Tales From Aztlantis

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 Mesoam...

Premium Episode 5 (sample) This is a short sample from Premium Episode 5, where we talk about our recent trip to Texas and play a little "Meme Roulette." Become a patreon supporter today to get access to our entire library of full-length premium episodes, plus bonus video content! Your hosts: Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamer...

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 p...

Defending the Ancestors with Dr. Mario Garza! A week ago, your hosts embarked on a trip to Central Texas to assist in the important work of repatriating ancestors and to conduct several interviews. In this special FREE Premium Episode, we are joined by Coahuiltecan elder Dr. Mario Garza to discuss Indigenous identity, Coahuiltecan history, and the vital importance of repatriation work. Dr. Mario G...

The Immaculate Deception Part 2! On part two of our "Immaculate Deception" series,  we delve into the invention of Guadalupe as a Mexican tradition, and discuss the various ways in which the image has been conflated with Mesoamerican mother teteoh. Your Hosts: Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and...

The Immaculate Deception Part 1 When Spanish forces under the command of Hernando Cortes first set foot on the eastern coast of Mexico on April 22, 1519, they christened the site of their landing Veracruz, “the true cross.”. Within five years of Cortes’ arrival, a group of Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico, tasked with converting the previously unknown indigenous people to Christianity. Th...

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 Facu...

The Mexika Calendar with Ruben Ochoa (Full Episode!) Premium Episodes are normally reserved for our amazing Patreon supporters, but this episode is too important to keep from the masses! In this episode, Kurly is joined by Ruben Ochoa to talk about the Mexika calendar system and the upcoming year 10 Tochtli. Order your calendar here listener comments? Feedback? Shoot us a text! Lignum is a haven f...

Forging Aztecness, Danza Azteca history with Kristina Nielsen In this episode we are joined by Dr. Kristina Nielsen to discuss the history of the Danza Azteca and Mexikayotl traditions! About our guest: Kristina Nielsen received her Ph. D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2017. Her research focuses on how music and dance in Aztec revitalization movements shape c...

Cesar Chavez & the Cult of Synanon (sample) Synanon was a drug rehabilitation program that morphed into a violent cult (and tax exempt church!) in the 1970s. Much of the violence by Synanon had been carried out by a group within Synanon called the "Imperial Marines". Over 80 violent acts were committed, including mass beatings that hospitalized teenagers and ranchers who were beaten...

Learning Nawatl with Yan Garcia In this episode, Kurly is joined by Nawatl (Nahuatl) language educator Yan Garcia. Yan is the author of the book "Learn Nahuatl: Language of the Aztecs and Modern Nahuas" and a founding member of the organization Tlahtoltapazolli. Yan discusses how he got into Nawatl language education, the need for language preservation and revitalization, and how the Chi...

Atlantis and Graham Hancock (sample)  It's movie night at the Tales From Aztlantis world headquarters! In our very first premium episode, your hosts sit down to watch the BBC documentary "Aztlantis Reborn" featuring crackpot writer and pseudo-historian extraordinaire Graham Hancock. What will our intrepid heroes make of his bizarre claims? Listen and find out!  listener comments? Fe...

The Four Disagreements And we are BACK, cabrones! Welcome to Season 2 of the Tales From Aztlantis podcast. In this episode, we explore the need for critical thinking and scientific literacy within the Danza/Mexikayotl community, and offer a simple checklist to help you weed out pseudo history and misinformation! Your Hosts: Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His re...

Believe Native Women! On today's episode, we welcome our guest Ketzalitzli, along with special guest host Michelle Melendez, to talk about the need to believe and support women who come forward with claims of abuse. The discussion was sparked by the recent conviction of Danza leader Arturo "Pastel" Mireles. "For years, former pupils of indigenous dance leader Arturo “Pastel” Mi...

The lost Episode of Aztlan! 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 le...

The Hispanic Population Myth! In this episode, we revisit a piece that Kurly wrote 21 years ago regarding the Eurocentric and tone-deaf event we call "hispanic heritage month!" Hispanics, Latinos, Hispanos, and Latinxers be warned! Your Host: Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical con...

Nawatl Language Mistranslations! Lots of well-intentioned folks are sharing information about the Nawatl language online. Unfortunately, this information is sometimes inacurate or even worse, completely made up! Today we are joined by Nawatl language educators Yan Garcia (author of Learn Nawatl), and Dr. Magnus Hansen (Nawatl Linguist), as we explore Nawatl language mistranslations, mispronunciati...

Fascist Right Wing Movements in Mexico! When one thinks of hotbeds of right-wing extremism and fascist movements, Mexico is probably the last place that comes to mind. Yet Mexico has long been home to many far right movements, often characterized by an affinity for Nazi symbolism and catholic dogma, and sometimes even blending in Mesoamerican identity. Where did these movements come from, what are...

The Eagle and Condor Prophecy! Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the so-called “prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor” – a prophecy which supposedly foretold the eventual pan-Indian unity of the indigenous people of the western hemisphere. Whether you believe the prophecy or not, the fact remains that it helped spark various activities among indigenous activists who promoted the creation...

Indigenizing Archaeology! A new generation of Indigenous scholars are challenging the colonial frameworks that continue to deeply influence institutions of knowledge and power. The burgeoning field of Indigenous Archaeology offers broad critiques of Western and colonial archaeological thought and practice, while fostering archaeologies that are respectful of Indigenous people’s experiences and bel...

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 identity (and is manifested in our culture, language, traditions, ancestry, systems of kinship, and our connections to the land), I find such attacks…curious to sa...

The Crystal Skull of San Luis Valley! From phony "Maya Elders" to so-called "psychics," crystal skulls are a hallmark of pseudohistory and new age misrepresentations of Mesoamerican history. In this episode, we are joined by author and researcher Ben Radford of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine as we take a look at an alleged crystal skull from Southern Colorado / Northern Ne...

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...

The Myth of New Mexican Spanish This week we are joined by the official New Mexico State historian Rob Martinez! Rob joins us as we dissect the many myths surrounding the way Spanish is spoken in New Mexico. In this episode, we ask the question: is New Mexican Spanish actually an archaic and “pure” form of ancient Spanish? Spoiler alert: Hell no, it isn’t!! Our guest: State Historian Rob Martinez...

The Western Origins of Mexika Woo! Greetings dear listeners and welcome to Tales From Aztlantis: the Mexika Woo episode! In this episode, we will delve into the western origins of many of the alleged “Traditional ancestral teachings” that are bandied about by prominent pseudohistorians and new age practitioners within the modern Mexikayotl movement. So, strap yourselves in, and prepare yourselves...