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    We are joined By Dr. Magnus Pharao Hansen to discuss his new book "Nahuatl Nations: Language Revitalization and Semiotic Sovereignty in Indigenous Mexico."

    Nahuatl Nations is a linguistic ethnography that explores the political relations between those Indigenous communities of Mexico that speak the Nahuatl language and the Mexican Nation that claims it as an important national symbol. Author Magnus Pharao Hansen studies how this relation has been shaped by history and how it plays out today in Indigenous Nahua towns, regions, and educational institutions, and in the Mexican diaspora.

    You can buy the book here: https://amzn.to/3Azr6ca

    Your Hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He is also a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios. His recent projects include the documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and "The Casagrandes Movie" on Netflix.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

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

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    In this episode we discuss the mytho-historic concept of Aztlan, and what it means to Chicano / Chicana / Chicanx identity!

    Your Hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    On November 26, 1988, a person by the name of Ramón Tirado delivered the “Consigna del sexto sol: Segunda consigna de Anáhuac” –or the “Mandate of the Sixth Sun: Second Mandate of Anahuac”– at the Convención de Anáhuac – or the “Anahuac Convention” – which was held in Mexico City.

    In this Episode, we take a look at the speech and discuss it's message and significance in light of the fact that the original mandate was a recent invention.

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    In this episode we take a look at recent news concerning the Chicano community, and take a little trip down to Belize with Kurly!

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    My name is Kurly Tlapoyawa, and I LOVE movies. I spent a good chunk of my childhood being snuck into the drive-in by my parents, where I took in double and triple features of cinematic greatness. And when movies became available on home video in the 1980s, all bets were off. It’s no exaggeration to say that my life was shaped by movies. In 2004 I opened Burning Paradise Video, where I offered a carefully curated selection of independent, foreign, underground, and cult films to the public. Welcome to Burning Paradise, my love letter to a bygone era.

    In this episode, we take a look at the overlooked classic, The Wanderers

    "The Wanderers are an Italian-American gang vying for respect on the streets of the Bronx in 1963. Between rumbles with rivals such as the Ducky Boys and the Fordham Baldies, the group of toughs learn some difficult lessons about life -- and love. Leader Richie Gennaro (Ken Wahl) finds himself entangled with Despie Galasso (Toni Kalem), the daughter of a mobster, while the artistically inclined Joey (John Friedrich) falls hard for Nina (Karen Allen). "

    Your host:
    Kurly Tlapoyawa is a professional archaeologist, podcaster, author, filmmaker, and former stuntman. His IMDB can be viewed here.

    Support the Show.

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

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

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    Welcome to another Throwback Thursday! In this episode we take a look back at one of Kurly's favorites.

    Acequias - A Forgotten History!

    The Acequia is a communal irrigation ditch, and its continued use is a testament to the cultural resiliency of the New Mexican people. But where does this tradition come from? Sadly, most New Mexicans have a distorted understanding of Acequia history and credit its creation solely to Moors and Spaniards. In this episode we dig a little deeper, and explore the Mesoamerican contributions to the Acequias of Mexico and New Mexico!

    Your hosts:

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

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

    Cited in this episode:

    Cover Art: Artist’s impression of part of the canal network linking chinampas around Tenochtitlan by Alberto Beltrán, found at Mexicolore.co.uk.

    Uppsala Map can be found at the World Digital Library https://www.wdl.org/en/item/503/

    "Tlalok San Ysidro" Available for download here: raquelzrivera.hearnow.com
    Used with permission by the artists:
    Raquel Z. Rivera
    Arnaldo Acosta
    Fidel González

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

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    In this special episode, Tlakatekatl shares an interview he conducted with Carlos Aceves Yolohuitzcalotl back in 2019. Carlos has devoted his life to advancing Chicano/Mexicano Indigeneity in the U.S./Mexico Borderlands and developing the “Xinachtli Project” which incorporates indigenous pedagogy in childhood education. They also talk about his path to “la tradicion” known as Mexikayotl, and his involvement in founding the first Chicana/o/x indigenous centric groups in Texas known as kalpullis. Enjoy!

    Xinachtli Community Schools Project

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    In this dispatch, we take a look at Skepticamp New Mexico, and get an Olmec Update from Kurly!

