The Feather Crown

Ayocuan, Nahua poet, c. 1490

2011-06-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Will I have to go like the flowers that perish?
Will nothing remain of my name?
Nothing of my fame here on earth?
At least my flowers, at least my songs!
Earth is the region of the fleeting moment.
Is it also thus in the place
where in some way one lives?
Is there joy there, is there friendship?
Or is it only here on earth
we come to know our faces?

- Ayocuan, Nahua poet, c. 1490
(León-Portilla 1969:81-82).

Source

Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin

2011-05-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin

In 1502 ce Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin (*1467–†1520 ce, a.k.a. ‘Montezuma II’) was elected ‘great commander’ of Tenochtitlan by the Aztec imperial council and he accordingly obtained the honorary title ‘lord of the Colhua’. When the Spanish conquerors appeared in the coastal waters of Mexico, he was the main ruler of the Aztec Empire, which included several Mexican nations. Unlike the literal meaning of his name — ‘he who makes himself ruler by his rage, the honoured young one’ — would suggest, Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin wasn't a forceful leader. He tried to prevent Spanish predominance by giving the conquerors a warm welcome. This approach didn't work. He allowed the Spaniards to take him hostage and he tolerated humiliation. As a result he lost the support of his subjects. Short after his death (it remains unclear who's responsible for the murder) Tenochtitlan was completely destroyed and the Aztec Empire came to an end. This tragic story is explained on the basis of Aztec sources by Van Zantwijk.

How should we picture the appearance of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin? Bernal Díaz del Castillo was one of the Spanish conquerors and he met Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin in person. He left us a (for that matter not very significant) description of a medium-sized, slender man, with half-long hair and a thin beard. An oil painting from the sixteenth century ce gives us an image of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin through European eyes. The portrait was certainly not painted from life and the clothes were interpreted in a European way. The illustrations in the so-called Codex of Florence and Codex Mendoza were made by Aztecs (or rather ‘indigenous Mexicans’). Though these illustrations were made relatively soon after the Spanish conquest, it's clearly visible that they've already been influenced by European image culture. Nevertheless, these sources are unambiguous about the (presumable) appearance of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin: he wore a ‘crown’ that was tied round the head and which had been provided with a point upwards at the front, a cloak that was tied on the shoulder and that reached beyond the knees, a loincloth, sandals, and jewels on the arms and legs. On some of the illustrations he's represented with a short beard.

Which style was generally accepted at the time of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin? Much of the pre-Spanish Aztec culture has been destroyed. Therefore, we must focus on the Mixtec handwritings from South Mexico. These can't be considered as representatives of the Aztec image culture for sure. It is plausible, however, that the style characteristics of the Mixtec handwritings were widespread in pre-Spanish Mexico. In the fifteenth century ce the Mixtecs were included in the Aztec Empire and many of the Mixtec image conventions are to be recognized in the Mexican codices from as late as the early Spanish period — in a more European form though (like in the Codex Mendoza). Even deep in the sixteenth century ce, in a single case (the Codex Selden), the pure Mixtec style was reused. The Mixtec style consists of stylized and standardized images. They are firm drawings with black lines and solid colour areas in a limited number of colours: mainly tints of ochre, completed with dark red, mint green and grey. Human figures are represented in side view and the faces don't show any individual features. The proportions of the human body are far from realistic and especially the head is too large. Perspective and depth are completely absent.

The next details were included in the reconstructed portrait. The pointed crown, knotted cloak, loincloth, and sandals appear on the images of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin in the Codex of Florence and Codex Mendoza. The decorations on the arms and legs are visible on the oil painting, but they are also customary in the Mixtec handwritings. The feather head ornament that has been tied in the hair is a detail that's so characteristic for the Mixtec style, it would be unnatural to leave it out — even though it isn't known from sources concerning Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. The ear jewel on the oil painting seems to be authentic, because it also appears in the Mixtec handwritings. The face is standard and impersonal, consistent with the Mixtec style. The only personal touch is the beard, which is mentioned by Bernal Díaz del Castillo and which is visible in both the Codex of Florence and Codex Mendoza. The official position of Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin — ‘great commander’, huey tlatoani in Nahuatl — is expressed in two details. The talking cloud near the mouth, or ‘speech scroll’, like a question mark without its point, indicates human speech. At the same time this is a symbol for authority, as tlatoani literally means ‘he who speaks’. In addition, the hand that points down expresses an order or request, or the ability to order — i.e. authority. Both details are image conventions of the Mixtec handwritings. Finally, the reed mat on which Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin is standing was added to the reconstruction for decorative reasons only.

SOURCE

Nimexikatl!!!

2011-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Nimexikatl!!! - I am Mexikatl!!
By Kurly Tlapoyawa

In recent years, I have noticed that many Chicano-Mexicanos appear antagonistic and resentful towards those who identify themselves as "Mexikah." Instead of engaging in a meaningful discussion regarding this identity, opponents of the Mexikah identity often resort to launching slurs and insults at those they disagree with. To the "anti-Mexikah" group, it seems that having a different perspective or opinion than their own is somehow inherently wrong and deserving of attack. I believe that these attacks stem from a basic misunderstanding of what the Mexikah identity truly means.

Historically speaking, the Mexikah identity is relatively young. It wasn't until after leaving Aztlan in the year Ze Tekpatl (1064 AD) that the followers of Mexihtli-Witzilopochtli adopted the name "Mexikah" in order to identify themselves as the followers of Mexihtli. Strictly speaking, the Mexikah identity is not restricted to any specific Indigenous ethnic group or pueblo - history shows this to be true. It is used to describe those who have chosen to follow a specific path. It is this path, known as Mexikayotl ("the essence of being Mexikah") which the people of Mexihtli have dedicated themselves to following. Just as a follower of Zapata is a Zapatista and a follower of Magon is a Magonista, a follower of Mexihtli is a Mexikah. How this basic fact has become cause for public derision and misguided attacks is beyond me.

There are even those who mistakenly believe that the struggle of Mexikayotl somehow started in the United States with organizations such as the Mexika Eagle Society and Mexica Movement, and that those who refer to themselves as Mexikah are restricted to these two organizations. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The Mexikah identity experienced a widespread resurgence in Mexico when archaeologist Eulalia Guzman discovered the location of Kuauhtemok’s remains in 1949. The discovery of Kuauhtemok’s tomb, which had been concealed by Spanish priests at the XVI century Santa Maria de la Asuncion Church in Ixcateopan, Guerrero provided the needed spark for the revitalization of the Mexikah identity.

It was Kuauhtemok who served as the last Tlahtoani of Mexiko-Tenochtitlan, leading the final defense of the city against the Spanish invaders in 1521. Shortly before the fall of Tenochtitlan, Kuauhtemok issued a mandate for future generations of Anawakah, calling upon all of us to preserve and guard our traditions and history. This mandate has become the cornerstone and rallying cry of the Mexikah identity. Enslaved after the fall of Tenochtitlan, Kuauhtemok was put to death by order of Hernan Cortez in February 28, 1525.

It is my assertion that by claiming a Mexikah identity, you are not rejecting your Raramuri, Tlaxkalteka or Otomi ethnic heritage. Instead, you are embracing a living philosophy which represents our collective cultural heritage as Anawakah people. Whereas philosophies such as Mestizaje, Hispanidad, and Raza Cosmica seek to eliminate and reject our Indigenous cultural heritage, Mexikayotl and Anawakayotl are philosophies which embrace this heritage and actively promote our decolonization as Indigenous people.

I think the fact that the Mexikah identity does not pertain to a specific ethnic group can be made clear by examining the following question: were the followers of Zapata (Zapatistas) all ethnic Tlahuica from the pueblo of Anenecuilco? Of course, the answer is no. The Zapatistas were comprised of Indigenous people from various pueblos and ethnic groups. One might argue that to be a "true" Zapatista you had to follow Zapata himself, and since he is no longer present in physical form, you cannot be a Zapatista. Such "logic" is merely an attempt to discredit the present day Zapatistas - who themselves come from various Indigenous pueblos. Likewise, the followers of Mexihtli (Mexikah) are Indigenous people who come from various pueblos and ethnic groups - just as they did in the past. It is our common desire to unite as Anawakah and struggle for the liberation of our people which draws us to the Mexikah cause and the struggle of Mexikayotl. Just as the Zapatistas were (are) made up of various pueblos struggling under the unifying banner of Zapatismo, the Mexikah are made up of various pueblos struggling under the unifying banner of Mexikayotl.

History shows us that since the very beginning, the Mexikah were a multi-ethnic coalition united by their common vision. After all, it was eight distinct pueblos who initially participated in the migration from Aztlan, guided by Mexihtli-Witzilopochtli. In fact, if you were to visit the Zocalo in Mexiko-Tenochtitlan on any given weekend, you could see for yourself as Totonako, Mixteka, Chontal, Purepecha, Tlaxkaltekah and others gather as a united Mexikah front. This beautiful display of Indigenous unity is proof that the followers of Mexihtli remain a multi-ethnic Indigenous nation to this day. There are those who think that by promoting Mexikayotl as a unifying movement, we are attempting to “assimilate” distinct Indigenous ethnic groups into a generic “Mexikah” mold. A sort of “brown melting pot” if you will. This, of course, is entirely wrong. Mexikah exists as an identity for those who wish to embrace it - nobody is being forced to identify as Mexikah. Nor is anyone expected to reject or supplant their ethnic pueblo with another. Mexikayotl is a proud declaration that we will back eachother up as Indigenous people. It is a means by which we can come together to defend the sovereignty of Indigenous people as a unified force.

