LFSA created the Colibrí Award to be given to one individual from our institution and/or community who preserves culture and has demonstrated commitment and dedication to the betterment of our Latinx Communities. We honor the hard work, above and beyond, that colleagues and community members do to bring diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism and accessibility to BIPOC communities in the spirit of In LaK'ech!
Tú eres mi otro yo. / You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti, / If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo. / I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto, / If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo. / I love and respect myself.
The importance of the Colibrí (hummingbird) in Mesoamerica Civilizations
Hummingbird Artwork available through Pinterest page of Lisa Sanchez-Holmes. Hummingbird photo available through Creative Commons and Wikimedia Commons
The hummingbird is closely associated with the new Aztec year, the beginning of spring. It is also associated with Aztec warriors. When the warrior died in battle, symbolic wood effigies were created in memory of the warrior. During their “day of the dead” ceremony, these effigies were burned with some of the warrior’s belongings. Families of the deceased warrior would lead these ceremonies for four solar years. This ceremony always happened in early to middle of November.
When the warrior died, his body was cremated and buried in a ceramic pot. The belief was that the body would travel to the heart of the Earth to Tlaltecuhtli. Were he/she devoured him and feed the soil with his seeds. The spirit would take 80 days to travel to the Sun. Once the spirit reached the Sun Tonatiuh, Tonatiuh would bless the spirit to return to the Earth as a hummingbird.
The belief behind the hummingbird is that this bird nurtures itself from the flower nectar, thus spreading the pollination of plants and flowers to create life.
Additionally, women who died in labor, were also considered warriors and were celebrated in a similar fashion as the male warriors who died in battle.