Paul Apodaca

Paul Apodaca (born in Los Angeles, California) is an emeritus associate professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Chapman University.

In 2008, Apodaca was the Lecturer in Residence at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, a part of Autry National Center, where he made presentations entitled The Mayan end of the World?, Unravelling the mystery of cogged stones used in early California, and Imagery and reality: the role of American Indians in film and television.

[6] Apodaca recovered and restored once-lost recordings of traditional Agua Caliente tribal leader Joe Patencio, Alvino Siva, and others singing bird songs of Cahuilla oral literature.

[11] He was a creative consultant for the Disney film, Planes: Fire and Rescue 2004, for which he helped develop the character Windlifter, a heavy-lift helicopter who is portrayed as an American Indian and voiced by actor Wes Studi.

[17] Apodaca also appeared in a special feature segment of the DVD release of the Nicolas Cage film, Knowing (2009) where he discussed the cultural significance of apocalypse myths.