One could argue against this I suppose, but the fact remains that individuals already exist who speak their pueblo’s language, practice their pueblo’s traditions and retain the identity of their specific ethnic group - yet they also happen to identify as Mexikah and actively participate in Mexikayotl. This is a fact. It is already happening and is working quite well. No assimilation or loss of sovereignty has resulted from participating in Mexikayotl. Those who continue to intellectualize and argue against this fact are fighting an uphill battle of trying to prove something wrong which has already been proven correct. In fact, they are creating the very division which they claim Mexikayotl would be responsible for.

Mexikayotl is a multi-ethnic Indigenous philosophy which actively promotes the collective cultural heritage of Anawak as a true alternative to the colonialist occupation of our traditional lands. Mexikayotl provides a complete alternative to the repressive conditions we currently live under in the United States and throughout occupied Anawak. Since Mexikayotl promotes the collective cultural heritage of Anawak, it serves as a complete and viable system of economics, communal labor, collective decision making, education, warfare, science, cosmology, arts, food, and law. It is a complete social system based on equality and respect which was developed through the greatness of OUR ancestors and which reflects OUR cultural heritage. Mexikayotl eliminates the need to attach ourselves to foreign concepts and ideologies such as marxism, socialism, anarchism, and feminism - no matter how "revolutionary" they may claim to be.

Mexikayotl serves as a powerful tool of decolonization and empowerment, as it allows those who do not know which specific pueblo they come from to embrace an Indigenous identity and partake in the struggle for our land, liberty and cultural survival. Unfortunately, many of our people have been disconnected from their Anawakah cultural heritage as a result of 500+ years of imperialism and racism. The Mexikah identity provides a way of escaping this condition. Like "Zapatista," it is a term which carries profound significance. Also, those who follow Mexikayotl do not look down upon those Indigenous people who may be of mixed biological background. The concept of “Mestizaje” and the “Mestizo” are inventions of European imperialists who sought a way to divide the Indigenous people of Anawak and play us against eachother. Mexikayotl soundly rejects this paternalistic and divisive tool of internal colonization.

It is often said that "it does not matter what terms we use to call ourselves, since they are only labels." This is perhaps the weakest argument one could make, as it displays a high level of historical and societal ignorance. Obviously, there is a deep rooted psychological connection between what a person is called and their self-image. What we choose to call ourselves matters a great deal - labels carry deep meaning when associated with identity.

Unfortunately, many of our people have chosen to base their cultural identities on the Spanish language rather than their Indigenous heritage. They will proudly exclaim "I am Spanish!" because they think that speaking a certain language is reflective of their ethnicity. In the case of colonialist languages such as Spanish, nothing could be further from the truth. (Imagine American blacks declaring themselves to be English simply because they speak English). To be fair, it's not entirely our people's fault that this way of thinking continues to permeate our communities. After all, the methods of colonialism and demographic genocide employed by the invaders of these lands have distorted how we view ourselves and retarded our growth as a cohesive Indigenous people. The labels "Hispanic," “Latino," "Hispano" and “Indo-Hispano” were created and forced upon our people as a means of manipulating us into rejecting our Indigenous heritage and identifying as foreigners - even in our own traditional lands.

It should be noted that Mexikayotl and the Mexikah identity are not to be confused with Indigenismo. In fact, Mexikayotl is the ultimate rejection of Indigenismo. Initiated in the early twentieth Century in Mexico, Indigenismo is an oppressive ideology led by paternalistic non-Natives who desire to "improve" the lives of their countries' Indigenous people by assimilating them into the "national culture." Author Jorge Alejandro Ovando Sanz wrote in his book "Indigenismo" that "Indigenismo is the theory of members of the Latin American oligarchy to stop and repress the indigenous peoples' liberation movement." This sentiment is echoed by Indigenous delegates gathered at the Second Conference of Indian Nations and Organizations of South America in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, in 1983. Those at the conference stated that "Indigenismo must be rejected because it corresponds to the ideology of oppression." While Indigenismo stems from a racist non-Native perspective, Mexikayotl remains a movement which comes FROM Indigenous people and which serves the best interests OF Indigenous people in regards to decolonization and liberation.

It is my belief that by engaging in the struggle of Mexikayotl, we can undo the destructive effects of imperialism and racism, and work towards a society based on freedom, equality and respect. A society in which we can live with dignity and honor - where our cultural heritage is reflected in every aspect of our daily lives. It is this very struggle which I have dedicated myself to, and it is for this reason that I proudly declare: Nimexikatl!!! I am Mexikatl!!!

SOURCE

Maya Ruler Pakal II may have had another son

2011-03-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

The reintegration of two fragments of a glyphic text into the northern tablet of the Temple of the Sun sanctuary in Palenque, have led Mexican archaeologists to conclude that Pakal II may have had another son.

Pakal II. Photo: Travis S., Flickr

The fragments which disappeared due to looting in the early 20th century, were recovered in 1993 by archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez and were recently incorporated back into the northern tablet. Epigraphist, Guillermo Bernal Romero, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was then called in to help with a revised interpretation.

The tablet marks the date when Palenque forces invaded the city of Po’ (Tonina) “by the work” of its then ruler K’inich Kan B’ahlam, first-born child of Pakal II.

However, “by the work” appears again in the next sentence, of the left column, but this time it refers to a character identified as Wak[…]nal B’ahlam Ch’aaj II Sibik Kan, who is described as the son of Pakal II and lady Tz’ak-b’u Ajaw.

in all the inscriptions at Palenque no other references have been found that mentions this character

The epigraphist explained that in all the inscriptions at Palenque no other references have been found that makes mention of this character. However, he went on to say, “He would not have been the first-born child of Pakal II, because then he would have succeeded his father.”

Another glyphic text indicates that the wife of Pakal II gave birth to 5 children, but only 3 of them are mentioned by name in other inscriptions.

The epigraphist stated that, “Wak[…]nal B’ahlam Ch’aaj Il Sibik Kan is therefore an enigmatic character in the history of Palenque, since there is no other information about him. This register is related to his participation in the military campaign against Tonina in 687.”

“The other possibility is that he is some kind of deity that accompanied K’inich Kan B’ahlam into war against Tonina. The structure of the glyphic text is not common: it says that “the work was done” by the main ruler, but there is no mention of him receiving help. In strictly epigraphic terms, this new character is directly related to the expression “son of K’inich Janaab’ Pakal and lady Tz’ak-b’u Ajaw”, meaning Wak[…]nal B’ahlam Ch’aaj Il Sibik Kan, was a human being, brother of K’inich Kan B’ahlam, but as there is no mention of him anywhere else, the possibility of him being a supernatural entity exists”, concluded Bernal.

SOURCE

Olin Tezcatlipoca San Diego Talk 9-18-10

2011-02-08T16:58:00.000-08:00

This first part covers issues of identity, mixed-blood, concept of Cemanahuac, and an explanation of what is the Mexica Movement and its goals.

New Light on the Ancient Maya (2008)

2011-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

"During the past two decades, discoveries and research by archaeologists, epigraphers, art historians, and natural scientists have changed many of our ideas about the origins and nature of Maya civilization, and the probable causes of its collapse in the 9th century. Examine the profound effect of what has been learned on how we now think about the most complex New World culture.

Michael Coe, Yale University"

Anahuac Mural

2010-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

This site is dedicated to the largest mural celebrating the history and accomplishments of the people of Mexico and "Central America" in Los Angeles. The mural covers over 400 feet of retaining wall surrounding Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights and was painted by Nelyollotl Toltecatl. The Anahuac Mural is a project of the Mexica Movement.

http://www.anahuacmural.org/

OLMECS ARE NICAN TLACA HERITAGE

2010-11-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.mexica-movement.org/

OLMECS ARE NICAN TLACA HERITAGE
Confronting The Racist Afrocentric Attacks On Our Heritage

This discussion is pretty much like the ignorant “debate” on whether evolution is real or whether all of the races of humanity are equal in intelligence.

Ignorant, racist, or stupid ideas like these that question proven facts are usually promoted by people who have not studied the subject and who INSIST on NOT letting facts, truth, logic, or evidence stop them from presenting their “opinions” against evolution or the equality of intelligence in the human race.

The evidence is all in on evolution and on the equality of intelligence in human beings, and on the issue of Olmec civilization having their origins here and not coming from Africa. You would think that would be the end of that. But again, facts, science, evidence, logic, and common sense don’t stop the “Olmecs were African” promoters, not anymore than the “no evolution” and “whites are superior” people.

The problem has to do with the constant publishing of “They Came Before Columbus”, a book that has been debunked, like the “Mayans were people from outerspace” nonsense that Von Daniken promoted in “Chariots of the Gods” in the 60’s and 70’s. And then there was further attacks on our people’s intelligence with “Aztecs were from Atlantis”, The Ten Tribes of Israel founded all the civilizations of “the Indians” (referring to us, they still haven’t figured out that Columbus never reached India). People still insist on calling us Indians. They will NOT let facts get in the way with what they have been told in the schools of white supremacy.

Another face of the many debasings of our heritage is the Carlos Castañeda books which were all proven a fraud. It was in Time Magazine, newspapers around the world. Castañeda made a public apology and confessed his frauds. He confessed after a book was printed showing in detail the fraud of all of the Castañeda books. You would think that that would be the end of that. The problems is that the book proving Castañeda a fraud is out of print, but the Castañeda books are still selling in the millions with people believing every lie to be the truth. New Age desecrations of our theology and culture have been the result of Castañeda’s fraud. He is now dead, but his lies live on as “New Age” because people are ignorant of the fraud he perpetrated.

With Ivan Van Sertima’s book “They Came Before Columbus” we have a similar problem.

