Major League Baseball Embraces Aztec Warrior In Mexico City Series—So Why Not SDSU?

This April 24th weekend Major League Baseball packs up and heads to Mexico City. The San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks will play two games against each other on April 25 and 26 for the 2026 Mexico City Series.

This is the 3rd time ever for the outreach celebration in one of the largest metropolis’ in the world. For a culture so rich in art, music, food and sport—Mexico City does them all with a undeniable emotion of just that, a celebration.

Art is at the forefront in these. A region that has long been a hub for painters, muralists, fashion designers and street artists, the visual representations of this MLB series needed to capture the spirit of the culture. That is where the Warrior comes in.

In baseball, futbol, basketball, handball, American football or more—no matter the country or culture—the warrior is always representative in sports. Obviously for the player actually taking part on the field it’s easy to take on that warrior persona. But for the passionate fan up in the viewing areas, the feelings and pride are just the same.

During the games the two sides share in that energy and take those passions with them when they leave the arenas and stadiums. Through garments, merchandise, body art and more, the form of visual expression is a way to connect the individual to the team and their city or even country. In this MLB Series, try connecting an entire culture to two regions in the United State with heavy Mexican influence.

The opportunity isn’t lost on the MLB and the art scene in Mexico City.

As described by ESPN Mexico: Raúl Urías, an artist from Chihuahua who has been based in Mexico City for the past 12 years, is putting the finishing touches on a mural in front of the Diana the Huntress statue along Paseo de la Reforma. The piece captures the emotion, the struggle, and the connection between baseball and the Mexican people.

In the work, Urías highlights the Aztec warrior.
“And basically, for me, the Aztec warrior is something very powerful. I really love pre-Columbian sculpture, so more than anything I tried to create that connection between those two worlds. If you look, the larger elements are the players and the warriors.”

In t-shirts, ball caps, and more the motif of the Aztec Warrior stands out as the leader when it comes to designing merchandise for both the Padres and Diamondback franchises. It appears it’s worked as evidenced from several options have been sold out.

So why the identity crisis for San Diego State?

For decades the Aztec Warrior was representative to the University’s athletic and overall identity for it’s strength and valor. The school’s decision to retire the warrior in 2020 put an end to not only the human element of a live spirit leader but also any kind of artwork that would be suggestive of that role as well.

The human element was taken out and replaced five years later when in 2025 under the direction of President Adela de la Torre, three new glyphs were reformed to take it’s place. The artwork for these icons were commissioned to Mexico City artist Noé Silva.

The glyphs brought about a change in not only visuals, but core SDSU values. Education (wind), Health (jaguar) and Community (house) were now inserted to be the motivating factors that would connect a school’s athletic teams and their supporters.

The meanings of these icons are authentic—proving to be historically accurate. But the major question has to be asked: Are they any good?

When it comes to art, no matter how authentic or accurate a piece may be, it’s either good or it’s not. It’s either effective or it’s just, meh. For creators all over the world, the difference between good and bad is translated between making a livelihood or not. The market has a way to determine all of this to us.

When MLB, one of the most unifying sports in the world aside from Soccer, created their campaign to unify their game and the people they represented, these 3 glyphs and all their connectivity did not make it past the chopping block. I wonder if they even made it that far in the brainstorming process.

Now this isn’t to completely bash the Ehecatl, Ocelotl, or the Calli. Personally I like them in a capacity. Maybe over time we will all grow to love them and adopt them as the new conduit for our SDSU Aztecs passions. Maybe we’ll all get matching tattoos of them across our shoulders & chests to display our pride.

Or maybe there should be a rethinking on this all.

Maybe we should all take a long hard look at the Mexican people and take note of what they truly value. What really inspires them about their heritage and culture. How do they see themselves and want to be represented when it comes to areas of art, power, and leadership.

Imagery that inspires a world pre-Columbus is always going to appreciated and strongly valued.

Though at it’s earliest times there was ignorance that came along with use of the Warrior as it’s mascot—those errors have been corrected by Carlos Gutierrez—long time leader in the role of SDSU’s most iconic Monty Montezuma. Groups like the Aztec Warrior Foundation have begun to raise awareness against the banning of the Warrior’s representation.