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:
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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.
