THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: RICARDO ROMO’S TEJANO REPORT ON SMALL ART GALLERIES AND WHAT IS AZTLAN AND WHERE IS AZTLAN TODAY?
This week we begin with Ricardo Romo’s Tejano Report examining how small art galleries are making a difference in promoting Chicano/Latino artists. Ricardo visits the Centro Cultural Aztlan where new exhibition spaces were recently opened. The Galería Expresión I and Galería Expresión II are showcasing the exhibits, “Midsummer Solstice: A Celebration of Life, Balance, and Renewal” and “Project: MASA Cosmic Culture Portrait Collection.” Check out the new space and paintings.
Also this week we turn our attention to the mythical land of Aztlán. As many of you may know, Aztlán is the term resurrected during the heyday of the Chicano movement to denote the ancestral home of the Mexica peoples. According to legend, before the migrated to what is today Mexico City, the Mexica people lived to the north and west in a land named Aztlán. In our first video, noted Indigenous scholar Professor Fermin Herrera gives us an account of what Aztlán means and its origins as described i the ancient text of the Codex Botturini. In our second two videos , we explore exactly where the historical Aztlán may have been. Yes, possibly in the American Southwest! Of course many people feel that Aztlán is more a state of mind than a geographic locale.
Learn about your history and enjoy your Fourth of July week!
Tia Tenopia