Tlacahuapahualiztli (The Art of Educating a Person)

Abstract

A word for education in Náhuatl is tlacahuapahualiztli, meaning the art of raising or educating a person. It refers to the education broadly defined. Tlacahuapahualiztli in pre-Cuauhtémoc Anáhuac began at home, was supported by schools, and was reinforced in community living. Today, much of the teaching and learning that takes place in Calpulli Tonalehqueh is not explicit; rather, it is informal and experiential. However, there are several calpulli enterprises designed around formal and semiformal education. Intentional about organized cultural transmission, Calpulli Tonalehqueh programs educational environments (e.g., parenting classes, agricultural partnerships, music/art workshops, philosophy classes) with curricula that are supplemental if not alternative to those found in mainstream US schools as they are based in indigenous cosmology, history, agriculture, and art. In yet another way, a palimpsest is written as members of Calpulli Tonalehqueh look back to the schooling systems of ancient México as guidelines for their own organization.