ABOUT THE SERIES This seasonal magazine is the new voice of the victimized indigenous/native groups throughout the continents. Whether their tribe have gone through violence and genocide, they were still able to maintain the culture and traditions intact through the will of adapting for survival needs. This magazine if their perspectives and of their tribes on their culture. It’s through their voice that we learn more.
FROM THE DESIGNER As a young Native Mexican American, I listened to my people’s voices being ignored; Being forgotten. I’ve expirienced being taught about my culture by someone who has never lived it. We should no longer rely for our stories, our history, to be told by someone who studies our culture to explain who we are, but by someone who basked in it. Dedicated to my loving family. Without them, I would have never connected with my roots. Without them, I would have never known who I am.
Yosmany “Manny” Michaca Vivar
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CONTENTS
BRIEF INTERVIEWEE MUSIC FOOD CLOTHING DANCE LANGUAGE SPIRITUALITY LGBTQ
LET’S CLARIFY The Aztecs, who left Aztlan, had wandered for many years and finally settled in Coatepec (Snake Hill in Nahuatl) near Tula. There the Aztecs built a city and lived for many years. When the Aztecs were in Coatepec, a dispute arose. Some of the Aztecs who followed Huitzilopochtli wanted to The Mexica were a Nahua people who founded their two leave and some of the Aztecs who followed Coyolxauhqui cities Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco on raised islets in Lake (Huitzilopochtli’s Sister) wanted to stay in Coatepec. In Texcoco around AD 1200. After the rise of the Aztec Triple the battle that ensued the followers of Huitzilopochtli won Alliance, the Tenochca Mexica (that is, the inhabitants of and they changed their name to Mexicas. Tenochtitlan), assumed a senior position over their two The Sculpture of Coyolxauhqui’s dismembered body lies allied cities — Tlatelolco and Tlacopan. today at the foot of the Templo Mayor the religious center of the Mexica people. The Mexica are eponymous of the placename Mexico Mēxihco, This refers to the interconnected settlements in the valley which became the site of what is now Mexico Mexicas, therefore, are the Aztecs that split from the other City, which held natural, geographical, and population ad- Aztecs in Coatepec. The Mexicas were led by Huitzilovantages as the metropolitan center of the region of the pochtli. They continued south and founded the city of future Mexican state. This area was expanded upon in the Tenochtitlan or Mexico (what is now Mexico City) in Anawake of the Spanish conquest and administered from the huac. Tenochtitlan in Nahuatl means the place of prickly pear cactus. Tenochtitlan was also refered to as Mexico. former Aztec capital as New Spain. The Empire of the Mexicas was also called Mexico. Mexicas means people from Mexico. Hence, Mexicano or MexiThe Aztecs are the people who came from Aztlan, the can means the same as Mexica, people from Mexico. place of origin of the Aztec peoples. Aztec in Nahuatl means the people who came from Aztlan. The Mexica or Mexicas (called Aztecs in occidental historiography, although this term is not limited to the Mexica) zwere an indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico, known today as the rulers of the Aztec empire.
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THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Q U E T Z I Q U E LT JARAMILLO
THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
ANGULO
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Please introduce yourself Quetziquetl, the One Who Starts New Beginnings, Jaramillo Angulo Do you have a native name?
Mictlanyolotl,
Heart of the place where the Spirits rest.
This name was given to me in a ceremony we call “Siembra de Nombre”. A jefe/Capitan names you based on a book made for us, about us. It is called Tonalamatl and it has have all information about your spirit protectors, animal, colors, stones and anything else related to your life in a native way. Hometown Mexico City, Mexico Current location New Jersey, United States Occupation Direct Support Professional/ Doula
When did you decide to accept your culture? In 2003, a year after I migrated to the States. I found people following the native roots from Mexico and I felt the need to embrace my roots. Since then, I haven’t stop doing it. Were you raised with cultural traditions? Yes, just not as danzante, but by setting altars, singing, praying and more. Did you learn through family? Or did you have to learn about it elsewhere and connected? I learn some of it from my grandmothers but more with my community elders that I met in danza thanks to my husband. I met the elders that live in Colorado and they have strong roots. Our general of danza, Margarito Aguilar from Queretaro Mexico, give us his permission and blessing to continue his teachings here. Jefa/capitana Guadalupe Becerril from Tecámac México and others, that are resting in the spirit world, have taught me a lot.
