, Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., celebrate the work of UA Chicano Studies professors Patrisia Gonzales, author of Red Medicine, and Roberto Cintli Rodriguez, author of Our Sacred Maiz is Our Mother: Indigeneity and Belonging in the Americas from the UA press, at the Arizona State Museum. Other writers and artists there tonight include Maria Vai Sevoi, Grecia Ramirez and Tanya Alvarez, along with the Calpolli Teoxicalli and the Indigenous Alliance without Borders, MEChA, and oNyona NyNy Smith. A special Azteca meal prepared by elder Dona Maria will be available, at no charge. This UA Press event honors the 20 years of Gonzales and Rodriguez’s work.
This is also a book signing for Rodriguez, whose book was recently published, and culminates research he started with Gonzales on his investigation on the origins and migrations of the Mexican people in the Four Corners region of the U.S. by following the corn and the people associated with that crop and stories from the elders he interviewed along the way.
Listen to a podcast interview with Rodriguez from Amanda Shauger at KXCI.
We recently interviewed Rodriguez about his book, and intended our interview to be part of a Currents feature in last week’s issue, but our decision to focus on marriage equality forced us to change course for the week. Here’s part of our interview with the author, journalist and UA associate professor.
Rodriguez was one of only a few active UA academics involved with championing Mexican-American studies at Tucson Unified School District—supporting students at protests and speaking out at many governing board meetings and other public hearings. He was arrested with local high school and college students the day the anti-Mexican-American studies legislation was signed into law when outgoing state Attorney General Tom Horne paid a visit to Tucson. He also experienced a fair share of criticism from MAS critics and far-right attacks, including a threat on this life.
What is the time frame of your work on this book?
It was the mid-1990s. That was when the process began in the literal sense, a research project on maps I was given that showed that the Aztecs reached into the Four Corners of the United States. I had no knowledge of the maps and had never heard of them. I was just given them as proof that Mexican people were native to the Southwest. I wasn’t a scholar then, but even with the little I knew, I knew that this little piece of paper does not constitute proof. So I embarked on a research project.
You found more maps, right?
Yes … from 1847. That’s what triggered this research. At the time Patrisia and I were colleagues and married when we embarked on this project together. It was exiting and exhilarating. We went everywhere on this topic … and at some point we saw some of the oldest maps that showed Salt Lake as the point of origin of Mexican Indians. Everyone made the assumption that we were looking for Aztlan. We knew the story but we weren’t sure if that was what was supposed to be depicted. We knew that there has to be memory there and that people would be able to tell us stories. We began to do interviews with elders, many of them are dead now.
I know many people will say, ‘Why do you always talking about corn?’ Your academic nickname, Dr. Cintli, is Dr. Corn.
When we did the interviews, I realized forget the maps. If you want to know where we come from, follow the corn. At that point it became obvious to me. I think some people were disappoint we didn’t find Aztlan. But we literally did follow the corn and saw how it changed the continent and it was corn that led to what we call civilization. Massive cities.
How did this research related to your own personal story?
I grew up knowing that society saw me as inferior, but I got a different message from my father and my mother — mostly my dad telling me stories, anciet stories, that didn’t reinforce the idea that we crossed this ocean to get here. “Don’t worry about that or what they say, we didn’t cross the ocean. We are from here
Part of your research was also during the state’s attacks on TUSD and MAS, right?
I would say it was coincidental that when I went to do my PhD, it was 2003-2007, and in 2006, Horne began hsi campaign, his war was about indigenous knowledge. Kids were being taught in lakech and pacnhe be — and that was precisely my work. The teachers taught lots of things, but some of what was being taught in the classroom was also from my own materials and column Patrisia and I did.
In your classroom at the UA, you say you teach beyond in lakech and panche be?
I expanded to what I call the seven maiz based values. Really there’s no story like it on this continent — the story of the maize. It is not a counter story. It existed for 7,000 years and it doesn’t revolve around Greeks and Roman. The maiz stories is important and it is humble. It’s not a claim to land, this isn’t about Aztlan, but a claim to our humanity. We are part of a big story — a bigger story. I always looked at SB 1070 as a way to attack brown people, and that was a law to deport the body. HB 2281 was to deport the mind and spirit. My book is a way to help understand that we are from here and we are also fully human.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2014.
Good old Dr. Cintli doing his Aztec mysticism schtick. Everyone knows you believe in Hispanics being exempt from immigration laws, so don’t pretend it’s not about land.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEChA
The Spanish imported Black slaves to the New world at a rate 12 to 1 when compared to the North White Colonies, do you know that? The Mexicans drove out the Spanish who had raped and pillaged the native peoples, then proceeded to do the very same, as they had bounties on the Natives of the South West! Bounties for the scalps of native men, women, children and babies! MECHA pushes a myth AZTLAN (and has a charter calling for the removal of all non-brown people from AZTLAN) a myth I claim because the Mexicans only controlled the Southwest for less than 50-years before being defeated in war by the American Army or liberators, who then even though they won the war paid Mexico for “their” lost territories. Let’s review the Spanish stole the land in the South West and sent the treasures of the natives back to Europe to fund their Renaissance, the Mexicans drove the Spanish out but continued the plundering and killing of the native peoples of the South West. The Americans then drove out the brutal Mexican Armies, bought the land and has now owned and controlled the land for over 150 years, three times the amount of time the Mexicans occupied the AZLAN. MeCHa is a KKK equivalent no one should be proud to be associated with, let alone invite to a public University anymore than the KKK should be welcomed! You can do it, I support your right to be racist but I cannot condone that racist group!
Bill… the philosophy you represent is called Providence and Manifest Destiny… which in effect is lined up with the KKK and the forces of slavery… and prior to that, genocide and land thefy… amazing your logic…try pedaling it to your kindred spirits…
Bill is only writing the facts. Look it up. Mexico actually claimed the Southwest U.S. for less than he says. From 1810 to 1848. During which time the genocide and oppression of actual native peoples was as bad or worse as under the Spanish or Americans.