MEXICA, Aztec Princess

by Kayden Phoenix, Fernanda Lozada (Illustrator), Aster Santiago (Illustrator)

Mexica’s princess initiation has begun. She’s given three riddles by the Royal Council and must return with the respective prizes in order to be crowned.

Mexica ventures out of Aztlán with her pet ocelot, Elote, to find the prizes. Unbeknownst to her, the neighboring tribe, the Tlaxcala, is on the warpath. Mexica innocently thinks they’re apart of the princess initiation and foils their plans amongst every turn; unknowingly saving the kingdom and ultimately returning as Aztlán’s crowned princess.

Genres: Graphic Novels

100 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2022

About the author

Kayden Phoenix is a trailblazing lesbian Chicana writer and director hailing from Boyle Heights, California. With a fearless approach to storytelling, her films have made a powerful impact on the festival circuit, with her latest work earning accolades at Cinequest and Outfest, and being acquired by Gunpowder & Sky’s horror platform, Alter, which boasts over 3 million subscribers.

Kayden's journey is marked by groundbreaking achievements and recognition in the industry. She is a proud recipient of Panavision’s New Filmmaker Program, a semi-finalist in the prestigious Universal Animation Writer's Program, a Film Fatales Fellowship Finalist for Stowe Story Lab, a 2024 Stowe Narrative Lab Alumni, and a quarter-finalist for Final Draft's Big Break Screenwriting Contest.

In 2024, Kayden made history by creating the first-ever Latina superhero team in comic book history with her graphic novels, A LA BRAVA, now under the McMeel Publishing banner. Not stopping there, she launched Princess Academia, a modern-day princess series that redefines the genre, and partnered with Ghezal Omar through Artillery Network to bring action-packed stories to life. Her latest comic, Lipstick Cliqa, a gripping three-part series about a Chicana vampire gang, was snapped up by Sony Music Entertainment.

Beyond her creative projects, Kayden is deeply committed to empowering Latina voices in the film industry. She founded the Chicana Directors Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and elevating Latina directors and cinematographers, ensuring that diverse perspectives are not just included but celebrated in the industry.

"My mission is to amplify stories that reflect the complexity, vibrancy, and diversity of the real world," Kayden says. Her work is not just about breaking barriers—it's about setting new standards for what’s possible in independent cinema and graphic novels. As a visionary storyteller, Kayden Phoenix is reshaping the landscape of entertainment, one groundbreaking project at a time.

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Academia 3.5
Macab 4
Swan 4
Novi 3
Alora 4

[Jonathon Freeman-Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest Children’s graphic novels to be released in this millennium. The colors, the characters, and the story, alone, make this a worthwhile princess adventure for any age range. The fact that it’s just the start of a whole new princess universe should make any family happy for well into the future. I’m hoping the work all stays as high quality as this first book. Thank you to the author for your efforts. Now we can see happy audiences on a universal level.

[Brad Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whole new universe, or possibly interconnected realm of the fun and impressive A La Brava Latina Superhero Universe, unfolds in this extremely enjoyable adventure set in the Mezoamerican culture of the Aztecs.

There is lovely attention to detail in the art and narrative, often picking up on historical aspects of the ancient vanished Aztec civilization, with colorful characters and inspired world building.

Mexica's heroic journey is universally relatable, with challenges, uncertainty, hope and aspirations. The supporting characters, axolotl Neza, and ocelot Elote are clever and sassy and I can imagine how much fun the interplay between the three central characters and their journey would be in an animated movie!!

I can't wait to discover more of the Princesses line of books.

These characters are very important to young people, girls and boys, as inspiring role models for all. I grew up with the original Star Trek which normalized so many aspects of cultural and racial diversity very early in my life.

I had plenty of relatable characters who matched my own demographic. I understand how essential representation is for young kids to have characters like themselves, and also for other kids to recognize that those characters unlike themselves are no different than they are in terms of potential to achieve and inspire - and to have FUN and be fun to follow.

Love these characters and comics. They open my mind to new worlds and interpretations, with a solid foundation of exciting and universal storytelling.

[Severind Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually pretty adorable, I have to say. While it could be challenging to follow along at times, I think the pacing and the execution have actually improved since the previous books I read from this same author. And Mexica was so cute! I loved her. I was immediately fascinated by the fact that she's an Aztec princess, but also getting to learn about her culture, and watching her foil the plans of the enemy without even realizing that that's what she was doing? Perfect. That's the kind of character I love to read about. Her little animal friends were lovely, too.

I don't actually have a lot to say on this book, but I think that's because this book does a lot of things really well, and I don't want to give much away. But Mexica is a clever girl, and I actually wouldn't mind reading more about her in future books, if ever there were to be any. I absolutely recommend this one.