L.A. history with a real Californio (audio)

Off-RampMay 6, 2017 (SCPR); Pfc. Sandoval, Xochitl, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly

The language of Mexico and its state California is NOT Spanish. It never was. Spanish is the language of invaders, Conquistadors, colonialists. If anything the Native language is Nahuatl (pronounced Nah-wah).

 

Of course, when this was all Native American territory, the tribes or nations had their own languages or dialects. This collection of tribal Native American tongues were from the Uto-Aztecan language family used all over The Southwest extending deep into Mesoamerica surpasses Spanish (from imperial Spain) in importance. 

• Listen to this episode of Off-Ramp (48:10)
• Reckon with L.A.'s Spanish fantasy past with "The Shoot Mexican's Don't They?"
   
  

What about our Great Pyramid of Cholula?

Spanish is European and imperialist, a language of conquest and colonization. There are millions of Nahuatl speakers in Mexico.

 

There was a post-Aztec tribe called the Mexica, from which the country derived its present name. But Mexicans are really, for the most part, Mestizos ("Mixes" or "Blends" of Native and European usually Spaniard, French, German, Portuguese, or British) blood, as is true for much of South America.

 

LA culture today, comic book shops

Any remaining Natives are very much mistreated and taken to the edge of extinction. Ethnic cleansing is going on now, and if they cannot be eradicated outright, their culture, language, and indigenous practices are stamped out to make room for the hegemony of the dominant culture, which is anything but Native.

In this episode of LA's Off-Ramp (scpr.org), Host John Rabe talks to a Native Nahuatl speaker and a Los Angeleno or "Californio" (Native Californian, which used to be one place prior to its separation into Upper and Lower, Alta and Baja).

• A deep dive on L.A. history with a member of local "royalty," a real Californio

May 3, 2017 An Angeleno family going back three generations here is considered ancient. But Theresa Chavez is a real Californio, dating back to 1771 when her family owned an original rancho ("ranch")...
 
How many Romanian restaurants can you name? Add Parsnip in Highland Park to the short list...We say TOMATO, they say TOMATL: Adolfo Guzman Lopez helps us explore Nahuatl. (Photo: LA Public Library Shades of LA Collection).

A deep dive on LA history with a member of local "royalty," a real Californio.

RIP Lucy Casado of Lucy's El Adobe: "A pistol and a beloved mamacita"

Dan Guerrero remembers Lucy Casado, who died Tuesday at 91, as a politically active "pistol" but also a welcoming, mothering "mamacita" who provided a welcoming space at Lucy's El Adobe Cafe.

You think you're a longtime Angeleno? Theresa Chavez's family came here in 1771!

We play "Ask a Californio" with Theresa Chavez, whose family moved to LA almost 250 years ago. One of her ancestors, it is said, "could ride from San Diego to Sonoma without once leaving his own land."

Off-Ramp Recommends: Supporting your local Comic Book Shop

Celebrate Free Comic Book Day! The annual tradition is held every first Saturday in May at participating comic book specialty shops.

How Santa Claus found a home along the 101 in Oxnard

The jolly big-bellied figure is 67 years old, and for the past 10 years the statue has been the starting point of the Santa to the Sea race.

"Avocado" is from Nahuatl, is the same word as "testicle"

English has borrowed more than a few words from the ancient language of the Aztecs, including avocado and coyote.

Parsnip brings Romanian classics to Highland Park

Chef Anca says the food pays tribute to the country's working class: "It's a combination of these stews and braises, things that are kind of making the most with what you have.

Pio Pico: A life as big as the 2-time governor's needs 2 graves

He lived nearly a century, overthrew two governors, and gambled $25,000 on a single race. Maybe it isn't surprising that he needed two graves.

 

Off-Ramp recommends: supporting your local Comic Book Shop

Off-Ramp ® is a lively weekly look at Southern California through the eyes and ears of radio veteran John Rabe. News, arts, home, life... covering everything that makes life here exciting, enjoyable, and interesting. 

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