Yolihuani Tekolokuautli

Hello, my name is Yolihuani Nelhualiztli Tekolokuautli. I am an Indigenous Chicana filmmaker and artist. I was born and raised in East LA to parents that reclaimed their Indigenous ancestry, giving me a full Nahuatl name and introducing me to a variety of Native ceremonies. I aim to use my art to represent this way of life and uplift Indigenous stories.

The moon, represented by Coyolxauhqui, shines down upon the humans praying to her in a Moon Dance ceremony. Upon learning of her mother’s sudden pregnancy from a quetzal feather, she plans an attack with her army of 400 brothers to kill her mother and the unborn child. As she sets forth her plan, her mother gives birth to the fully armed warrior, Huitzilopochtli. He protects his mother by butchering his siblings and dismembering Coyolxauqui by detaching her limbs. He sends her body parts up into the sky, making her the goddess of the moon.