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COLUMN OF THE AMERICAS
JUNE 2, 2008
RAZA STUDIES: A CEREMONIAL DISCOURSE
BY ROBERTO DR. CINTLI RODRIGUEZ
Atop the hills of the Nahuatl-speaking village of Ocotepec,
Morelos,
Mexico, while a colony of red ants is carrying maiz kernels
on their
backs, an elder explains: "These are the ants of Quetzalcoatl."
The sensation is magical. In a metaphorical sense, the
ants are acting
out a cosmic drama. It and similar stories – which can
be considered a
ceremonial discourse – are recorded in many of the ancient
Mesoamerican amoxtlis or codices of how maiz or cintli
came to the
people. They are also recorded in songs and dances and
in the
collective memory of the maiz-based cultures of the Americas.
In the nearby village of Amatlan, the late elder, Don
Felipe Alvarado
Peralta, relates from memory the following story:
At the dawn of the Fifth Sun, after humans were created,
Quetzalcoatl
– bringer of civilization, writing, the calendar and
the arts – is put
in charge of finding food for the people. Walking along,
Quetzalcoatl
notices a red ant carrying a kernel of corn. Quetzalcoatl
asks:
"What's that on your back?"
"Cintli," replies the ant. "Maiz. It is our sustenance."
"Where did you get it?"
Reluctantly, the ant points toward Tonalcatepetl – the
mountain of
sustenance. "Follow me."
When they arrive, the only way into the mountain is through
a small
opening. At that, Quetzalcoatl transforms into a small
black ant. Once
inside the mountain, Quetzalcoatl sees the maiz and takes
it,
proceeding to bring it to the "lords" in Tamuanchan.
There, they
approve of it. Unable to bring Tonalcatepetl itself,
Quetzalcoatl
instead brings the seeds to the people.
This ancient story of the Nahuatl peoples of Mexico was
recorded in
the Chimolpopoca Codex of 1548. Don Felipe was reputedly
the keeper of
the stories of the Quetzalcoatl priest, Ce Topitzin,
who had been born
in the ancient city of Amatlan some 1200 years earlier.
One such story
was about the association between Nahuatl-speaking Mexican
revolutionary Emiliano Zapata and Quetzalcoatl. He related
that during
the 1910-1920 Revolution, Zapata had hid in the caves
above Amatlan –
the same caves associated with Ce Topitzin. After Ce
Topiltzin's
schooling in nearby Xochicalco, he also later left his
impressionable
civilizational mark throughout Mesoamerica, including
the ancient
cities of Cholula, Tula, Cacaxtla and Chichen Itza. Known
as a wise
and peaceful elder, he took his name from the much older
or mythic
Quetzalcoatl – the plumed or beautiful serpent – whose
presence is
also recorded in the ancient city of Tollan-Teotihuacan.
According to
Maya scholar, Domingo Martinez Paredez, in Un Continente
y Una
Cultura, Quetzalcoatl is known by various names throughout
the
continent, including Kulkulkan among the Maya of Yucatan,
Gucumatz
among the Maya Quiche of Guatemala, Itzam among the Huastecas,
Tohil
among the Zapotecas and Arara among the Andean Quechuas.
This plumed
or water serpent reputedly also goes by several other
names in what is
today the U.S. Northeast, Southwest and Northwest.
While it is not certain when and where maiz was specifically
created,
most botanists place the age of maiz somewhere in the
vicinity of
7,000 years in Southern Mexico and /or Central America.
Oral
traditions generally agree with this framework and scenario.
While there are plenty of variations, Mesoamerican cultures
appear to
have sprung forth from a common root – maiz. Thus, many
share similar
stories of mythic or hero twins who battle lords of the
underworld in
a cosmic ballgame; stories of a plumed or beautiful serpent;
and the
attempts to create humans, first out of mud, then wood,
and finally
maize, as recounted in the ancient Popul Vuh, the Maya
creation book.