Highest Level of Education High School Status in your tribe/group/association Second Word, Jefa/Capitana of Kalpulli Huehuetlatolli. I’m one of the heads of my Kalpulli (group). I am responsible to maintain the altars, the care of the dancers, and of the fire in this sacred circle. I have to pass our oral history, and deliver the word in the name of my kalpulli. With the way I act, I am representing my people and my group.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Ayokalotl
Atekokoli THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
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How important is Music and what does it mean to you? I’m in love with my traditions, it’s my life and my wheel to move forward. It portrays harmony and that portrayal maintains me happy. When do you play or sing the most? We have different ceremonies, some of them we call velaciones. Velaciones are where we sing all night; We use the instruments and our voices to call the spirits so we can share time with them and pray together. We ask them to guide us and protect our families. These velaciones also help us seek a peaceful state of mind from the craziness of the city life and society. Do men have different roles than women when it comes to music, singing, or playing? No, music is harmony. Everybody plays and sings together. It’s always one person leading each song, and everybody else follows. That way, you get the feeling that, when you offering a prayer, you are actually being listened to. What are the names of the essential/traditional instruments? Conchas de armadillo (armadillo shell): Ayokalotl Caracol (sea snail): Atekokoli Tambor (drum): Ueuetl. Tambora: Panueuetl. Sonajas (rattles): Ayakacholi. What are they made of? Most instrument are made from natural materials like wood. We also use animal hides like deer and armadillo
Ueuetl
How difficult is it for you to obtain them? It’s not difficult because we have our elders in Mexico so when we visit, we are able pick up the instruments and bring them to the USA.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
Is there a food that is essential to your culture? Corn for us is essential. We use it to make tortillas, tamales, soups, teas, drinks, and so much more. We dedicate a dance for this plant. We have other foods like mole and chocolate that you will find in our dishes. Why? We are los Hijos del MaĂz, Children of the Corn. Our ancestors would plant corn to eat and survive. We honor this plant because it means life for our people. Now in these days, we still are using corn in powder that we call Pinole to offer respect and give thanks at the same time to this plant. Are there any unique or important dishes associated with special occasions? Mole is our traditional dish, it is a mix of chiles and we add meat, mostly chicken or pork. We use these dish along with other meals in ceremonies and special occasions like the Day of the Dead. The smell of the food calls our ancestors to the altar so they can eat it and enjoy it in their journey.
THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
We are Hijos del Maiz, Children of the Corn
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THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
{Your regalia} protects you from energies that you don’t need Feel free to tear off a regalia to try it on!
THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
Is the clothing associated with your culture made from specific materials? Absolutely, and we do use many materials like fabrics and leather but traditionally they used only cotton and leather because those were the materials available to my ancestors. Now, there are so many ways to make a regalia and I’m happy about it. We flow in time and we are capable of adapting new materials to our ancient ways. Not change! Adapt. We know our history. Do certain articles of clothing have unique or spiritual purposes? Your regalia is especially for dance. It protects you from energies that you don’t need or from bad wishes from bad people or jealousy. Your regalia also represents your ancestral beauty. It is like you dressed up and are armed to meet the spiritual world. Do colors or symbols hold significance in your clothing? Every individual have their own colors and símbolos (symbols) that connect with their spiritual side. But in order for one to know all their information, They have to make their book of life, the Tonalamatl.
What do men/women wear? Do the genders have different privileges or cultural expectations when it comes to fashion and clothing? Not privileges but there some rules, according to danza (dance), where men and women have specific clothing by tradition. Like, we, women, wear our skirts to represent the connection with Mother Earth. But now these days, for example, you see men wearing clothing specific for women and vise versa and it’s not a problem. They make an adjustments to it so it looks good and presentable when they dance. The problem is when you just wear something and not know the meaning or history behind it. Men were killed in the past for wearing their regalia or having long hair, so small transformations like these had to happen for us to fit and not disappear as natives from this land.
