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Pensamiento Serpentino (Serpentine Thought) is a poem by Chicano playwright Luis Valdez originally published by Cucaracha Publications, which was part of El Teatro Campesino, in 1973. The poem famously draws on philosophical concepts held by the Mayan people known as In Lak'ech, meaning "you are the other me." The poem also draws, although less prominently, on Aztec traditions, such as through the appearance of Quetzalcoatl.[1] The poem received national attention after it was illegally banned as part of the removal of Mexican American Studies Programs in Tucson Unified School District.[2] The ban was later ruled unconstitutional.[3]
The verses are "frequently recited daily in high school," but ethnic studies teachers say it is not a prayer, but an "affirmation."[4]
- ^ Marie Contreras, Sheila (2009). Blood Lines: Myth, Indigenism, and Chicana/o Literature. University of Texas Press. pp. 85–88. ISBN 9780292782525.
- ^ Planas, Roque (13 January 2015). "Arizona Education Officials Say It's Illegal To Recite This Poem In School". Huffington Post.
- ^ Astor, Maggie (23 August 2017). "Tucson's Mexican Studies Program Was a Victim of 'Racial Animus,' Judge Says". The New York Times.
- ^ KRISTEN TAKETA (18 January 2022). "Calif. will delete popular affirmation from ethnic studies after suit claims it's an Aztec prayer". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
"Many ethnic studies teachers say In Lak'Ech is not used as a prayer but as an affirmation […] frequently recited daily in high school ethnic studies classes in San Diego and elsewhere in California."
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