ketzalkoatl
ketzal= beautiful/precious
koatl= snake, wisdom, vibration
waves of energy that are everything
a manifestation of teotl
teotl, which is NOT a god
teotl is energy
everything is energy
ketzalkoatl has many eyes on many heads
ketzalkoatl, ket-zal-ko-atl
four syllables, like the four elements
ketzalkoatl looking through eyes and elements
sees that colonizer historians misnamed the Mexika “Aztecs”
two hundred years too late
and claim that the Mexika thought Cortés was Ketzalkoatl
If ketzalkoatl had a body,
she would roll around on the ground, laughing
The former Aztecs of Aztlan, aka: Aztlán
(Present-day four corners region of the U.S.A)
became Mexika when they arrived
to an eagle on a cactus on a lake (no snake)
where they built Mexiko-Tenochtitlan by 1325
had an accurate solar calendar
that puts the 1582 Gregorian calendar to shame
they knew all the planets and constellations
had medicine and surgeons
built a city with libraries, universities, baths
even agriculture: chinampas on Lake Texcoco
but these so-called historians
claim that the Mexika thought Cortés was Ketzalkoatl
…right
The legendary Ketzalkoatl
(who may have been light skinned)
would never have returned so smelly!
Who would ever confuse Cortés with a god anyway?!
Who would even make up such a dumb story?
Why do they write this in books?
People who believe those lies
are already empty-headed or racist
so it wasn’t really necessary
And the rest of us just roll our eyes
But Ketzalkoatl, if she had a body
would roll around on the ground, laughing
Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo is a poet, visual artist, and education facilitator whose work is informed by her Indigenous ancestry, Mesoamerican philosophy, Mexika & Mixtec art, Mexican culture, Raza history, and her experiences as a Chicana. Her poetry is published widely in journals and anthologies, while her paintings have been featured in over seventy exhibitions across the country.
Editorial Xingao published her book, Breathe Liberación. She earned a BFA in Pictorial Art and a BA in French from San José State University, served as Creative Ambassador of the San José Office of Cultural Affairs, and was selected as Creative Corps Initiative grantee by California Arts Council and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. She serves as a Board Member of Poetry Center San José and is the Founder of La Raíz Magazine. www.ejmontelongo.com/poetry IG:@elizabethjimenezmontelongo.
