Aztec Roots of Chicanx Philosophy
This research aims to advance Anzaldúa scholarship by providing a reading of her work through the lens of Aztec philosophy, in particular Aztec metaphysics. This connection is supported by textual evidence in Anzaldúa’s writing and using this metaphysical framework also betters our understanding of Anzaldúa’s social-ethical, epistemic, and aesthetic philosophy. While Anzaldúa was explicitly focused on issues of identity formation, the ethical implications of our interconnectedness, and creating new epistemologies, all of which were aimed at healing the wounds caused by colonialism and a western way of knowing the world. I was interested in making sense of Anzaldúa’s metaphysical claims which inform and situate these important philosophical contributions. After much research I think I have found the metaphysical framework that can help us systematize and better appreciate Anzaldúa’s important philosophical contributions.