XOB. encuentro de maiz

For thousands of years, maiz has been a foundation of life, creation stories, ceremony as well the base of the diet and nutrition consumed by inhabitants of diverse lands throughout present-day occupied americas. Mesoamerica, (present-day) Mexico, and the subsequent cultures that have transformed, survived, and persisted would exist and can’t be understood without maiz. Corn is inextricably intertwined with the worldview of indigenous peoples until today.

This November, I would like to honor maiz in the best way I know how. I am planning an encuentro: a multi-media, fully community-funded event with the main goal of bringing together people from old austin, surrounding regions within tejas, and Mexico City to connect them through their important work with maiz. XOB encuentro de maiz will highlight families and tortillerxs with deep historic roots in tejas, chefs who are preserving ancestral traditions through their food + new interpretations, and feature activists bringing awareness to the injustices and oppression indigenous people have been battling for centuries (and continue to) at the hands of colonization.

Community funding through sponsors, donors, and gofundme or other supporters is how I would like to bring encuentro de maíz to life. In order to organize this 2-day event, the proposed amount I hope to raise is $15K. Whether it is through sponsorship, direct donations, or spreading the word about this event, every $ or share helps immensely. I would like to put money back into important local community spaces in Austin like Nepantla and Nixta Taqueria, pay participants and team members justly, and create a foundation that allows for the growth of community building, accessibility, and autonomy, especially as our cities become drastically gentrified and exclusive. My goal with anything I organize is also always to create safe, inclusive spaces for people to feel connected, practice reciprocity, and explore either their roots or new ways of living/co-existing.

Since encuentro will be a 2-day event dotted with different activities throughout, attendees will be able to pick and choose what to do. Certain events will be free and others will be ticketed (TBC). Please stay tuned for developments, announcements, and more info.

Activities will include:

+ Feria de Maíz where participants will have their own booth and be able to serve and share their expressions of maiz with the public.

+ Platicas c/ Q+A, panel w guest speakers (tbc)

+ Film screening

+ Workshop/class

+ Special collab dinner pop-up

+ Gallery/Exhibit

+ Performance (tbc) + mas

Thank you for your support. Please feel free to reach out anytime via [email redacted].situ or email. [email redacted]

*please note this is an independently organized event