Andrew Aaron Valdez

2025-26 Artistic Research Fellow

From Seed to Resurgence: Xinatchli’s Creative Role in Coahuiltecan Retribalization

From Seed to Resurgence is a multidisciplinary project that will result in a new play integrating songs and historical narratives sourced from the Folger Institute collections. This work contributes to scholarly efforts aimed at reclaiming the cultural heritage of the Coahuiltecan people, Indigenous to Northern Mexico and South Texas, whose history and language have been extensively erased by colonization. Inspired by the Nahuatl word Xinatchli—symbolizing seed germination—the project seeks to revive and honor the erased cultural narratives of the Nahuatl and Coahuila peoples.