This “debate” as it is being called, has an endless list of nonsensical and pseudoscience lies and frauds behind it. But let’s just cut to the chase without taking on the lies one by one. Let’s just use logic.

If West Africans were so great to have taught us civilization, where in west or central or south Africa did they do such great things as our civilizations in B.C. times? There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in B.C. times of any civilization in those areas. For us on our continent we had Supe/Caral (3500 B.C.), Olmec (2300-1800 B.C. beginnings), Zapotec (600 B.C.), Maya (600 B.C.), Teotihuacan (100 B.C). There is ZERO evidence of anything even remotely resembling our civilizations in Africa in B.C times, there were NO CIVILIZATIONS in west-central-south Africa in B.C times.

So let’s move on to the Egyptians, who Afroncentrics claim as part of their heritage. If Egyptians did come to civilize us (for which there is zero proof) why didn't they think West Africans were intelligent enough to bestow their Egyptian influence there in B.C. times on that part of Africa? Why would they come all the way to us when they had all these other people much closer to them? Was there nothing to interest them in the much closer West Africa, South Africa, or Central Africa? But they came all the way to us, to share with us, knowing that we were intelligent enough to start civilizations, with the start up kits they gave us (they must have brought us corn, calendar systems, writing, mathematics, concept zero, theology, and other things that didn't exist anywhere in Africa, but they brought it to us anyway, somehow, but didn’t share it with fellow Egyptians or with the rest of Africa).

Must be true that Egyptians didn't think much of the intelligence of West-Central-South Africans, since not one civilization before B.C. came out of West, Central, or South Africa, and nothing related to Egyptians, not in B.C. times. This is where the ancestors of the people who are trying to steal our Olmec Heritage came from. You can not give what you do not have!

Too bad they can't point to ANYTHING B.C. in their ancestor's lands, that's why they are trying to steal our lands, our heritage, our pride, our humanity. They want our civilization as their claim to some civilization in B.C. times. They want to claim our land, just like the white supremacists want to claim our lands with the proven fake of Kennewick man.

You can look at Moche paintings and assume people from outer space came, by the strange figures on the vases.

You can look at Nasca earth drawings in the desert and also assume outer space because you can only see those images from the sky.

The following is a list of racist thinking “theories” that REFUSES to give our people credit for having created our civilizations out of our own genius. This is a list of the attacks on our intelligence, saying that we were too stupid to invent our own civilizations and to achieve what we achieved.

Atlantis theory, that we are refugees from the continent of Atlantis.
UFO’s theory, that people from outerspace started our civilizations.
Kennewick Man, that white people were here first and that this is their land.
Phoenicians theory, Lost Tribes of Israel theory, Book of Mormon where white people came here first, and that the Chinese and of course the Africans.

We have had to mount this defense of our people because our community was attacked by the Afrocentric racists at the recent LACMA Olmec Exhibit lectures. We of the Mexica Movement were the only people from our community who stood up and spoke against them. There were several Chicano studies professors there that evening. Not one of them stood up to speak up for our people. In fact most of them ran out of the room like chickens when this all broke out. Everyone of the Chicano studies professors refused to defend our people.

The Mexica Movement was the only organization at the LACMA Olmec exhibition lectures, individually or as an organization, to defend our people and to confront this racist attack by Afrocentrics.

SOURCE

Cracking the Maya Code (PBS)

2010-10-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

The ancient Maya civilization of Central America left behind a riddle: an intricate and mysterious hieroglyphic script carved on stone monuments and painted on pottery and bark books. Because the invading Spanish suppressed nearly all knowledge of how the script worked, unlocking its meaning posed one of archaeology's fiercest challenges. Until now.

The Ballgame

2010-09-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

The First Dream Team

The Ballgame was the first organized game in the history of sports. We can see elements of this 3,500-year-old sport in many modern athletic events.

The Game:

The Mesoamerican ballgame was not just an exciting and dangerous sporting competition. It was a complex ritual based on religious belief. The outcome of this game effected the lives of everyone playing and watching. Winner were showered with praise, riches, and the gratitude of the crowd.

Why were the losers killed?

To ancient Mesoamericans, life was an everyday struggle between good and evil. They believed that the only way to keep the sun shinning, crops growing and people healthy was to sacrifice a valuable human being - a ball player.

Human sacrifice didn't happen at every ballgame. Yet this event was important enough to be recorded by several cultures in detailed painting and stone carving known as reliefs.

Pictures and Notes from Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA

Ceremonial Ballgame Yoke

"Yuquitos" or little yokes are so-called because of their resemblance to ballgame yokes in overall shape. Their true function is unknown, although they were used by the Olmec and appear to be associated with Mesoamerican ballgame.
&

Monopla (Stone Hand Grip)
Presumably stone hand and used to propel the ball.

Ballgame Palma in the form of a bird.The Palma is thought to have been worn at the opening of the yoke and was used to propel the ball during the game.

The stone yokes and palmas are believed to have been ceremonial replicas of actual yokes and palmas made of lighter weight materials (leather).

SOURCE

Red Cloud

2010-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Red Cloud
Makhpiya-Luta
(1822-1909)

As a warrior and a statesman, Red Cloud's success in confrontations with the United States government marked him as one of the most important Lakota leaders of the nineteenth century.

Although the details of his early life are unclear, Red Cloud was born near the forks of the Platte River, near what is now North Platte, Nebraska. His mother was an Oglala and his father, who died in Red Cloud's youth, was a Brulé Red Cloud was raised in the household of his maternal uncle, Chief Smoke.

Much of Red Cloud's early life was spent at war, first and most often against the neighboring Pawnee and Crow, at times against other Oglala. In 1841 he killed one of his uncle's primary rivals, an event which divided the Oglala for the next fifty years. He gained enormous prominence within the Lakota nation for his leadership in territorial wars against the Pawnees, Crows, Utes and Shoshones.

Beginning in 1866, Red Cloud orchestrated the most successful war against the United States ever fought by an Indian nation. The army had begun to construct forts along the Bozeman Trail, which ran through the heart of Lakota territory in present-day Wyoming to the Montana gold fields from Colorado's South Platte River. As caravans of miners and settlers began to cross the Lakota's land, Red Cloud was haunted by the vision of Minnesota's expulsion of the Eastern Lakota in 1862 and 1863. So he launched a series of assaults on the forts, most notably the crushing defeat of Lieutenant Colonel William Fetterman's column of eighty men just outside Fort Phil Kearny, Wyoming, in December of 1866. The garrisons were kept in a state of exhausting fear of further attacks through the rest of the winter.

Red Cloud's strategies were so successful that by 1868 the United States government had agreed to the Fort Laramie Treaty. The treaty's remarkable provisions mandated that the United States abandon its forts along the Bozeman Trail and guarantee the Lakota their possession of what is now the Western half of South Dakota, including the Black Hills, along with much of Montana and Wyoming.

The peace, of course, did not last. Custer's 1874 Black Hills expedition again brought war to the northern Plains, a war that would mean the end of independent Indian nations. For reasons which are not entirely clear, Red Cloud did not join Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and other war leaders in the Lakota War of 1876-77. However, after the military defeat of the Lakota nation, Red Cloud continued to fight for the needs and autonomy of his people, even if in less obvious or dramatic ways than waging war.

Throughout the 1880's Red Cloud struggled with Pine Ridge Indian Agent Valentine McGillycuddy over the distribution of government food and supplies and the control of the Indian police force. He was eventually successful in securing McGillycuddy's dismissal. Red Cloud cultivated contacts with sympathetic Eastern reformers, especially Thomas A. Bland, and was not above pretending for political effect to be more acculturated to white ways than he actually was.

Fearing the Army's presence on his reservation, Red Cloud refrained from endorsing the Ghost Dance movement, and unlike Sitting Bull and Big Foot, he escaped the Army's occupation unscathed. Thereafter he continued to fight to preserve the authority of chiefs such as himself, opposed leasing Lakota lands to whites, and vainly fought allotment of Indian reservations into individual tracts under the 1887 Dawes Act. He died in 1909, but his long and complex life endures as testimony to the variety of ways in which Indians resisted their conquest.

SOURCE

DO WE HAVE A FUTURE?

2010-07-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

The future, at present, seems to be based on oil, computers, stock markets and travels to explore space. However, I am concerned with the real future. Fifty years from now, because at the speed we are world powers are depleting the planet from its natural resources, our children and their children will be left on a vast desert. How much more can our planet take? This abuse and contamination that goes on at the expense of progress and financial gain. Mother Earth, your children are, like you, in peril. It is true that most of your children do not care about the brutal rape you are subjected at the hands of careless and greedy industries and governments. It I sad that only a fistful of your children care about you and your future. How can awaken those who are so arrogant as to think that death is so far away or young enough that death cannot reach them?

Never before in the history of humanity such horrendous acts are known to have taken place. It is ironic because at the time when the world inhabitants were considered to be primitive, they took good care of the earth, the place where they live. Now, we are modern. We pride ourselves of the progress in technology and the new inventions and yet, we are now committing unspeakable acts against our world, for the sake of money and progress. We have discarded moral and social responsibilites. We ignore the importance of our spirituality and the obligation we have to future generations. We do not know nor care about our purpose to live our lives and to live them for the one who created us. That was the purpose in life, our sole mission on this earth. Our Old Grandfathers practiced this decree and taught their children to respect and live by it. This spirituality and respect for the planet was well known and practiced in China, Egypt, the Anahuac and other ancient civilizations, but unknown in the "more civilized" countries than the ancient world.