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    My name is Kurly Tlapoyawa, and I LOVE movies. I spent a good chunk of my childhood being snuck into the drive-in by my parents, where I took in double and triple features of cinematic greatness. And when movies became available on home video in the 1980s, all bets were off. It’s no exaggeration to say that my life was shaped by movies. In 2004 I opened Burning Paradise Video, where I offered a carefully curated selection of independent, foreign, underground, and cult films to the public. Welcome to Burning Paradise, my love letter to a bygone era.

    In this episode, we take a look into the future with Class of 1984

    "Andrew Norris (Perry King, Lipstick, Mandingo), an idealistic and naive music teacher, has moved into a new community with his pregnant wife, Diane (Merrie Lynn Ross, General Hospital), only to find his new job is an academic abyss. Appalled by the crime-infested school, Norris soon crosses paths with its teenage kingpin, the shrewd and sadistic Peter Stegman (Timothy Van Patten, Catacombs, Zone Troopers). With Norris setting his sights on reforming Stegman and the young punk declaring war on his teacher, the duo is on a collision course for a fateful showdown."

    Your host:
    Kurly Tlapoyawa is a professional archaeologist, podcaster, author, filmmaker, and former stuntman. His IMDB can be viewed here.

    Purchase the Stink of Flesh on Blue Ray
    Purchase the book "Direct Your Own Damn Movie"
    Watch "Guardians of The Purple Kingdom"

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    For this edition of Throwback Thursday, we step back in time to revisit a great interview with Juan Tejeda, an icon of the Chicano Movement, and Publisher of Aztlan Libre Press.

    Aztlan Libre Press with Juan Tejeda

    In this episode we are joined by Juan Tejeda, co-owner and publisher of Aztlan Libre Press. Aztlan Libre Press is an independent publishing company based out of Yanawana/San Antonio, Texas that is dedicated to the publication, promotion and free expression of XicanX literature and art. Established in 2009 by Juan Tejeda and Anisa Onofre, Aztlan Libre Press has published a dozen books and a line of XicanX Art Notecards.

    Purchase their books at https://squareup.com/store/aztlanlibrepress/.

    Juan Tejeda retired in 2016 as a professor of Mexican American Studies and Music from Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. A musician, writer, arts administrator and Xicano activist, from 1976 to 1985 he was the jefe segundo of Xinachtli, the first traditional Mexica-Azteca Conchero dance group in Texas; and from 1980 to 1998 he was the Xicano Music Program Director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio. He is the button accordionist and vocalist with the Conjunto Aztlan, and along with his wife, Anisa Onofre, is the co-owner and publisher of Aztlan Libre Press.

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    Dr. Herrán Ávila is a historian of the Cold War in Latin America, with an emphasis on conservative, anticommunist, and extreme right movements. After researching the comparative history of anticommunism in Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, his current book project seeks to unveil the national and Latin American dimensions of right wing activism in Cold War Mexico. The book project examines the history and Cold War transformations of right wing dissidence to the Mexican postrevolutionary state, and situates Mexico as a crucial hub for transnational anticommunist activism, shedding light on the various ways in which Mexican anticommunists forged links with Latin American, European, and East Asian fellow travelers. Dr. Herrán Ávila’s publications in both English and Spanish reflect a range of related research interests, such as right wing youth; neofascism in Latin America; the history of political crime in the Americas; and the intersections between banditry and insurgency. He has also been a recipient of various scholarships and grants from Fulbright, Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology, the New School for Social Research, and the Hoover Institution, and a contributor to the Mexican dailies Reforma and El Norte.

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

  • Subscriber-only episode

    listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text!

    My name is Kurly Tlapoyawa, and I LOVE movies. I spent a good chunk of my childhood being snuck into the drive-in by my parents, where I took in double and triple features of cinematic greatness. And when movies became available on home video in the 1980s, all bets were off. It’s no exaggeration to say that my life was shaped by movies. In 2004 I opened Burning Paradise Video, where I offered a carefully curated selection of independent, foreign, underground, and cult films to the public. Welcome to Burning Paradise, my love letter to a bygone era.

    Your host:
    Kurly Tlapoyawa is a professional archaeologist, podcaster, author, filmmaker, and former stuntman. His IMDB can be viewed here.

    Purchase the Stink of Flesh on Blue Ray
    Purchase the book "Direct Your Own Damn Movie"
    Watch "Guardians of The Purple Kingdom"

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

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

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

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    The peopling of the Americas is a touchy subject among many Indigenous people. In this episode of Throwback Thursday, we revisit our discussion with Dr. Jennifer Raff, author of the fantastic book "“Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas" from episode 25.

    Peopling the Americas with Dr. Jennifer Raff!

