Friday, May 19, 2017

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

Off-RampSCPR); 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. 
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.
 
What began 16 years ago with just four publishers in a few cities has blossomed into an international event involving hundreds of stores in 46 countries with 40 publishers — big, small and self-run — and millions of comic books, all for free. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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).
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.

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