Failure to practice this simply law have resulted in the loss of spiritual values in so many individuals and societies. It is exactly this disregard and respect for our Mother Earth that we do not hesitate to contaminate and abuse the bounty of her womb. This contamination is also within the soul of many individuals who are concern with financial gain and disregard the future, a bleak future , that will affect the lives of others, and strangely enough, the children of the children of those committing such atrocities at this time. Politicians and industries reap financial profit at the expense of others, in this case poor countries whose inhabitants are helpless to prevent the dumping of chemical waste and garbage at their door. These powers do not live themselves in garbage and in dirt, they do not eat in dirty dishes, but they do not hesitate in dirtying their hands and hearts to commit horrendous acts. The little spiritual flame that lives in the heart of the human being, was snuffed by this corruption, greed and disregard for the well being of others. Progress has a price and in poor countries, this price is paid at the expense of so many.

The world powers are aware and acclaim many beautiful places where Nature is still untouched by human hands, but these places are viewed with potential for modern development. These powers see themselves as the rightful owners to do with God’s legacy as they please. These powers claim they trust in God and practice the good faith, but in reality they worship the Goldn Calf and their god is the god of capitalism, industrial dehumanization and the myth of progress. Man’s paradigm in the triumph of modern society is his apology for violence, competition in the business world and indulgence in sensuality and sexuality and the same applies to the modern woman who competes in the business world with men. She is also guilty of material gain, sacrificing motherhood for a better social world. Modern society in this part of the world abandoned the ancient rules and mores for the European approach to life in a world that is viewed as modern and civilized because fashion, business and social development dictate humans how success, fame and money are the most important things in life.

Under the distortion of reality and the manipulation of the truth combined with the lack of interest for the well being of this planet and disregard for the principles and spiritual values that were once practiced by our ancestors, I ask myself, and you, dear reader: Do we still have a future?

SOURCE

American Holocaust: The Destruction of America's Native Peoples

2010-06-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

American Holocaust: The Destruction of America's Native Peoples, a lecture by David Stannard, professor and chair of the American Studies Department at the University of Hawaii. Stannard, author of American Holocaust, asserts that the European and white American destruction of the native peoples of the Americas was the most substantial act of genocide in world history. A combination of atrocities and imported plagues resulted in the death of roughly 95 percent of the native population in the Americas. Stannard argues that the perpetrators of the American Holocaust operated from the same ideological source as the architects of the Nazi Holocaust. That ideology remains alive today in American foreign policy, Stannard avers.

The 31st Annual Vanderbilt University Holocaust Lecture Series, the longest continuous Holocaust lecture series at an American university, takes the theme this year of (over) Sites of Memory and examines places that are infused with memories of genocide and the challenge to find effective ways to honor these memories.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2010-05-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

THE CIVILIZATIONS OF ANAHUAC

Our beginnings as a civilized people began before Rome or Athens were even started, or before any part of Europe was even civilized! Our civilization is over 4,300 years old.

Anahuac was one of only three civilizations in the world that had their own independent origins and development. Anahuac was the civilization of corn. Sumeria was the Middle Eastern civilization of wheat. China was the civilization of rice. There were no other completely original civilizations in human history. All other civilizations of the world are branches of these root civilizations.

We originated our own civilization on our land without the aid or influence of Europe, Asia, Africa, or any other part of the world.

Our Anahuac civilization created and developed magnificence in art and architecture out of our own genius.

We have so much to be proud of as the Nican Tlaca Mexica people of Anahuac, but we remain ignorant of this glory, or we devalue it by our mental enslavement to the Eurocentric thinking that has been forced on us.

Our first Anahuac civilization began around 2300 B.C.(but most likely around 3000 BC) in what today are called the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. This mother-father civilization of Anahuac is called the Olmec.

The importance and antiquity of our Olmec civilization has undergone drastic changes in the last 70 years. For a long time the Maya were considered our oldest civilization (read MEXICO-Coe and MEXICO'S INDIGENOUS PAST-Lopez Austin & Lopez Lujan). From the point Carbon-14 dating was accepted and started being used in 1959, the dates of Olmec origins have been changing. In the last 40 years they have gone from 400 A.D. to 500 B.C., then from 500 B.C. to 1200 B.C., then again from 1200 B.C. to 1500 B.C., then to 1800 B.C., and now 2300 B.C. (Arqueologia Mexicana, October 2002, pushed it to 2500 B.C.).

You will find different dates as you go from history book to archeological book, depending on the year it was printed, the racist interpretation factor, and how well it was researched. Each new well-researched book that comes out pushes the dates of Olmec origins deeper and deeper back into history. The saddest part of the best of these non-Eurocentric books is that they are being written by Europeans or European colonialists. The worst (most racist) books are being written by our own people (in an attempt to please Europeans).

Our origins will be pushed back in time more and more as archeological work progresses. We will learn more about ourselves in the research of the next ten to fifty years than we have known in the last 500 years.

For a long time, our civilizations were looked on as some "tribal" curiosity by Europeans, as if we were nothing of importance, but they couldn't just keep ignoring pyramids larger than those in Egypt and art which was grand and beautiful---by anyone's standards. When the racist Europeans unjustifiably tried to look at us as primitive and uncivilized, it was done so to justify the monstrous acts that their ancestors had committed against us. These crimes against us were crimes which they themselves had documented in their invasion journals. For a long time it was convenient for Europeans to look at us as inferiors, as an irrelevant people. If they kept thinking of us in that way, they wouldn't need to deal with the monstrous crimes that they had committed.

For over 500 years racist interpretations of our Nican Tlaca and Anahuac history and civilizations have held back the importance and the antiquity of our heritage. But slowly things began to change in the last 100 years, and they are still changing.

You need to know that all of our Anahuac civilizations and cultures came out of our Olmec origins which probably began way before 3000 B.C., but for now our civilization has been proven to go back to at least 2300 B.C. in most of the new books.

Our Olmec civilization was based on our development of a scientific approach to the agriculture which brought us corn. There were steps to the development of the science of agriculture. Each step of development brought us closer and closer to building a civilization. It was a long process (starting 8,000 to 9,000 ago).

We began by developing a way to efficiently and dependably feed our people.

In order to be more efficient in growing corn, our ancestors needed to know the best time to plant it and the best time to harvest it. In order to do this we had to develop the concept of time. To do this properly we had to keep records based on our scientific observations of the cycles of the seasons, movements of the sky of the night and of the day, and the nature of the universe. Our written records helped in the development of experiments that improved the quality and size of our corn, while at the same time developing a calendar that would tell us the best time for planting and harvesting all of the agriculture that we were developing.

Our Olmec ancestors developed solutions to many of our problems with the development of the calendar method of tracking time. This scientific research brought about many philosophical questions and answers that brought about our active participation in understanding the cosmology-theology of the Creation that was and is all around us.

The development of the calendar was not magic or belief, it was the scientific development of an instrument with which we could measure time. Our scientific observations gave us astronomically accurate records by which we could refine our calendar. This whole scientific research required astronomers, mathematicians, an education system, and a writing system with which to write down all of the data. This research was gathered over a period of several generations. The information was then charted, evaluated, and tested, to determine the length of the cycle of a year, the cycles of the moon, and all of the other necessary information that gave us a calendar with which to properly measure time. Our obsession with time was initially to make sure that we knew the right time to plant and harvest, but it gave us something much more valuable: knowledge; an education system; and most importantly, it gave us civilization.

The whole development process to secure food sources for our people gave us a calendar. But before we had the calendar we had to develop the new instruments of astronomy, mathematics, and a writing system. Architecture became a by-product of this investment in agriculture and time keeping. Architecture developed out of our need to have fixed observation points: observatories. The architecture of all of our cities eventually became huge instruments for observing the universe.

Our ancestors' concepts of architecture and the city were tied to astronomy, which to us was inseparably tied to theology. Our theology was not a belief system. It was the result of scientific observation and philosophical dialogues through metaphors and art. Our observation buildings became both observatories to view the sky and temples to contemplate (to metaphorically embrace) Our Creator. From those platforms we became obsessive lovers of knowledge and devoted lovers of Our Creator.

Architecture also served the purpose of devising artificial caves for storage of all excess food that came from the success of agriculture. All of the other accomplishments that followed over the centuries and millenniums were just side benefits to our studying of the universe and Our Creator.

Our Olmec ancestors immediately set out to share these great observations and accomplishments with the rest of our world. The Olmecs traveled far by land, rivers, and along coastlines to spread their liberating "idea of civilization". They went far north, south, west, east and along the coastlines of what are today called the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico and "Central America".

From their 2300 B.C. origins, our Olmec ancestors had rapidly expanded and established their first seeding of the "idea" amongst our people in the Valley of Mexico around 1200 B.C. Out of that seeding came the civilizations of: Tlatilco (1200 B.C.); Cuicuilco (600 B.C.); Teotihuacan (300 B.C.); Toltec (700 A.D.); and finally the Mexica (1300 A.D.).

Slightly after this move into the valley of Mexico, at about 1,000 B.C. the Olmec "idea" had reached the Oaxaca area and had seeded their second area that developed into what became the Zapotec civilization.

By about 1,000 B.C., the Olmec civilization had also reached our people in its third area along the Gulf of Mexico, up the Mississippi river and up the Ohio river into what today is called "The Midwestern United States". This seeding created what became the corn cultures of Poverty Point in Louisiana (1,000 B.C.), the Adena (500 B.C.), Hopewell (200 B.C.), and the large towns of Cahokia (near East St. Louis) and the Mississippian Moundbuilders (both areas at about 700 A.D.). In the so-called Southeastern United States our Nican Tlaca brothers and sisters of the "Southeastern Moundbuilders" also benefitted from the Olmec "idea". The Anahuac cultures of the Alabama (so-called Creek) area survived well into the 19th century when they were destroyed by invading "U.S." racist military forces under Andrew Jackson who literally butchered our valiant warriors in this area.

