Did the Aztecs Come From UTAH???

Did the ancestors of the Mexica—the people we often call Aztecs—come from the red rock canyons of Utah?

For years, legends have placed the Aztecs’ origin in a mythical homeland called Aztlán. But according to some researchers, Aztlán may not be mythical—or even Mexican. In this episode, I explore one of the most controversial and fascinating theories in Latin American history: Was Aztlán actually in the American Southwest?

We'll look at:

• The Four Rivers theory near Moab, Utah
• The seven caves of Chicomoztoc and their real-world parallels
• Rock art in Sego Canyon and what some believe it shows
• The Uto-Aztecan language family and its northward roots
• What scholars like Miguel León-Portilla, Camilla Townsend, Alfredo López Austin, and Michael E. Smith say in response

🎧 With sources. With citations. With respect for the culture. And in the end—you decide.

Check out the first episode on Aztlan here: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TS2B9D3bwXjRTEUYbxrYL?si=ak55sQZNRQat5HhX07OEUw

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3IauAWo

🔔 If you enjoy thoughtful storytelling about myth, migration, and identity, follow the show for new episodes every week.

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#AztecOrigins #Aztlán #Mexica #UtahMysteries #LatinAmericanHistory #MOLA #IndigenousHistory #MythAndMigration

Homework Sources:

• Campbell, L. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford University Press.
• Deseret News. (1990, March 24). Researchers say Aztec homeland was in Utah. Deseret News Publishing Company.
• Durán, D. (1581). Historia de las Indias de Nueva España e Islas de Tierra Firme. (English version often cited in secondary sources; original Spanish text widely published in Mesoamerican studies.)
• Gillespie, S. D. (1998). Codex Boturini and migration traditions of the Mexica. In Carrasco, D. (Ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures. Oxford University Press.
• Hill, J. H. (2001). Proto-Uto-Aztecan: A community of cultivators in central Mexico? American Anthropologist, 103(4), 913–934.
• Ixtlilxóchitl, F. de A. (17th century). Relaciones históricas. (Compiled in various editions; specific references vary by edition.)
• León-Portilla, M. (1959). La visión de los vencidos: Relaciones indígenas de la conquista. UNAM / Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. (English edition: León-Portilla, M. (1962). The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico. Beacon Press.)
• López Austin, A. (1980). Cuerpo humano e ideología: Las concepciones de los antiguos nahuas. UNAM / Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas.
• National Park Service. (n.d.). Archaeological resources of the southwestern United States. U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Rivas-Salmon, A., & Orosco, C. (1990). Aztec homeland theory and Utah. Interviewed and profiled in Deseret News (March 24, 1990).
• Shaul, D. (2014). The prehistory of the Uto-Aztecan languages. Anthropological Linguistics, 56(3–4), 255–302.
• Townsend, C. (2019). Fifth sun: A new history of the Aztecs. Oxford University Press.
• Utah Rock Art Research Association (URARA). (n.d.). Rock art styles of the Southwest. Retrieved from urara.wildapricot.org
• Whitley, D. S. (2005). Introduction to rock art research (2nd ed.). Left Coast Press.