WHERE IS THE AZTEC WARRIOR?
On June 4, 2021, San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre unilaterally eliminated the Aztec Warrior. Her actions overturned a multi-decade process and the efforts of the alumni, students and community to preserve and transform the Aztec Warrior into a representative of the Aztec culture and university.
President de la Torre's actions are in contrast to the efforts of her predecessors and the Aztec Identity Task Force Report of 2018. In 2018, as she took office, President de la Torre expressed her support for the the decision to keep the Aztec Warrior and said, "I fully support the final decision and statement made by President Roush and look forward to working closely with on and off campus communities regarding the respectful treatment and historic accuracy of the Aztec identity and Aztec Warrior including the commitment to culturally appropriate education.”
The decision to eliminate the Aztec Warrior did not include working closely with the alumni, student body, faculty and staff or representatives of the community. Her decision was made without an open or transparent process and hidden on her website simply stating, "We are also now retiring the Aztec spirit leader, and are retiring warrior-related imagery related to the human representation."
This decision was made in the dark and was designed to be kept in the dark. We will not let that happen!
HOW CAN WE SAVE THE AZTEC WARRIOR?
We will save the Aztec Warrior through an open and transparent process.
As alumni, students, faculty and community members we are committed to San Diego State University. We support an open and transparent process and working with ALL stakeholders for SDSU.
Since the first Aztec Identity Report was released in 2001, progress was continuing to be made to improve the inclusiveness of the Aztec Warrior, engage with indigenous communities and educate the public about the history of the Aztec culture. While the recent unilateral decision made by President de la Torre threatens this progress, we are committed to working together to support San Diego State, rebuild the broken trust and the save the Aztec Warrior.