By about 600 B.C. the Olmec had penetrated the area of the far south into what is now called Yucatan, Guatemala, and Chiapas. Here, in this fourth seeding, was created the greatest and most beautiful of our civilizations: The Maya.

These four areas of seeding were changed forever in a positive and constructive way with the Olmec "idea".

The Olmec spark of genius brought about all of the other accomplishments that followed in all of Anahuac.

Anahuac's roots in Olmec civilization gave us our theology, our agriculture, commerce, ballcourts, pyramids-temples, as well as our rituals, calendar, astronomy, and other scientific and cultural knowledge.

The other civilizations that were the offspring of the Olmec civilization include the Izapa, Purepecha, Otomi, Huaxtec, Tajin, Mixtec, and Pipil civilizations. There were also agricultural large towns that benefitted from Olmec origins, which included: the Anasazi, Mogollon, Hohokam, Zuni, Pueblo, and Hopi---and the hundreds of tribal cultures throughout our Anahuac cultural lands.

In those thousands of years of our Anahuac civilizations, we can be proud to say that we made discoveries and developments in mathematics (concept of zero and point placement), astronomy (truer calculations of the movements of the stars, planets, moon, and occurrences of eclipses), medicine (real doctors, surgeons, gynecologists, pharmacists, hospitals, and physical therapists), and a calendar system. These discoveries and developments were superior to anything that Europe had at the time of their invasion of our land. We were collective first class thinkers, inventors, philosophers, and visionaries in our cities and in our tribal areas.

Most of our people, and the rest of the world, do not know of any of these great accomplishments of Anahuac. Our people don't know that we, the people of Anahuac, had built three cities (that still existed in 1519) that were larger than Europe's largest city of that time, London (population 80,000). We had Tenochtitlan with 350,000 inhabitants, Tlaxcalla with 100,000 inhabitants, and Cholula with 100,000 inhabitants (read DAILY LIFE OF THE AZTECS by Jacques Soustelle).

We had dozens of other large cities and thousands of large towns. Contrary to popular ignorant belief, only a small minority of our populations were actually living in nomadic tribal societies. The majority of our people were living in cities, towns, and villages.

We had independently developed agriculture, engineering, architecture, commerce, philosophies, and all of the civilized arts---all of this began long before 2300 B.C.

We were the first people in the history of humanity to have mandatory education for males and females, of all classes.

We had developed universities that were in many ways superior to those of Europe and Asia.

We had libraries in all of our cities and major towns. Our written literature was extensive. We had the greatest scientific cosmology-theology in the history of the world.

We were the first people to develop the mathematical concepts of zero and positional values. We had created our own world of brilliant accomplishments and genius. Our ethics, morality, logic, and legal system were equal to or better than any in the world.

Our Anahuac civilization and cultures covered an area that started in the north at the Adena and Hopewell cultures in what is now called the "Midwestern United States". From that "Moundbuilder" area in the north, we were connected down to the Mississippi river and down to the whole "Southeast".

West of the Mississippi we were what is now called the Anasazi culture. South from the Anasazi there were all of the cultures and civilizations of Mexico and "Central America" that we know today. The rest of the continent was made up of our people, our culture, our world view, and our unity of race. All of this is Anahuac.

Our future was bright and blossoming.

We had created one of the greatest civilizations in the history of the world. Our people had the necessary proven intelligence, motivation, creativity and the natural resources and wealth of our land to have made us the greatest and the wealthiest of all nations. But this greatness and wealth was all stolen from us by Europeans

Nahuatl Lesson 1-3

2010-04-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

MORE AT: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMexicaMovement

THE AUDIO FILES FOR EVERY LESSON CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=c082 ... f6e8ebb871

LESSON 1

All right, so as the oh great Wikipedia correctly says:
"Nahuatl [ˈnaː.wat͡ɬ] (stress being on the first syllable) is a group of related languages and dialects of the Nahuan (traditionally called "Aztecan") branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Collectively they are spoken by an estimated 1.5 million Nahua people, most of whom live in Central Mexico."
Now, there are many variants of Nahuatl, but most of them are mutually intelligible. The one we are going to learn here, is the one spoken in Mexico City and Estado de México, the way it is written in most books nowadays, the way it is officially taught by the government of Mexico City.
Let’s begin with the alphabet. Nowadays we use the Latin alphabet to write Nahuatl, but not all the letters are used, obviously. Most letters have the same value they have in Spanish, it’s quite simple:

A - /a/
C - /k/ /s/
E - /e/
H - /h/
I - /i/
L - /l/
M - /m/
N - /n/
O - /ɔ/
P - /p/
Q - /k/
T - /t/
U - /u/
X - /ʃ/
Y - /j/
Z - /s/

• Most of the time the stress is on the last but one syllable of the word, the penultimate.
• “LL” is pronounced as one strong “L”
• “CH” is pronounced as in “CHeek”
• H is almost as in English, especially when it is before a consonant. But other times it is not even pronounced, just as in Spanish.
• When "TL" is at the end of the word, it is non-voiced, that means it sounds just like a click.

Here we have a list of random words to start with, each with its meaning, just to get a bit more familiar with the language:

Tlalli - earth
Tochtli - rabbit
Tzontli - hair
Tetl - stone
Tzictli – chewing gum
Choca – to cry/he or she cries
Tzatza – deaf
Occepa – one more time
Xochitl – flower
Xonacatl - onion
Xitomatl – tomato
Caxtolli – fifteen
Axaxapo – fig tree
Axcahua - rich
Maxtlatl - loincloth
Xictli - navel
Texcalli – rock, crag
Aic - never
Mixtli - cloud
Xalli - sand
Texocotl – mexican hawthorne
Axcan – today, now
Quema - yes
Texalli - gravel
Tixtli – dough, pastry
Caxitl - casserole
Xipano – come in!
Xococ - sour
Xoxolochtic - wrinkled
Tlazohcamati – thank you

LESSON 2

We are going to learn greetings. You are going to see some grammar that we won’t explain right away. This is just to give you the tools to greet and all, and we will get into the grammar later.

Tetlapaloliztli = Greeting

Let’s start with “Ximopanolti”, which means “welcome”, as I used it in the very first line of the first lesson.

Now, there is no standard word to say just “hello” in Nahuatl, it depends on the region, and maybe the person you are talking to. But many texts are using “Niltze” as some kind of standard now, and I personally like to use that one as well. Another standard way to say hello is “Cualli tonalli”, which literally means “good day” (cualli = good, tonalli – day, Sun). I would say that any Nahuatl speaker would understand Cualli Tonalli, even though they probably wouldn’t use it as much themselves.
Many Nahua people say hello just by using questions: how are you?, are you happy? how was the dawn? (for “good morning”), how was the day? (for “good afternoon”), how was the dusk? (for “good evening”). So let’s learn that.

You can say “how are you?” like this: Quen tica?, where “quen” means “how” and “tica” roughly means “you are”, but we are going to get more into this later.
In Nahuatl there are levels of respect when you speak, and it is important to make the difference in some phrases, like in this case. So you can also say “Quen timetztica?” for “How are you (Sr., Ma’am, etc.)?”.
The answer would be “Cualli, tlazohcamati” (good/well, thank you). We already saw those two words before. Or you can say “Ahmocualli” = not good (where “ahmo” or “amo” means “no”).
Then you can ask back: Auh tehuatl? = And you?
“Auh” means “and” when it is at the beginning of the phrase, but there is also “ihuan” which is used in the middle of the phrase.
“You” can be “tehuatl”, or “tehuatzin” for more respect. So the question can also be “Auh tehuatzin?”

Another way to ask if you are ok, is by asking: tipatica? (are you happy?), quema, nipatica, tlazohcamati (yes, I am happy, thank you). However we are not going to explain this construction yet.

Other greetings:

Quen otlathuililo? = how was the dawn? (good morning)
Quen ocemilhuitihuac? = how was the day? (good afternoon)
Quen oteotlahquililo? = how was the dusk? (good evening)
Cualli, tlazohcamati = fine, thank you
Ma ce cualli yohualli = (may you have) a good night
Ixquichca moztla = until tomorrow

Finally, some other words for your vocabulary:
Cualli = good/ well
Cuallica = very good /well
Achi = more
Achi cualli(ca) = better (more good)
Miac = a lot
Achi miac cualli(ca) = a lot better
Temachtiani = teacher
Cihuatzintli = ma’am
Yolic = slow, slowly
Tlahtolmachiotl = letter (a, b, c…)
Mixpantzinco = excuse me (some use it as “cheers” when drinking)
Quema = yes
Quemacatzin = yes (with a lot of respect, not often used, but it’s good to know)
Amo/ ahmo = no/ not

LESSON 3

We are going to start with a few cultural facts, and then we are going to see how to introduce ourselves.

First, the meaning of the word “Nahuatl”. Actually there are several theories… among the most widespread are these: 1) It comes from Nahui (four) + Atl (water), which literally would mean “four waters” but it is also understood as “four paths”. Ancient Mexicans always saw the universe divided in four and… I actually won’t go any further on this, sorry haha, you can read that in many places; 2) It comes from Nahua (to sound good) + Atl (water)… “water that sounds good”, or “sounds good like water”. There are more theories out there, go figure The Nahuatl language is also called Nahuatlahtolli, which literally means “Nahuatl language”.
Tlahtolli = language, word

Then we have the word “Mexihco” (Mexico). There are also two main theories about its etymology: 1) It comes from Metztli (moon) + Xictli (navel) + Co (a suffix for places) = On the navel of the moon; 2) The same but Metl (maguey cactus) instead of Metztli, so it would be “On the navel of the maguey cactus”…. Hm, I like the first one better, hahaha, but who knows.

