This is the story of the Aztec’s historic 200+ year pilgrimage, as told from the 16th Century Primary source: The Codex Boturini.

The Aztecs came from a place in the north called: Aztlan, which means, “place of the White Heron.”

The Aztecs left their homeland Aztlan in about 1111 C.E. After more than 200 years of trials and tribulations, they stopped when they saw their sign from their god Huitzilopochtli: the eagle perched on the cactus. There, they would build one of the greatest cities in world history.

This is the story of their historic migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan in their own words.

Students will examine how language shapes public perception through an analysis of the short film "Power of Words." In the film, experts highlight the various euphemisms used by the US government to describe the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans and how the language used to describe this event did not match the reality.  

The Spanish were savage and barbaric in Mexico… And the Conquest of the Mexica was extremely bloody. But it’s often told as ONLY the Spanish Vs. the Aztecs. And that’s not true… It’s not even close. The so called, “Conquest” of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was really a NATIVE REVOLT. It was ancient indigenous Mexicans against other Native Mexicans. Clearly… the Spanish were the main manipulators.

But it was Native Mexicans who organized, fought and overthrew: Mexico-Tenochtitlan. So much so…. That Native Mexicans accounted for 99% of all people who fought or assisted in the overthrow of the Aztecs, of Mexico-Tenochtitlan in 1521.

And… Who were the Indigenous Mexican allies of the Spanish? They were the Tabascans, the Cempoalans, Texcocans, the Totonacs, Huezotzingos, Chalcas, Quauhquecholtecas, the Zapotec, Mixtec, the Yope, the Xochilmcos, the Tlaxcalans, the Tarascans……And many….. Many….. more. And what did Native Allies provide a handful of Spanish….. Food….. Translation… Advice… Medical Assistance… Labor, especially porters… Housing… Clothing… Guides… Spies.. Messengers….Moral Support…Sex….. And …. Warriors to fight the Aztec and their allies. And much, much, more.

Now… this brief film isn’t a history of the so-called Spanish Conquest….. This is a history of the Native Revolt against Mexico-Tenochtitlan …… it’s a Native Revolution… As Cortes and about 500 Spaniards marched to Mexico-Tenochtitlan from the East… (their maximum number perhaps doubled). He was joined by hundreds of thousands of the largest and fiercest army ever assembled in Mesoamerica.

A second-year intermediate course that includes vocabulary enhancement and limited review of selected points of grammar. Focuses on listening comprehension and speaking, with group activities, discussions and individual oral reports based on readings, films, music and art.

Still photography, a practice and form of expression that has worked its way into every facet of social life and every culture in the world, is considered here from the perspectives of history and social science. We will discuss the uses and functions of pictures; how they are to be understood and interpreted; whether they have clear-cut content and meanings; how they shape and are shaped by politics, economics, and social life.

This is the second open educational resource inspired by the Daisy Asquith's film Queerama (2017).  Queerama marks the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offenses Act, which partially decriminalized private homosexual acts in England and Wales. The documentary was created from footage from the BFI National Archive and captures the relationships, desires, fears and expressions of gay men and women. You can follow the three learning blocks in order or pick and choose. This OER produced under a CC-BY license. This module is designed to help us think about what happens when we bring different stories together in to collections or archives.

This is the third open educational resource inspired by the Daisy Asquith's film Queerama (2017).  Queerama marks the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offenses Act, which partially decriminalized private homosexual acts in England and Wales. The documentary was created from footage from the BFI National Archive and captures the relationships, desires, fears and expressions of gay men and women. You can follow the three learning blocks in order or pick and choose. This OER produced under a CC-BY license.