It includes maize-based calendars and similar cosmovisions,
including
the belief in the sacredness of maiz. As Guillermo Bonfil
Batalla
argued in Mexico Profundo, maiz itself is the civilizational
impulse
or germinational seed that triggered Mesoamerica's development.
Traces
of that impulse can still be seen today throughout Turtle
Island or
the Americas, including wherever corn, beans and squash
– wherever
tortillas and chile – are being eaten.
* *
* *
This society tells people of Mexican/Central and South
American
descent that they don't belong; witness the massive immigration
raids
sweeping the nation and the clamor for a 2,000 mile wall.
At best,
they are told that they are subservient. This maiz discourse
(there are other
discourses also), which underpins Raza-Mexican American
Studies nationwide,
tells a different story. The primary stories teach respect
and that as humans,
we are all equal. It is such stories, contained in the
codices, that were
destroyed by fanatical priests during the colonial era.
Contrary to
the myths [about Raza Studies in Tucson and Semillas
del Pueblo in Los
Angeles] that are being foisted upon by new would-be
censors – rather
than subvert Western Civilization – these stories provide
an
invaluable glimpse of the continent's history. And similar
to
Greco-Roman, Chinese and Egyptian stories, they are part
of our human
legacy and heritage.
* Positive Representation in Education has been formed
to Save Raza
Studies. They have a listserv at: notosb1108@lists.riseup.net.
Also, a
petition to Save Raza Studies can be found at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-raza-studies
Rodriguez can be reached at: XColumn@gmail.com or 520-743-0376.
Column
of the Americas PO BOX 85476 -- Tucson, AZ 85754. The
column is
archived at: http://web.mac.com/columnoftheamericas/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
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Dear Friend:
While most of us have a general
understanding that earning
power increases with the
amount of education a person attains,
there is clear empirical
evidence for this. U.S. Census data
demonstrates that a person
can expect to earn almost twice as
much in his or her lifetime
with a college degree over what
they would earn with a high
school diploma. And this same
person could earn almost
a third again as much with an advanced
graduate degree. Thus,
in 2004, someone with a high school
degree would have had an
average earning of about $29,000 per
year, while the average
person with a college degree would have
earned $52,000 per year
and someone with an advanced degree
would have earned $78,000
per year. Clearly, more education
leads to greater earning
power.
Because this data is so compelling,
I think it is important
that we do all we can to
get students into college, make sure
they get a degree, and assist
them in getting an advanced
degree. That is one
reason why I strongly support the Next
Generation Hispanic Serving
Institutions Act, S.565, authored
by Senator Jeff Bingaman
(D-NM). Congress established the
designation of “Hispanic
Serving Institutions” in the Higher
Education Act of 1992, defining
these institutions as those
with at least a 25 percent
enrollment of Hispanic students.
Since then, Hispanic-Serving
Institutions, including 70
colleges and universities
in California, have helped to boost
the number of Latino students
enrolling in and graduating from
college. And while
the 270 Hispanic Serving Institutions
account for only 5 percent
of all colleges and universities in
the nation, they enroll
more than half of all Latino students.
Since the 1992 legislation,
the number of Latinos going on to
college after high school
has increased. However, Latinos
still lag behind other groups
in college enrollment and the
differences increase with
higher graduate degrees. S.565 aims
to change this by establishing
a competitive grant program for
graduate education.
Under the current law, student
support is provided only to
two-year and four-year students
at Hispanic Serving
Institutions. This new legislation
would support graduate
fellowships and support
services for graduate students. It
would also allow Hispanic
Serving Institutions to provide
facilities improvement,
faculty development, technology and
distance education, and
collaborative arrangements with other
institutions to improve
graduate education.
Latinos make up the fastest
growing sector of our workforce.
This legislation will help
to provide better resources for a
better trained and more
able workforce with the inclusion of a
new graduate education component,
and it will help to eradicate
the chronic shortage of
Latino professionals with advanced
degrees. I am pleased
to support this legislation.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
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