Finally we have “Tenochtitlan” (the ancient name of Mexico City, many Nahua people still call it that). Tetl (stone) + Nochtli (prickly pear) + Titlan (suffix for “among”) = Among rocks and prickly pears Not as mystical as one might imagine haha.

Some other words for Mexico’s geography:
Mictlampa = Northern Mexico
Huitztlampa = Southern Mexico
Ayohcan Anahuac = West Coast
Chalchicueyan/ Anahuaxicalanco = East Coast
Chalchicueyecan = Gulf of Mexico
Atlantico = Atlantic Ocean (this one is interesting, it obviously comes from Greek Atlas, but for some reason it makes perfect sense in Nahuatl too and that’s how they say it…)
Hueyi Atlantli = Pacific Ocean

OK, let’s go on…

INTRODUCING YOURSELF
(Grammar is explained later)

Quen motoca? = what’s your name? (how’s your name?)
Notoca Mizton = My name is Mizton
Itoca Xochitl = His/her name is Xochitl
Nipaqui nimitzixmati! = Nice to meet you (literally “I am happy I (get to) know you”)

The verb “to be” doesn’t really exist in Nahuatl

Vocabulary:
Tlazohcamati = Thank you
Amitla = you are welcome (litteraly “nothing”, and it can also be “atleyi” or “atle”) depending on the region, but most people do understand amitla.
Yohuatzinco = daybreak, pretty early in the morning (literally “little night”)
Quetzalli = beautiful
Itacatl = lunch (one carries, like a sandwich or tacos or something)
Ximotlali = sit down! (from verb “motlalia”, to sit)

SOURCE

The Tongva - People of the Earth.

2010-03-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

The Tongva;

They Died from European Enlightenment ... Almost.
By DELORES MCKINNEY

September 03, 2008

In 1769, Gaspar de Portola headed the first land expedition by Europeans into Alta California. His mandate was to locate sites for Catholic missions, to enforce Spain’s claim to the land against encroachments by England and Russia.

They came north from San Diego through San Gabriel (Think: future Mission), what would become downtown Los Angeles (Think: friendly Indians, good water. Put a pueblo here.), the Wilshire/Fairfax area (Think: Brea deposits, useful for building), and finally to what real estate ads would call 'Brentwood Adjacent' (Think: upscale Ranchos). They had arrived at the Tongva/Gabrielino Springs just south of Wilshire on Barrington, now on the campus of University High School.

They were in a cool, green grove of trees, the springs feeding a lagoon. There was a Tongva village, Kuruvungna, whose inhabitants came to greet the travelers. They stayed a day while soldier-scouts went to the coast and returned, saying it was too rugged to travel north that way. They would instead go over the low pass visible from the springs. (We call it Sepulveda and carved a passage through it for the San Diego Freeway.)

The Indians were friendly and helpful. That’s usually the description of the Tongva, the 'Gabrielinos' as the Spanish called them, not bothering to learn what they called themselves. It was easier to name them for the Mission they were near. Tongva, a preferred name, means 'People of the Earth.'

The Tongva evidently absorbed another earlier Native American culture living here, about 500 A.D. They probably migrated from the Great Basin area (Wyoming, Idaho, Utah) since their language, Uto-Aztecan, is closely related to other Native American languages in that region. They were 'a handsome people, courteous and intelligent.' They were 'fun-loving people, fond of music and dance and games.' They made superb baskets of great variety and intricacy. Some were so tightly woven they would hold water. Their wooden bowls were polished to a wonderful sheen and inlaid with shell and bone. Sea-going plank canoes (Made only in California by the Tongva and their neighbors to the north, the Chumash) are considered their finest technological accomplishment. They hunted and gathered seeds, fruits and vegetables growing wild in their territory (The Los Angeles basin and coast, San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and some of the off-shore islands).

The Tongva were among the most culturally sophisticated, skilled and thoughtful of California’s Native Americans. They were a proud, peaceful and rich nation, culturally and linguistically diverse. Their so-called conquerors’ concerns were limited to treasure and territory. No possibility of 'meeting of the minds' here. The ruling dictums were 'what’s valuable is ours' and 'what we say is law.' The Tongva were sadly reduced by civilization and disease to a dispirited and lost group of illiterate laborers. An entire culture died...almost.

The missions began the disintegration. They tried to bring the 'heathen' Indians into God’s grace, as they understood it. The friendly, amenable Tongva wanted to please. It was only later, when they were cut off from their Rancherias (As the Native American settlements were called) and forced into labor as virtual slaves that they doubted.

In 1832, an even worse future loomed. The missions were dissolved by government order. No longer would they shelter the Native American 'neophytes.' The fantasy: Divide the mission lands into small plots and award them to the mission’s Indians. The reality: The land was sold or simply taken. The Tongva were left with nothing.

Some fled inland to other tribes or sought refuge in the few Rancherias that were left. Some found steady work and a home on the vast land grant Ranchos. But most became Los Angeles 'pueblo scum.' They worked a week for someone and came into Los Angeles with their wages on Saturday. By Sunday night, they were arrested for drunkenness. Monday morning, the sheriff auctioned them off for bail to another employer, for another week.

The Gold Rush was a final disaster. Almost 50,000 Native Americans were killed. Often, there was no reason. In two short years, 1848-1850, the Indian population was cut in half.

After World War II the Federal government tried to eliminate even the last paltry support left to them. Healthcare, payments to indigent or elderly, even reservation land, was taken away. California’s Native Americans were forced to fight a long battle to maintain even the minimal rights left to them. In the late 1960’s, adult Native American life expectancy was 42 years; white adult life expectancy was 62 years, an unforgivable comparison.

The Tongva today are proud survivors. Some 2,000 State-registered descendants still remember the accomplishments of their peaceful and skilled tribe. They lend support to preserving the Los Angeles River. They work to remind adults and teach children. Native American cultures, long before explorers and settlers came, were conserving the environment and concerned with the Earth and its survival. We 'enlightened Europeans' are some 200-plus years behind.

On Sunday, September 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Gathering will be celebrated at the springs (1439 South Barrington). There will be Tongva dancers, crafts, storytellers and knowledgeable guides. It’s a chance to learn more about another culture and another way of looking at the World.

SOURCE

2010-02-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

THE CIVILIZATION OF THE ANAHUAC

Thanks to the mental colonization we were subjected to and have endured for so many centuries, we do not know and care less about our ancient civilization. It is sad that most of us do not know what was the name our ancestors called their land, the world they live in and what they called themselves. For instance, do you know that our country, Mexico, was formed by an autonomous society that ranks among one the oldest civilization in the world? That is right, our country was the cradle of one of the six oldest civilizations on this planet and our Old Grandfathers called this civilization: Anahuac. The name comes from the Nahuatl word meaning land surrounded by great waters.

The 7,500 years of the history of cultural development, is known to experts as the pre-Hispanic epoch. It is important to note here, that the Spanish colonial understanding and vision of the old culture of our Old Grandfathers is referred to by their term: Pre-Spanish. Why not pre-Cuauthemic. This at least would explain the time before the last emperor of the Aztecs, Cuauhtemoc. Therefore, our own history is known through the accounts and understanding of the invaders. Another interesting fact is that the epoch of our Old Grandfathers before the European invasion is given, by archaeologist and anthropologists as the Pre-Classic that dates as far back 6,000 B.C. to 200 Bc. The second period is called the Classic and dates from 200 B.C., to 900 A.D.

It is true, that the majority of individuals interested in our own history, that claim to have studied and investigated our past, are foreigners and most of them write as observed by Bonifaz Nuño, director of the Study Center for Mexico Decolonization, with an air of superiority and sense of ownership to our culture and history. This sense of "ownership" appeared to have given them the right to divide our country into Mesoamerica and Aridamerica. They only know about the "Indians" of the past whose old cults led them to build pyramids and beautiful objects or art for their gods. Their term for the other region of our country, Aridamerica, conveys the message that "Indians"who lived in the states of Sinaloa, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas.

As I said before, that for 500 years since the colonial period, we lost interest in our own culture and are ignorant of what our ancestors called themselves. We have sadly accepted the term "Indian", a term applied to all the peoples of North America, simply because the "great and educated" Europeans were confused in their travels and believed they had reached the Indies. We have seen that Our Old Grandfathers called the country Cem Anahuac. They called themselves, Anahuacan and knew that other peoples existed that called themselves, Maya, Zapotec, Mexica, Olmec, etc.

SOURCE

THE OLMEC : OUR MOTHER CULTURE

2010-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

The Olmec represent the culmination of a people that were original nomads, hunters and gatherers to the first and well established culture that develop sophisticated systems of astronomy, mathematics and spirituality. From remote centuries and from generation to generation, this culture enjoyed a long period of existence from 1,500 B.C. to 1,200 B.c. This is the period known as the Pre-Classic. This period of formation and achievement is not considered important by the so called experts. Yet, these centuries are the roots of our civilization and the culture influenced greatly other cultures that developed and rose from the Olmec.

"One of the most controversial aspects in the Olmec culture, beside its chronology and influence in other peoples in Mesoamerica, have been their ethnic and linguistic affiliation to other cultures. In the south part of Veracruz and eastern part of Tabasco, the Olmec eshibit a new form or organization in economics, and social, political and religious life. This was totally different from the one lived in the geographical space by tribalsin many villages. These existed prior to the Olmec, that in the passing of time, they would develop a macro cultural area that is denominated as Mesoamerica." (Tomas Perez Suarez, 1994).

