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The Xinachtli Project - A path Toward Mesoamerican Education
Xinachtli is a Mechica (Nahuatl-Aztec) word which means germinating seed. Xinachtli is the moment when a seed bursts. According to Mesoamerican cosmogony, such an occurrence is a moment when a seed is neither seed, nor plant, but infinite possibilities. It is a moment of true learning. In essence, human learning is Xinachtli. Xinachtli's corresponding pedagogy is an educational program that seeks to enhance the curriculum administered by public schools. The Xinachtli Project integrates Mesoamerican concepts into academic studies to promote learning. For example, through the use of the Aztec Calendar, Danza, Nahuatl language, and pertinent Mesoamerican symbology, a dialogue is created for Mexican background students to understand their ancestral identity and contemporary social reality.
The Xinachtli concept has found a receptive school through the Mesoamerican Project at Canutillo Elementary. CISD is located west of El Paso, Texas in a community predominantly Mexican American (85%), a substantial immigrant population, and a poverty rate low enough to qualify all of its students for the free lunch program. At the Canutillo campus some 720 students work with 40 teachers.
Link: Xinachtli
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