ABSTRACT
On the surface, Jimmy Santiago Baca's lyrical prose can in itself provide rich material for teaching. However, the more profound socially conscious messages in his writing go unrecognized unless taught with a social justice approach. To teach 'Coming into Language', I argue that the context of Tucson Magnet High School's Mexican American Studies (MAS) curriculum and pedagogy profoundly informs the teaching of Baca's struggle, especially since his writing was a part of the books that were banned when Arizona House Bill 2281 outlawed the MAS program in 2011. Revealing the social inequality connected with Baca's writing, Tucson's MAS program's use of the Nahuatl tropes of Tezkatlipoka, Quetzalcoatl, Huetzilopochli, and Xipe Totec serve as a culturally relevant lens for interpreting Baca's essay. Baca's civil disobedience parallels the walkouts, marches, and Tucson Unified School District school board takeover by students who had been silenced when attempting to navigate institutional channels of power.