It is necessary, however, to point the philosophical synthesis that was left in the Olmec iconography and that this is a thread that maintained a link to all the processess of development in the civilization of the Anahuac and that the Spaniards themselves, were aware of these, when they found that the same Quetzalcoatl that appeared in the stones of Chalcatzingo, Morelos, in the Pre-Classic, was also found in the Classic in Teotihuacan and in the Post-Classic, with the Toltec in Tula and the Aztec in Tenochtitlan.

An intricate philosophy and religion were expressed by the cult of the serpetn. This is clearly seen in the representation of Tlaloc, the god of thunder, rain and lightening, with two snakes facing eachother.This philosophy and religion existed for more than three thousand years. This was the core of the mystic and religious realm of the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico, that give testimony to the Mexico of today, in the many archaeological sites and objects produced by this old civilization.

To decolonized history, we must look onto the face of our real history to see our faces and stop looking at the faces of today.

SOURCE

Sacrificio Humanos Mexihcas Aztecas 001

2009-12-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Check out the rest at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/StudioAurora#p/u

2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won't End?

2009-11-23T13:05:00.000-08:00

Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know. It will, however, be another winter solstice.

Much like Y2K, 2012 has been analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied. Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the science behind the end of the world quickly unravels when pinned down to the 2012 timeline. Below, NASA Scientists answer several questions that we're frequently asked regarding 2012.

Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.
Answer (A): Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?
A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Q: Could a phenomena occur where planets align in a way that impacts Earth?
A: There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.

Q: Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
A: Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

Q: What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?
A: A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-shift to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.

Q: Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?
A: The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website, so you can see for yourself that nothing is predicted to hit in 2012

Q: How do NASA scientists feel about claims of pending doomsday?
A: For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.

Q: Is there a danger from giant solar storms predicted for 2012?
A: Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

Source

Anahuac Pilgrimage

2009-10-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Pilgrimage Into Heart of Anahuac
Part 1 of 18 videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnahuacPilgrimage

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Book Quote - Daily Life of the Aztecs -- Code Of Conduct

2009-09-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

A civilised man is primarily one who can master himself, who does not display his feelings, except when this is the accepted thing to do, and then only in the accepted manner, who preserves a proper bearing in all circumstances, and a reserved and correct demeanour. What we now call good breeding had a very great importance in the eyes of the ancient Mexicans, both as a mark of each man's quality and as a necessary factor in the social order. (pg 221)

This 'humility', which might perhaps be more truthfully described as pride restrained by self-control, showed itself by moderation in pleasure- 'Do not throw yourself upon women like a dog upon its food'-by a measured way of speaking- 'One must speak calmly, not too fast, nor heatedly, nor loud...keep to a moderate pitch, neither high nor low; and let your words be mild and serene' -by discretion- 'If you hear and see something, particularly something wrong, pretend not to have done so and be quiet'- by willing readiness in obeying - 'Do not wait to be called twice: answer at once the first time'- by good taste and restraint in dress - 'Do not be too curious in you clothes, nor freakish...on the other hand, do not wear poor, torn garments'- and finally, by a man's whole bearing.
In the street, 'Walk quietly, neither too fast nor too slow...those who do not observe this rule are called ixtotomac cuecuetz, people who go looking in every direction like idiots, without nobility or gravity; do not walk with your head down or leaning on one side or looking to right and to left, or else it will be said that you are an ill-bred, undisciplined fool.'
At meals, 'Do not eat too quickly or in a careless manner; do not take great mouthfuls of maize-cake, nor stuff your mouth, nor swallow like a dog, nor tear the cake to pieces, nor hurl yourself upon what is in the plate. Eat calmly, or you will be mocked. Before the meal, wash your hands and mouth; and do the same after you have eaten.'
These 'precepts of the elders' ueuetlatolli, made up a distinct section of literature, with its own manner and style. They show what the Aztecs[Mexica] thought of as conduct suitable in a well-bred man of their day. The ueuetlatolli preserved in its Nahuatl form by Father Olmos recites at length and in great detail all the ways in which a young Mexican of the better sort was expected to conduct himself: how he was to behave to his superiors, show compassion for the unfortunate, refrain from light words and in all circumstances be most scrupulously polite. (Pg. 222-223)

Book Quote - Daily Life of the Aztecs -- pg.220

2009-08-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Aztecs[Mexica] and their neighbours therefore knew that they were at the junction of two lines of descent, the one coming from the barbarians, who in no way shamed them and whose warlike virtues they cultivated, and the other from the Toltecs, the civilised people whose symbol was Quetzalcoatl, the inventor of the arts and of science, the protector of knowledge. (Daily Life of the Aztecs, pg.220 ¶2)

The Four Agreements: Toltec Wisdom

2009-07-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

1 – Be Impeccable With Your Word –
This is the most important agreement and also the most difficult to one to honor. It is so important that with just this first agreement you will be able to transcend to the level of existence I call heaven on earth.

This agreement sounds very simple, but is very, very powerful. Your word is the power that you have to create. Your word is the gift that comes directly from God. Through the word you express your creative power. It is through the word that you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests through the word. What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will all be manifested through the word.

The word is not just a sound or a written symbol. The word is a force; it is the power you have to express and communicate, to think, and thereby to create the events in your life. The word is the most powerful tool you have as a human. But like a sword with two edges, your word can create the most beautiful dream, or your word can destroy everything around you. One edge is the misuse of the word, which creates a living hell. The other edge is the impeccability of the word, which will only create beauty, love, and heaven on earth. Depending on how it is used, the word can set you free, or it can enslave you even more than you know.

2 – Don’t Take Anything Personally –
Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally. If I see you on the street and say, “Hey, you are so stupid,” without knowing you, it’s not about you; it’s about me. If you take it personally, then perhaps you believe you are stupid. Maybe you think to yourself, “How does he know? Is he clairvoyant, or can everybody see how stupid I am?”

You take it personally because you agree with whatever was said. As soon as you agree, the poison goes through you, and you are trapped in the dream of hell. What causes you to be trapped is what we call personal importance. Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me.” During the period of our education, or our domestication, we learn to take everything personally. We think we are responsible for everything. Me, me, me, always me!

Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.

Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Their point of view comes from all the programming they received during domestication.

When you take things personally, then you feel offended, and your reaction is to defend your beliefs and create conflicts. You make something big out of something so little, because you have the need to be right and make everybody else wrong. You also try hard to be right by giving them your own opinions. In the same way, whatever you feel and do is just a projection of your own personal dream, a reflection of your own agreements. What you say, what you do, and the opinions you have are according to the agreements you have made — and these opinions have nothing to do with me.

Others are going to have their own opinion according to their belief system, so nothing they think about me is really about me, but it is about them.

You may even tell me, “Miguel, what you are saying is hurting me.” But it is not what I am saying that is hurting you; it is that you have wounds that I touch by what I have said. You are hurting yourself. There is no way I can take this personally. Not because I don’t believe in you or don’t trust you, but because I know that you see the world with different eyes, with your eyes. You create an entire picture or movie in your mind, and in that picture you are the director, you are the producer, you are the main actor or actress. Everyone else is a secondary actor or actress. It is your movie.

The way you see that movie is according to the agreements you have made with life. Your point of view is something personal to you. It is no one’s truth but yours. Then, if you get mad at me, I know you are dealing with yourself. I am the excuse for you to get mad. And you get mad because you are afraid, because you are dealing with fear. If you are not afraid, there is no way you will get mad at me. If you are not afraid, there is no way you will hate me. If you are not afraid, there is no way you will be jealous or sad.

If you live without fear, if you love, there is no place for any of those emotions. If you don’t feel any of those emotions, it is logical that you will feel good. When you feel good, everything around you is good. When everything around you is great, everything makes you happy. You are loving everything around you, because you are loving yourself. Because you like the way you are. Because you are content with you. Because you are happy with your life. You are happy with the movie that you are producing, happy with your agreements with your life. You are at peace, and you are happy.

If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you. If that person doesn’t walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for awhile, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don’t need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.

3 – Don’t Make Assumptions –
We have the tendency to make assumptions about everything. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real. We make assumptions about what others are doing or thinking — we take it personally — then we blame them and react by sending emotional poison with our word. That is why whenever we make assumptions, we’re asking for problems. We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing. It is always better to ask questions than to make an assumption, because assumptions set us up for suffering.

We make the assumption that everyone sees life the way we do. We assume that others think the way we think, feel the way we feel, judge the way we judge, and abuse the way we abuse. This is the biggest assumption that humans make. And this is why we have a fear of being ourselves around others. Because we think everyone else will judge us, victimize us, abuse us, and blame us as we do ourselves. So even before others have a chance to reject us, we have already rejected ourselves. That is the way the human mind works. We also make assumptions about ourselves, and this creates a lot of inner conflict.

4 – Always Do Your Best –
Under any circumstances, always do your best, no more and no less. But keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next. Everything is alive and changing all the time, so your best will sometimes be high quality, and other times it will not be as good. When you wake up refreshed and energized in the morning, your best will be better than when you are tired at night. Your best will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick, or sober as opposed to drunk. Your best will depend on whether you are feeling wonderful and happy, or upset, angry, or jealous.

In your everyday moods your best can change from one moment to another, from one hour to the next, from one day to another. Your best will also change over time. As you build the habit of the four new agreements, your best will become better than it used to be.

Doing your best, you are going to live your life intensely. You are going to be productive, you are going to be good to yourself, because you will be giving yourself to your family, to your community, to everything. But it is the action that is going to make you feel intensely happy. When you always do your best, you take action. Doing your best is taking the action because you love it, not because you’re expecting a reward. Most people do exactly the opposite. They only take action when they expect a reward, and they don’t enjoy the action. And that’s the reason why they don’t do their best.

