The University of Arizona Press

The UNESCO Tucson Creative City of Gastronomy presents the inaugural Pueblos del Maíz Fiesta in Tucson, with University of Arizona Press author Roberto Cintli Rodriguez speaking on “Ixi’im: An Indigenous Maiz-Based Philosophy for the Americas.”

When: May 6, 2022, 5-6 p.m. at the Century Room, 311 East Congress St., at Hotel Congress in Tucson.

For more info on Rodriguez’s lecture and to register, go here.

In Rodriguez’s book with the University of Arizona Press, Our Sacred Maíz Is Our Mother: Indigeneity and Belonging in the Americas, he investigates the origins and migrations of Mexican peoples in the Four Corners region of the United States. Using corn as the framework for discussing broader issues of knowledge production and history of belonging, the author looks at how corn was included in codices and Mayan texts, how it was discussed by elders, and how it is represented in theater and stories as a way of illustrating that Mexicans and Mexican Americans share a common culture.

Our Sacred Maíz Is Our Mother, and Rodriguez’s other book with the Press, Yolqui, a Warrior Summoned from the Spirit World: Testimonios on Violence, will be available for purchase at the lecture and discussion.

The Pueblos del Maíz Fiesta was organized in partnership with three other designated food heritage cities—San Antonio,  Merida, Mexico, and  Puebla, Mexico. Tucson will host the first weekend from May 5-8, 2022, of a month-long international food and culture celebration. The festivities will include regional food vendors, chef demonstrations, live music and entertainment, educational panels, movie screenings, and so much more celebrating the rich traditions of maíz.