Aztlanahuac: Mesoamerica in North America
Place names throughout the United States such as Montezuma, Aztec, Anahuac, Tula and others have traditionally been attributed to the romanticism of 19th-century U.S. archaeologists. But an ongoing, collaborative research effort that includes exploring cartographic, linguistic, agricultural, and cultural connections between the peoples of North and South America has challenged that view.
“Aztlanahuac: Mesoamerica in North America,” an exhibit that uncovers evidence in maps, written documents and oral traditions of Mesoamerican migrations and connections with communities throughout the United States, will be on display from April 7 to May 13 on the first floors of the Wisconsin Historical Society and Memorial Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This exhibit presents maps, chronicles and codices from the 1500s through the 1800s that suggest possible Aztec/Mexican pre-Columbian points of migrations from what is today the United States. The 1847 Disturnell map, which contains the Antigua Residencia de los Aztecas citation, located near the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers in the state of Utah, was the trigger for the research.
Since then, the researchers have uncovered more than 200 maps which also hint at the presence of older Mexican, Chichimeca, Toltec, and Central and South American peoples in what is today the United States. On the basis of oral traditions, the exhibit also speaks to an even broader hemispheric connection involving agriculture, specifically Teo Cintli or Sacred Maize. The exhibit also features maps of Cahokia (Illinois), an ancient corn-based culture, along with the misnamed Aztalan, Wisconsin.
An April 16 symposium at the Wisconsin Historical Society will further examine the issues presented in the exhibit, which includes the premiere of the “San Ce Tojuan – We Are One” documentary, which explores these very issues.
Aztlanahuac encompasses the northernmost region of Mesoamerica – Aztlan and the southern region, Anahuac. Aztlan is the purported homeland of the Aztecs/Mexicas, which has generally been considered a myth as reflected in the flag of Mexico.
The UW-Madison exhibit is principally organized by Roberto Rodriguez and Patrisia Gonzales, who are UCLA Distinguished Community Scholars and graduate students at the UW-Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication. Exhibit contents are drawn from the Wisconsin Historical Society and Memorial Library as well as the personal libraries of the organizers.