If you do your best always, over and over again, you will become a master of transformation. If you do your best in the search for personal freedom, in the search for self-love, you will discover that’s its just a matter of time before you find what you are looking for.”

WHAT IS CHICANO/CHICANA?

2009-06-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Chicano is an identity that comes out of our people's political and militant actions that were born in the 1960's. We referred to ourselves as Chicano as a form of defiance, as a way of rejecting Mexican-American, as a way of embracing our core Nican Tlaca (Indigenous) identity.

Chicano came from the phrase "La Mechicanada". Originally "La Mechicanada" was a racist way of labeling some of our people as inferior, because they were Full-blood and because they spoke the Nahuatl language (Mechicano).

"La Mechicanada" referred to our people who had come into California and "the Southwest" in the early 20th century before, during, and after the Mexican revolution as refugees. They came here speaking the Nahuatl language.

When our people were caught speaking Nahuatl they were asked what language they were speaking. Our people responded that they were speaking in "Mechicano". From Mechicano you get "La Mechicanada" as an insult.

Some of our people, who thought of themselves as "Spanish", used "Mechicano" as a way of saying "La Indiada" (the damned "Indians"). It was originally meant as an insult.

When we rejected Mexican-American we began embracing being part of "La Mechicanada", our Nican Tlaca identity. We began to call ourselves Chicano.

In the 60's and 70's we were totally ignorant of our history. What little we knew of our history we grabbed onto it as if our lives depended on it.

Sadly what we knew back then was very limited. If we had taken Mechicano a step further we would have discovered that the origin of Chicano and Mexican are both rooted in the word Mexica (Meh-shee-kah). But sadly our knowledge was very limited in those days and we had no way of accessing the whole truth.

In the 60's and 70's we had the Vietnam war to motivate us to assert our identity as a way to reject going to Vietnam and as a way to confront the racism and discrimination that we blatantly faced in those days.

We meant well with Chicano as an identity. It was the only thing we could take as an identity that seemed truly ours. But Chicano was incomplete, it wasn't at the complete or authentic root of the truth of our identity.

The way we understood the word back then was that Chicano referred to those of us born in the "U.S. Southwest". The truth is that we were talking about the colonial concept of our continent, and our occupied Anahuac nation, that is called "the United States of America". We were not conscious of the full extent of our ownership of the whole continent, only of the part claimed by the Spaniard Europeans, and so we claimed Aztlan, the so-called Southwest, as an additional part of our lands in addition to Mexico.

Sadly this too was incomplete, only partly true. The whole truth is that this whole continent is ours. Not one part belongs to Americans or any other European people.

We were ignorantly attached to the colonial lines of the Spaniards. We were still somewhat claiming Spanish heritage. Corky Gonzalez's "Yo Soy Joaquin" was a celebration of the "mix" not of the condemnation of the rape or the Genocide of our people or a celebration of our civilizations and their accomplishments. That Chicano poem proudly said, "Yo soy Chicano, Hispano, Latino, Mestizo, español....". We were still confused about our identity. The racist "Raza Cosmica" didn't help matters any better because "Raza" was also a celebration of the "Spanish Conquest" and Spanish culture. Coming out of ignorance, Chicano was the best that we could do, but we also attached "Raza" to Chicano.

Most of us who were proud of being part of the "Aztecs" (really the Mexica) embraced the part of Chicano that allowed us to celebrate that Nican Tlaca part of us.

The Chicano movement was an uprising that was political, aggressive, and proud of its Nican Tlaca heritage. The Chicano term was used by those of us of Mexican descent to separate us from those of our people who had sold out and or who were calling themselves "American" or "Mexican American".

The "Central American" descent component was not here in significant numbers in the 1960's to have been part of the Chicano movement, but we acknowledge that had they been here at that time they would have been accepted as part of our people.

Again, sadly, there is still ignorance about our Mexican and "Central American" united heritage.

To get a little more of an idea of the details of what made up the period of what is called Chicano history

Source

POEM #1 - IN THE HEART OF THE SKY

2009-05-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

IN THE HEART OF THE SKY

I alone say to the Giver of Life:
Do not be annoyed, do not be intransigent,
God willing, we might live close to you,
in your house alone, in the heart of the sky.
Do I perhaps tell some truth here, Giver of Life?
We are only dreaming,
we have only come to quickly awaken ourselves from the dream;
what I say on earth,
we cannot say to anyone here.

Cantares Mexicanos, fols. Xr-Xv; Spanish translation, Miguel León-Portilla; English version, Sylvia and Earl Shorris.

Our Literature #1

2009-04-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

- Let me begin by saying "Our Voices Will Never Be Silenced." From the Olmec age to the present day our people are full of creative works. Mexican and "Mesoamerican" literature has survived for many years. We have a history embracing intellectual and artistic creativity. Many compositions have been discover such as: songs, poems, prayers, narrations, legends, annals, discourses, conudrums, and other literature.

-Poetry was a rich cultural tradition in ancient Mexico.
-Poet-singers, called
---xochitlahtoanime (flowerspeakers)
----cuicapicque (songmakers)

-Performed at almost every ceremony and holiday, as well as at secular entertainments, cultural gatherings, parties, and banquets.

-Poets would gather frequently in informal sessions where they would present new works-in-progress.
---Groups of lyric poets would sometimes perform together on a chosen theme, creating what they called “the dialogue of the songs.” Besides their own original poems, they would perform and improvise variations of well-known works by celebrated authors.

Cahokia - City of the Sun (Article #1)

2009-03-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

A Lost World of America: Where the Falcon Priest-King Danced (Notes)

Five hundred years before the English landings at Jamestown and Plymouth, an ancient metropolis flourished on a flood plain of the Mississippi River near its confluence with the Missouri and the Illinois. Twenty thousand people dwelled in the city in 1150 A.D., more than the population of London a century later; another ten thousand lived in satellite farming settlements on the surrounding bottomland.

A royal mound dominated the landscape rising one hundred feet, a flat-topped pyramid on a tiered base greater in circumference than Khufu at Giza or the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico. The palace of the Falcon Priest-King, as I dub him, overlooked a forty-acre grand ceremonial plaza flanked by twenty or so smaller mounds and enclosed by a two-mile long log palisade buttressed with bastions at regular intervals.

Three plazas lay outside the royal enclosure with as many as eighty additional mounds of varying size sited across the six square mile extent of the metropolis and aligned with the Great Mound. A circular "Woodhenge" ringed with forty-eight towering posts served as observatory and "spirit trail," sacred portal to the hereafter.

We call the city "Cahokia," a name taken from a local tribe centuries later. The royal pyramid we know as Monks Mound from Trappist monks who did their meditations on these sacred grounds from 1809 to 1813. The fathers planted an orchard and garden on the summit of the great mound, where today’s visitor may catch a distant glimpse of the skyline of St. Louis, Missouri and the Gateway Arch, a geometric marvel not without symbolism, too, in the mythic realm of the Falcon Priest-King.

What’s remarkable is that except for archaeologists studying the Mississippian mound-builders, until recently few people had any idea of the extent of this lost world. Like most I had scant knowledge of the grassy platforms and knolls that once were temple, burial and effigy mounds scattered across the Midwest and South: sites that could hardly be compared with the stone monuments I’d seen across Mexico.

Known to Europeans since the time of Hernando De Soto, in the nineteenth century the mounds were declared to be the work of lost Israelites, Atlanteans, celestial visitors, any architects other than the "savages" whose descendants dwelled in those parts. Generations of East Coast schoolchildren took their cue from the tales of Pilgrim and Puritan building their own City on a Hill.

Today we are beginning to see Cahokia in a new light, the recovered quarter of the mounds now a World Heritage Site. In 2004, the Art Institute of Chicago organized the Hero, Hawk and Open Hand exhibition of American Indian Art from Cahokia, Etowah, Spiro and far beyond. [Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South ] The collection revealed work of stunning artistry flowing from a social and trade network that reached from Florida and the Gulf Coast to Lake Superior, from Yellowstone down to Caddo, Texas. This vibrant culture endured for four centuries from 900 A.D. to 1350 A.D. with the City by the Rivers at the center of its world.

A place where on a day in 1150, thousands crowd the grand plaza as the Falcon Priest-King emerges from a temple atop the Mound of the Sun, his robe a glistening garment of sheets of mica. As the sun reaches the zenith, the Falcon Priest-King begins to dance in celebration of the New Fire...

[Images: Cahokia 1150 A.D., courtesy Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, artist William R. Iseminger -- The website site has an award-winning flash movie depicting Cahokia's past; Monks Mound, Cahokia, Wikipedia; "Bird-man" (1200-1400) on a repoussé copper plate from the Etowah site, Georgia, courtesy of Texas Beyond History, University of Texas at Austin.]

I got this article from a blog called "A Novel of America". You can check it out (Source)

Also check this Website Cahokia Mounds State History Web Site. (There is an interesting video)

Daily Life Of Aztecs #1

2009-02-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading "Daily Life of the Aztecs" by Jacques Soustelle. For those of you who have an interest in how our ancestors lived this books is excellent.

Our grandfathers were an educated people with two educational systems (Calmecac & Tepochcalli).
A civilized society with each member having different roles.
Surrounded by palaces, schools, marketplaces, gardens, temples, houses for the common people, and a network of plazas, streets, avenues, and canals.
With deep respect for religious traditions.

Here is the table of contents for this book.

Introduction
1) THE CITY
2) SOCIETY AND THE STATE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTEENTH
3) THE WORLD, MAN AND TIME
4) A MEXICAN'S DAY
5) FROM BIRTH TO DEATH
6) WAR
7) CIVILISED LIFE
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Notes
Maps
Bibliography
Index