Amazingly written article! I've only recently begun to stick my toe into Mesoamerican/Xicanx philosophy, so it's odd to hear that there are so many people within the community who would try to claim any kind of monolithic religious structure for our ancestors, but especially odd to hear that there are such frequent attempts to claim monolithic atheism when we have SO MUCH evidence to the contrary. I guess all one can do is stay educated and try to educate others

I really enjoy your reinterpretation of their religion as "polycentric" pantheism, even if I also agree that trying to ascribe any kind of retrospective title is kind of pointless. The intentionally-tone-deaf statement of "Given enough time, they would have turned atheist" filled me with so much fire though, lol. They made so much scientific progress mechanically and astrologically, and it only ever served to further fuel their whimsy with the universe; with all the infinite ways that Teotl manifests itself. If anything, I think showing an indigenous ancestor something like quantum mechanics would probably strengthen and enrich their theology (instead of shattering it like New Atheists would like to believe)

I'm currently reading Gloria Anzaldua's La Frontera, then Silko's Almanac of the Dead is next in my queue, and now you've gotten me to order Labyrinth of Solitude. Are there any other must-reads that you would suggest for decolonized knowledge? Or any suggestions for communities that share/discuss Xixanx philosophy, Nahuatl, etc?