim special rights or to literally claim the land itself?

12) The master narrative

The master narrative of this country tells the story of a peoples’ [Pilgrims] arriving on these shores, having a Thanksgiving dinner, then civilizing the land and its peoples, then moving westward. The documentary challenges that simplistic, but well-worn story of the settling of this continent by reminding the viewer that there were many peoples and civilizations for thousands of years, prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims.

a) In this master narrative, why does the story of this continent generally begin with the arrival of Europeans?
b) In this master narrative, the story prior to Columbus generally does not involve names of people, peoples or the thousands of cities they built over a span of 20,000 – 40,000 years. What do you attribute this to?
c) Despite this tens of thousands of years of presence on this continent, does the story of this continent begin with humans?
d) Do all peoples have the right to create their own narratives, tell their own stories and tell them in their own ways?
e) Does this right, given that these peoples are alive, include the right to create new narratives and tell new stories?




13) San Ce Tojuan – We Are One

The title - San Ce Tojuan – was collectively chosen. It means We Are One – Nosotros Somos Uno. It was a phrase that that many of the people kept repeating over and over. No one said: We native people are one, though a few did speak of the continent and all its people being one. We added Amoxtli to the title because it means book or painted book (codex). Thus, this work is Amoxtli: San Ce Tojuan.

a) Do you believe that when the phrase San Ce Tojaun or We Are One is repeated, is it limited to the indigenous peoples of the continent, all peoples of the continent or all human beings?
b) Do you think it may also allude to all living beings – all life?
c) Does life include living and non-living things?
d) Why do you believe the documentary is referred to as an amoxtli or a modern codex?

14) El Norte

Many Mexicans, Central and South Americans don’t see their trek as returning to their homelands, but simply going to El Norte for reasons of survival. Many of those that come north are de-indigenized. Despite this trek north, many do not see themselves as aliens. For many, the claim to indigeneity is based not on the fact that the U.S. Southwest at one point was a part of Mexico, but because they in fact are at least part [the root, in many cases] native.

a) Some people are bothered by the fact that after centuries of forced denial, many peoples from the south are claiming or reclaiming their indigenousness. Some people claim that only U.S. federally recognized tribal members can claim indigenousness. Can peoples without federal recognition [or not viewed by authorities as indigenous] claim indigeneity?
b) Many peoples (Velia Silva) tell of stories of native peoples escaping the reservation system, thus never having been registered as American Indians. Should these peoples need authentication from the U.S. federal government to be considered American Indians or indigenous?
c)) The peoples in the documentary [many from the south] generally claim an indigeneity to the land [to the whole continent], but generally don’t claim a land title. Why do you believe this is so?
d) Wy are western governments in the position to authenticate indigeneity and why do they seemingly have limited and limiting views of who constitutes indigenous?

15) Mujeres en el documental
Women in the Documentary


The women in the documentary are featured prominently. At least half of the interviewees are women. They are strong and as Patrisia Gonzales (co-producer of San Ce Tojuan) notes, not so much concerned about the physical land, but about how we treat each other as human beings.


a) What does Gonzales mean when she says that women have the ability to make anywhere home?
b) Inez Hernandez speaks of women being taken advantage of when they thirst for indigenous knowledge and spirituality. Her advice is for young women not to lose their common sense in this pursuit. What does common sense mean?
c) Even though the message is most important, why is it also important for women to be featured prominently and to be seen and heard in at least equal numbers in the documentary?
d) Noenoe Silva of Hawaii speaks of the importance of stories. What stories do women share here that could not have been shared by men?
e) What stories do women possess, that men generally do not possess in any culture?
f) In our modern western culture, traditional more often than not connotes something retrograde and patriarchal. In many indigenous cultures, does preserving traditional ways and knowledge connote the same thing?







MAP EXHIBIT BACKGROUND:

Aztlanahuac: Mesoamerica in North America Map Exhibit
The documentary is part of a larger research effort which includes a historic map exhibit (UCLA, 2004, and UW-Madison, 2005, National Museum of Contemporary Cultures, Mexico City, 2006). The exhibit includes a historic exhibit of 19th-16th century maps that allude to an ancient Mesoamerican presence in what is today the U.S.

Highlights

1847 Disturnell Map
This map, which is attached to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe, shows three migration points depicting a southerly migration route beginning in Utah, including an “Antigua Residencia de los Aztecas” - Ancient residence of the Aztecs. It also shows that the Hopi have been independent since 1680.

1804 Humboldt Map
This map depicts the same three migration points, plus a fourth, more northern one, pointing to Teguayo or the Salt Lake region as the point of departure of ancient Mexican Indians. Humboldt purportedly made his observations based on ancient pre-Columbian codices.

1768 Alzate Map
This map depicts the same four migration points as depicted on the Humboldt Map. It is also purportedly based on codices.

1728 Barreiro Map
This is the oldest post-Columbian map which depicts the four migration points of ancient Mexican Indians found in later maps. Some sources also point to this region as a former home for people from Central and South America also.

1569 Camocio Map
Several maps associate TOLM. with Teguayo. TOLM. is generally found in the present-day U.S. Southwest on 1500s-1600s era maps. Several maps, including the 1569 Camocio map, show its full spelling as Tolman, which is purportedly associated with the Toltecs.

1562 Gutierrez Map
This map, considered the first fully illustrated map of the continent, depicts the city of “Chicana” at the mouth of the Colorado River.

My Favorite Links

Wings Press
Gonzales/Rodriguez Page
Column of the Americas