For the Past 20 Years, a Santa Ana Man Has Kept the Language of the Aztecs Alive
*This is a great, albeit a little long, piece for a Friday read. VL
By Gabriel San Roman, OC Weekly (17 minute read) 
“Okay, let’s start with practice!” Davíd Vázquez says in Spanish to a dozen or so students seated in the basement choir room of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana. His jet-black hair is gathered into a tightly braided ponytail; his tone is emphatic but patient. The 61-year-old proceeds to offer customary greetings in Nahuatl, the language of the Mexicas of Mexico, better known as the Aztecs.
“Tanecic!” “Tiotaqui!” “Tayohuah!”
The class repeats those words (which mean “Good morning!” “Good afternoon!” and “Good evening!”) as Vázquez looks on. He’s wearing huaraches and a buttoned-up, red-and-green-striped shirt whose sleeves flare slightly below the elbow. On the back is two beautifully embroidered Mexica images of half-turkey, half-eagle symbols intertwined in battle.
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“Now, older persons, we treat and greet with respect—a teacher, a doctor, an elder,” Vázquez continues. “So we say, ‘Nanon tanecic, nanon tiotaqui, nanon tayohuah.'”
Church bells ring in the background, as students recite the phrases in unison. They try their best to master the agglutinative tongue, with words cascading into one another to create strings of beautifully flowing sentences. They’re in one of the best places in the United States to practice: in the presence of Nahuatl’s unlikeliest ambassador.
Gabriel San Roman is from Anacrime. He’s a journalist, subversive historian and tallest Mexican in OC.
[Photo courtesy of Rockography/OC Weekly]