Tales From Aztlantis Kurly Tlapoyawa & Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl
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This podcast explores Mesoamerican and Southwest pseudohistory, new-age nonsense, archaeological misconceptions, and other tales of adventure! In each episode, we investigate how these very topics have helped inform Chicano/Chicana/Chicanx identity and have resulted in a distorted view of our collective Indigenous past. Your hosts Kurly Tlapoyawa and Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl invite you to join them on a fascinating journey through Mesoamerica's past, present, and future!
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Episode 56: Four Things to Know About the Mexika Calendar!
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 Mexika calendar that might help you discern which calendars are based on solid evidence, and which ones are…lacking to say the least. Now, we are not here to tell you which correlation to follow. Rather, we want to equip you with some basic concepts about the calendar system so that you might have an informed opinion to help guide your further research. But also, you should probably just go ahead and buy the calendar that Kurly just published along with Ruben Ochoa. Its available on talesfromaztlantis.com and Amazon.
And now, with that shameless plug out of the way, we present to you
Four Things to know about the Mexika calendar
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) -
Throwback Thursday: Hijacking History
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 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.
Links:
Reality Dysfunction Podcast #83 featuring Kurly and Tlakatekatl!
Further reading:
Robbing Native American Cultures: Van Sertima's Afrocentricity and the Olmecs
Journal retracts paper claiming that group of Indigenous Americans were Black Africans
Analysis of Ivan Van Sertima's Afrocentric claims on Mesoamerica
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) -
🔒 BONUS: Burning Paradise Ep. 2 "Fortress"
Subscriber-only episode
Find us: https://www.facebook.com/TalesFromAztlantis
Merch: https://chimalli.storenvy.com/
Book: The Four Disagreements: Letting Go of Magical Thinking (Amazon) -
Throwback Thursday: Graham Hancock & Atlantis Reborn!
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 pseudohistorical narratives promoted by Graham Hancock. The film does an outstanding job of debunking Hancock's various claims, and illustrates why we need sound scientific research and expertise to push back on pseudoarchaeology.
In this episode, your hosts watch the episode of Horizon, and provide a running commentary on the evidence presented by both sides.
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) -
Episode 55: Eclipse Apocalypse!
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 has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently consulted on and performed in the Casagrandes Movie for Nickelodeon, which is now streaming 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.
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) -
Dispatches From Aztlantis! Authentic Aztec Codices and Bad Maya Forgeries
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 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 most recently consulted on and performed in the Casagrandes Movie for Nickelodeon, which is now streaming on Netflix.
@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)
Customer Reviews
Love it!
So excited for more new episodes!! I love learning more and I always find their explanations thoroughly entertaining and informative!!
Medicine for My Mind & Spirit
Well researched and discussed, these guys have forced me to re-examine and critically consider so many “traditions” I once held as ancestral truths. Thank you Kurly & Tlacatekatl for giving voice to the honest truths about our country that indigenous Xican@ roots. Tlazocomati.
A relatable podcast
I find this podcast station relatable. Many of us are trying to know more about our ancestors and just more about us as a people.
I love that the hosts are educated and will speak up when something isn’t right even if they may be called names because our culture needs defending from those who seek to claim it for themselves. As Kurly says, “The truth is like medicine, it doesn’t always take good, but it’s good for you!”