Tania García-Piña

PhD Granting Institution: The University of Texas at Austin  

Department: Spanish & Portuguese

College: College of Humanities

Mentor: Santa Arias, Ph.D.

Research Proposal: Writing a People: Indigenous Politics, Agency, and Identity in Huexotzingo

Tania García-Piña completed her Ph.D. in Iberian and Latin American Languages and Cultures at The University of Texas at Austin. During her time at UT Austin, Tania earned 13 prestigious fellowships. As a DACA holder, Tania draws on her lived experiences to intentionally foster inclusive dialogue amongst students. In 2021, she was awarded the Fath Teaching Award from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, a highly selective honor given to the individual who demonstrates the most innovative and high-quality teaching in the department.

Tania’s academic work encompasses Latin American literature, culture, and ethnohistory, with expertise in intellectual production, identity, and colonial politics. She has presented her research at the International Congress of Latin American Studies Association and the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference, both highly competitive and prestigious conferences in the field. 

During her fellowship, Tania will revise and expand her dissertation into a book, Writing a People: Indigenous Politics, Agency, and Identity in Huexotzingo. In it, she will expand the analysis of Indigenous modes of political representation in Huexotzingo while paying particular attention to the extent to which gender dynamics shaped the perception and practice of these ideas. Tania’s research contributes to increasing discussions of Indigenous cultural production in Mexico and how diverse peoples have actively engaged with cultural and political shifts over time.

In her letter of support, Dr. Santa Arias, Department Head, Spanish and Portuguese, wrote: “The history of the conquest of Mexico still has great significance particularly now because of the 500 years of the arrival of Cortés and the fall of the Mexican capital. If the postdoctoral fellowship is granted, she will have the opportunity to advance her book project and enjoy the attention of this historical moment of rethinking the experience and history of conquest and defeat of the Huexotzingo-Nahua people. Thus, her project is essential, timely, and the resources and mentoring that she can receive at the University of Arizona could help her turn her dissertation project into an important book because of her concern on the role of indigenous women and historical range. Tania is well prepared to undertake this project – she is a Nahua-speaking scholar with field research experience.”