Tales From Aztlantis

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! listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text! Lignum is a haven for c...

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...

This Throwback Thursday we revisit Episode 16 of the podcast, where we talk about the various attacks on Chicano Indigeneity, and ways we can counter them! Chicano Indigeneity Sadly, the latest online trend within the “woke” and “Latinx” crowd is to relentlessly attack Chicanas and Chicanos who identify as Indigenous. Given the fact that being Indigenous is a cornerstone of Chicana-Chicano identit...

With the passing of the Spring Equinox, we once again bring another year to a close. “In Xiwitl itlamiliz” The year has ended. This means it is once again time for the annual online arguments over whose calendar system follows the correct correlation. We here at the Tales from Aztlantis world headquarters thought it would be helpful to lay out four things you should remember about the ancestral Me...

This Throwback Thursday we return to episode 6 from our first season to talk about the racial pseudohistory of the "Black Olmec" myth, and how it serves to erase, trivialize, and destroy the cultural legacies of Indigenous and African people! Hijacking History (The Problem With The "Black Olmec" Myth) Your hosts: Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmake...

listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text! Order "NEVER WILL IT BE LOST" and get $5 off! Support Lignum: A Cultural Haven in Mérida 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...

Pseudoarchaeology sucks. Plain and simple. And with the advent of the internet and social media, things are only getting worse. Online conspiracists, pseudohistorians,  and pseudoarchaeologists can quickly dissemninate false, often harmful distortions of history with a click of a button. On 4th November 1999, BBC TWO broadcast Horizon: Atlantis Reborn, a documentary that looked at the pseudohistor...

In this episode we dive into the meaning of eclipses among certain Indigenous communities, and take a look at the various modern eclipse conspiracies being pushed on social media. 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...

With the exciting news of three colonial-era Mexika manuscripts being sold to the Mexican Government on everyone's mind, Kurly takes a moment to cast a critical eye on the fake "Maya" Codex Porrua and how its sexual themes might be weaponized by fraudulent leaders and "elders." Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamer...

In this episode, Kurly talks talks about “Fortress," a flick which explores the blurry line that exists between victim and attacker and the tension it incites. Enjoy! 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...

This Throwback Thursday we revisit one of our more controversial episodes! Hunab Ku, Ometeotl, and the Vocabulary of Conquest In 1524, twelve Franciscan missionaries were sent to Mexico from Spain to convert the previously unknown Indigenous people to Catholicism. To help facilitate this, the Spaniards constructed the Colegio de Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco in 1536, where young Indigenous nobles were...

Welcome to season FOUR cabrones! 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...

Hispanic Heritage Month In this episode, we shed some light on the so-called Hispanic Heritage Month which is celebrated from September 15 through October 15 in the United States. If you know nothing about how it got started and its evolution, then this episode is for you. Your host Tlakatekatl will guide you through its origins and provides much needed critical perspective on the consequences ste...

Christopher Columbus & The Indians of God! It has often been claimed that Christopher Columbus did not refer to the Indigenous people of the Americas as "Indians" because he thought he landed in India, but because he thought that they were "gente in Dios." or "people in God." But is this actually true? and what is the source of this controversial claim? Your hosts...

American Homeboy with Brandon Loran Maxwell We are joined by filmmaker Brandon Loran Maxwell (the Daily Chela), to talk about his new documentary film "American Homeboy." American Homeboy is a  documentary film directed by Brandon Loran Maxwell that explores the  complex origins of pachuco and cholo culture which sprouted from  American soil more than 100 years ago in response to wartime...

Remembering Dr. Cintli with Juan Tejeda! We are joined by Juan Tejeda of Aztlan Libre Press to discuss the legacy  and impact of Roberto "Dr. Cintli" Rodriguez, who recently passed away  in Mexico. In tribute, we have a group reading of Roberto's  groundbreaking essay "Who declared war on the word Chicano?" Our Guest: Juan  Tejeda retired in 2016 as a professor of Mexican...

The Acambaro Figurines w/ Dr. David Anderson! In July 1944, in the Mexican city of Acambaro, Guanajuato, a German businessman named Waldemar Julsrud came across a series of bizarre ceramic figurines said to resemble dinosaurs. These figurines have been promoted by young-Earth creationists as evidence for the coexistence of dinosaurs and humans! But what are these figurines, really? Today we are jo...

The Book of the Sun In this episode, Tlakatekatl reads the short book entitled, The Book of the Sun (1992), by Cecilio Orozco, which was influential among Mexikas, danzantes, and the Mexikayotl movement. Kurly offers his personal perspective and provides context on the book's wider cultural impact. Enjoy! Your host:  Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history....

The Strange story of Dr. Atl! In this episode, we explore the bizarre, fascinating, and contradictory life of one of Mexico's most influential painters: Dr. Atl.  listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text! Lignum is a haven for culture, rest, and resistance. We believe in celebrating community and honoring the land that holds us. At our urban “milpa,” we practice indigenous science that re...

The Black Olmec Myth Racism and pseudohistory / pseudoarchaeology go hand-in-hand. One of the more prominent examples of this is the long-discredited notion that the Olmec civilization was either seeded by Black explorers from Africa, or that the Olmec themselves were a Black civilization. In this episode we take a look at the origins of these claims, and analyze the "evidence" used to a...

The Last of The Aztecs! Online racial conspiracists often share historical photos of a man and woman dubbed "The Last of the Aztecs." But who are the individuals in the photo? What is their actual story? And what do they have to do with a showman and circus tycoon from Connecticut? Lets find out as we delve into the tragic story of...The Last of The Aztecs! Your hosts: Kurly Tlapoyawa is...

Talking Pseudoarchaeology with Dr. David S. Anderson In this premium Episode, we journey with Kurly to the SAA (Society for American Archaeology) national Conference in Portland Oregon, where he sits down with Dr. David S Anderson to talk about the forum on pseudoarchaeology that they both participated in! Your guest: Dr. David Anderson is an Instructor with Radford University, and holds his degre...

Cinco De Mayo: Why We Celebrate It's that time of year again! In what has become an annual Cinco de Mayo tradition, we are revisiting one of our earlier episodes from the first season. Every year we see the return of hateful, anti-Mexican comments made in response to Cinco de Mayo, so we thought that it would be a topic worth coming back to. Enjoy! On a dark, rainy Monday afternoon on May 5th...

Indigenous people of the Americas and the Horse  Every once in a while, we see a story posted on social media claiming that horses never went extinct in the Americas and that Indigenous people had the horse long before the arrival of Europeans. If you spend any time on Indigenous social media, you probably know what we are talking about. Supporters of this claim seek to dispel what they view as a...

The Indigenous Pop Culture Expo! Recently, Kurly was invited to be a guest at the Indigenous Pop Culture Expo in Oklahoma City. In this premium episode, he sits down with founder Dr. Lee Francis, and artists Maria "Wolf" Lopez and Jim Terry to talk about the significance of this event! Our guests: Dr. Lee Francis: Albuquerque-based activist, educator, and comic creator Dr. Lee Francis IV...