Our New Anahuac

Tell us a little bit about your Nahuatl name. How did you receive the name, and why did you feel it was important to use that name publicly?
I wrote something about my Nahuatl name which I am attaching for your review. (I will have it copied and pasted under this paragraph for you.) I adopted the name myself last year because of the reasons I outlined in the writing. I chose to use it publicly because I am proud of it and feel it should be shared with others. Perhaps others may be moved to look deeper into their culture and history and adopt a Nahuatl name of their own, or other Indigenous name that reflects their
culture and history.

Why I Chose the Name “Tlecoz Huitzil”
“Tlecoz” is the Nahuatl name for “he ascends.” “Huitzil” is short for “Huitzilopochtli.” Huitzilopochtli, which means “Blue Hummingbird on the Left,” was the Mexica god of the Sun and the war. He was also the national god of the Aztecs. The word “huitzil” alone is the Nahuatl
word for “hummingbird.”

According to Laurette Séjourné, in her book “Burning Water” in Nahua maps, the South is at the left, and in the South is the paradise of the sun. The “left” is the deep south, the location of the spirit world. Ancient texts reveal that the souls of the dead warriors return to the earth as butterflies and hummingbirds, so the esoteric meaning of Huitzilopochtli is “the warrior soul from the paradise.” From a description in the Florentine Codex, Huitzil was so bright that the warrior souls had to use their shields to protect their eyes. They could only see Huitzil through the arrow holes in their shields, so it was the bravest warrior who could see him best. From time to time, those warriors could return to earth as butterflies or hummingbirds.

Taken together I have adopted the name “Tlecoz Huitzil” to mean “the warrior soul who continues to ascend.” I seek to foster my perpetual growth and development every available opportunity and I endeavor to do the same in others.

I elected to choose a Nahuatl name to honor my rich cultural and historical roots, and to adopt a name that I believe truly reflects the person I am. The importance of identity, culture, history and self-empowerment can never be underscored enough, and selecting a name that reinforces this is an enormously powerful expression.

Can you tell us a little bit about your work with Presente.org?
In February of this year when my friend and supporter Favianna Rodriguez was in Michigan for the 16th Annual Dia de la Mujer Conference at Michigan State University (where she was the keynote speaker), Favi and I discussed the creation of Presente.org and its purpose. She had been in discussions about the group’s creation in California before coming to Michigan. I told Favi I fully supported Presente.org’s vision and accepted her invitation to join the Presente.org Team. So, officially I am one of the founding members of Presente.org and a member of its Team.

Since my involvement in Presente.org I have been actively involved in the group’s work and have been promoting their campaigns utilizing every available medium to do so. I have a great team of supporters and organizers across the country who help me accomplish this. My respected leadership, organizing skills, and networking knowledge are a few of the reasons that Favi invited me to work with Presente.org. The BastaDobbs campaign is our latest action campaign receiving national attention. I don’t need to repeat here why this campaign is so important to Xicano/Latino people. People can visit the campaign site to learn more about it.

What recent activities have you been involved with in addition to the above?
I recently raised money for the Making Strides American Cancer Society campaign and funds to help purchase a new laptop and printer for a Detroit elementary school classroom whose district could not afford these items. The class teacher will use these items as tools to teach ESL students how to make comic books. Yesterday I received a request from students of MEXA de Michigan State University to participate as a speaker at an upcoming social justice event which
will be held at a church to discuss the DREAM Act and my case. My work continues each day as I strive to improve the condition of the community. It is work I look forward to continuing upon my eventual release as well.