“On the Indigenismo of American Religion: Toward a Postcolonial Pedagogy,” by Paul Rodriguez

This paper attempts to show that a study of the history of Mexican religion can help to explain the present state of the study of Mexican-American religion within the U.S. educational system. I contend that there is an historical link between the destruction of the Aztec sacred books of knowledge by the Spanish Conquistadors and the current ban on Mexican-American studies under Arizona House Bill 2281, as well as the limited status of the study of Latino religion within southern California community colleges (and elsewhere). The suppression of Mexican-American history within the broader framework of the American educational system leads to a weakened ability for Mexican-Americans to thrive as historico-political communities.