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

    About our guest:

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

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

    Your Hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

  • listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text!

    Dr. Herrán Ávila is a historian of the Cold War in Latin America, with an emphasis on conservative, anticommunist, and extreme right movements. After researching the comparative history of anticommunism in Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, his current book project seeks to unveil the national and Latin American dimensions of right wing activism in Cold War Mexico. The book project examines the history and Cold War transformations of right wing dissidence to the Mexican postrevolutionary state, and situates Mexico as a crucial hub for transnational anticommunist activism, shedding light on the various ways in which Mexican anticommunists forged links with Latin American, European, and East Asian fellow travelers. Dr. Herrán Ávila’s publications in both English and Spanish reflect a range of related research interests, such as right wing youth; neofascism in Latin America; the history of political crime in the Americas; and the intersections between banditry and insurgency. He has also been a recipient of various scholarships and grants from Fulbright, Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology, the New School for Social Research, and the Hoover Institution, and a contributor to the Mexican dailies Reforma and El Norte.

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

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    In this Dispatch, Tlakatekatl reads and discusses a recent Washington Post article on the troubled legacy of the Texas Rangers along the border communities of South Texas. The article explores the story of ethnic Mexican men on their way down to a to wedding on the Mexican side of the river. State agents allege that they were smugglers who shot at them first, but their families have always maintained that they were targeted for being ethnic Mexicans. In the aftermath, 3 of the traveling men died, including the groom who was the one to be married.

    Tlakatekatl then reads the introductory essay for the main panel of the “Life and Death on the Border” exhibit that he helped bring to North Texas through The Mexican American Museum of Texas, a non-profit organization dedicated to highlighting the long and unique history of that community in the state. The exhibit highlights the troubling history of the early 1900s during the decade of 1910-1920, particularly several horrific atrocities committed against ethnic Mexicans by state agents, including the Texas Rangers. Tlakatekatl is a founding member of the museum.

    Links and Sources:
    After a borderland shootout, a 100-year-old battle for the truth
    The Mexican American Museum of Texas

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

  • Subscriber-only episode

    listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text!

    My name is Kurly Tlapoyawa, and I LOVE movies. I spent a good chunk of my childhood being snuck into the drive-in by my parents, where I took in double and triple features of cinematic greatness. And when movies became available on home video in the 1980s, all bets were off. It’s no exaggeration to say that my life was shaped by movies. In 2004 I opened Burning Paradise Video, where I offered a carefully curated selection of independent, foreign, underground, and cult films to the public. Welcome to Burning Paradise, my love letter to a bygone era.

    Your host:
    Kurly Tlapoyawa is a professional archaeologist, podcaster, author, filmmaker, and former stuntman. His IMDB can be viewed here.

    Purchase the Stink of Flesh on Blue Ray
    Purchase the book "Direct Your Own Damn Movie"
    Watch "Guardians of The Purple Kingdom"

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

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

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

  • listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text!

    Ever hear about the Mexican reporter who smuggled a codex back into Mexico? In this edition of Throwback Thursday, we revisit this story from way back in Episode 14!

    Rescuing the Tonalamatl Aubin

    A couple of years back, I visited the British National Museum in London, England, with my wife. As we stood in front of the many Mesoamerican artifacts on display, objects that the hands of our ancestors had meticulously crafted, I was reminded of a scene from the Marvel film "Black Panther." If you have seen the movie, I'm sure you remember which scene I am referring to. In it, the character Erik "Killmonger" Stevens, played by Michael B Jordan, stands in front of African artifacts at the fictional "Museum of Great Britain."

    This scene caused an interesting discussion in the archaeological community and among museum professionals when the movie first came out. In an essay titled "Why museum professionals need to talk about Black Panther" Casey Haughin of John Hopkins wrote that Black Panther "presented the museum as an illegal mechanism of colonialism, and along with that, a space which does not even welcome those whose culture it displays."

    Now, I'm not gonna lie, part of me wished that I had my own team of highly skilled Nawa operatives with me at the museum in London. And that we were there to pull off a carefully orchestrated heist, liberating the objects of our Mesoamerican cultural inheritance and returning them to the land of their birth. Unfortunately, such acts of daring cultural restitution are the stuff of pure fantasy. More at home in the Marvel Cinematic Universe than in the real world. Or are they?

    Your Hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

    Support the Show.

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

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

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

  • listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text!

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

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

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

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

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

    Let's find out!

    Your hosts:

    Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
    @kurlytlapoyawa

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

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

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

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

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

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