CLOTHING
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Are you allowed to wear jewelry? Yes, most of them stone and feathers but there’s a lot different materials for jewelry too. I enjoy making them myself.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
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Is dance important in your culture? Absolutely. It is very important: it is a commitment with the most sacred, god, creator, or creation, however you want to call it. Why? It is a way of praying and offering little of what we receive from life. It is our way to celebrate life and it’s energy. In danza, for example, when you dance Jaguar or Venado (deer), you are apprienciating the energy of the animal. For what purpose do you dance? I dance for everything: to honor my own ancestros, to give thanks, when I’m happy, when I’m sad, when I need an answer, or when I’m tired. Dance is life, danzas are prayers. Do you now dance as performance? I do, sometimes. It’s a way to re-introduce and educated about our culture to the rest of the world. Celebrations? Ceremonies? We call celebrations “fiestas” and we celebrate every year with each group, nationally or locally, by dancing. We do these fiestas here in USA and in Mexico.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
What is your native language? Náhuatl Is it hard to learn? It’s like any other lenguaje (language), you need to practice. Is the language accessible to learn through school or classes? Here, not to much as in Mexico, but we are working on it. Part of our mission is to have our kids and adults learn our natural language. So we hope to see soon a group class of Nahuatl. Do people still speak it at home? Do you? Yes, a lot of people actually do. I do know very little but I know people that speak the Nauhatl language fluently. I’m still in the process of learning. Has it gone through the risk of disappearing? Not Nahualt because the tribe is enormous. We have nahualt words being spoken by the northern tribes up in Canada. But there is so many indigenous languages in Mexico. These most likely had the risk to disappear because native speakers had migrate to the cities. They had to stop speaking their native tongues so they could adapt.
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Noyollo moyollo They begin to take on a face, a heart This Náhuatl metaphor was used to describe youth and the steps young people took towards adulthood. The Aztecs considered it a special duty to educate their youngsters in the importance of hard work and honesty.
Ixt qu
Áiac xic in tlaltíc
iiztaia, o iiztaia
18 My heart becomes white, your heart becomes white On the subject of happiness... according to the Aztecs, the heart whitened on becoming happy. At first it yearned for it, as if it were thirsty or ravenous, and on seeing the object of its desire, it whitened.
tli, yollotli uitquitinemi
ctli cpac
Never ‘belly-button’ anyone... The Náhuatl literally says ‘No-one is a navel or belly-button of the earth’; calling someone by this term might be the equivalent of calling them today a ‘waste of space’. The message behind the saying is that we should never scorn or undervalue people: they might be wise, prudent, capable and above all, worthy of respect.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
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I don’t follow religions, I believe in my roots.
What does your culture believe in traditionally? My tradition believes in living in harmony by taking care of the water, the earth, and our families. We have to keep in touch with the spiritual world in life. We pray and keep families together to maintain our people strong. Do you practice it yourself? I do. I take care of nature, Mother Earth. I live in harmony by dancing. I pray in and out ceremonies, that way, I keep in touch with the spiritual world. I do it to pray for my family, I pray for their care. Has the culture’s religious practice adapted to fit in with contemporary times? In a time, there was a mix of religions. Our ancestors started following the other religions (Catholic) to prevent our traditions from disappearing. They added all their knowledge with the teachings of the church so they were able to keep practicing their beliefs and pass it to many of my grandfathers and grandmothers and they to us. That was important because my ancestors were killed just by playing the drum or having long hair, not to mention for dancing our traditional dances. Nowadays, we honor their lives by following their steps and dancing by churches but knowing the truth. Do you follow or practice any religions outside of your culture? I don’t follow religions, I believe in my roots. Do you face discrimination within your community or outside? I don’t think so. I’m aware that people don’t see eye to eye because not everybody lives, think, or act the same. But, it doesn’t matter, if we belong in the same community, we all have different points of view, different opinions and different ways to resolve issues as individuals. We just not the same.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN
We love th we lov our childr we lov THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
hem ve ren, ve
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In many native cultures, they have names for people of different sexual orientations, gender, ect. Does yours as well? Yes. siuaokichtik (lesbian) and uilontli (homosexual). There is also omeyolilistli (Two Spirited). Is your culture generally accepting of these people? Absolutely, I always known these are ways that exists in life in general. It is as natural as my people building pyramids, studying the stars, or learning the cycles of nature to plant and hunt. They were so smart and open minded to understand everything that life has to offer, including sexuality. Me, myself, I’m totally proud of them. They follow and love our traditions and they are part our family. We do have them and we love them. Please explain: Well, we believe in respect first of all. We have LGBT relations in our community and this is not new for us. We love them as we love our children, as we love our mothers. We are family and we help and support each other not matter what. We know we all belong to this our mother earth, we never believe in any kind of separations as color, race, sexual orientation, etc.
THE MEXICA : CHILDREN OF THE CORN