Once Upon a Time in. . .Occupied Aztlán
Elindiocopyright1985

When you purchase a book through our link, we earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for your support.

For educators in the Borderlands, the most frustrating part about studying poetry in epic form is the absence of representation for students who identify as Chicano or Raza. Often, curriculum champions the journey of Odysseus, Dante, and Beowulf, but like Kendrick Lamar says, “they not like us.” Although some people can relate to the themes, these stories were not written for the Latino gaze and often require much more work on the educator's part to get students to understand the literary elements involved in this type of writing.

​The poet known as Elindiocopyright1985 has heard the cries and cravings for meaningful literature to help students better see their culture and identity. From him comes Once Upon a Time in...Occupied Aztlán. Por Fin! An Epic for the La Gente and Raza Students. Published by Maiz Poppin Press, it is an episodic tale that weaves together Nahuatl, Spanish, Caló, and English into a rich tapestry of images that gives a glimpse into the major canon events for most persons who identify as Chicano or Raza in the Americas.

Elindiocopyright1985’s work can be described as a digital mix and mash of historical and popular images of Mexican and Chicano iconography. Throughout the book, classical glyph imagery from ancient Mexica Codices is used to highlight the concepts discussed in the narrator’s journey.
​
On how the book came to be, he states, “I criticized my English Literature teacher for not offering his predominantly Chicano and Raza students, like me, books that didn’t center Europeans or Anglo Americans.” The teacher he references had expressed that his hands were tied, as most educators are contractually bound to stick to district-approved curriculum. This is the most common issue educators on the border face. Although literary elements can be applied to any literary piece, manufacturers of classroom textbooks will stick to historically taught authors rather than diversifying the readings. This means predominantly European, white, male authors are the main perspectives students will be exposed to. 
Already, the positive impact of Once Upon a Time in...Occupied Aztlán is felt in the classroom. After reading a portion of the chapter “nawi/kwatro/for”, also known as “what they know about Us?” to students, they were asked to identify themes and symbols. This chapter centers around a quinceñera and her big day. Lines such as “mientras/the toothless children/ chamacos chimuelos/ encircle the churro lady/ standing/ ready at her churro stand/ to fill their little outstretched hands” made students eager to engage in discussion.

​Usually, with a regular curriculum-based text, students would need gentle prompting and be provided sentence stems to express their answers. Most students on the border are labeled in the system as Emerging Bilinguals, and they historically struggle to perform on par with Native English speakers. However, due to the culturally rich imagery and multilingual stanzas, they were able to participate without relying on strenuous scaffolding methods.

​By putting Once Upon a Time in...Occupied Aztlán in the classroom setting, educators are supporting and motivating Chicano students to become passionate about traditional literary styles of poetry. When students feel seen and represented, they are set up for academic success.

Once Upon a Time in...Occupied Aztlán is a publication by Maíz Poppin' Press.
Reviewed ​by
Christiane Williams-Vigil
​4/20/2026
Christiane Williams-Vigil is a Xicana writer from El Paso, Texas. Her work has been published in anthologies and various literary magazines such as Somos Xicanas, The Write Launch, Chismosa Press, Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine, and Latinx Literatures. Currently, she is an MFA student in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Texas at El Paso. 
Comment Box is loading comments...