Tu Revista Latina Magazine

Danza Azteca

They regally make their way through the crowd at the San Miguel fiesta. Everyone there is unsuspecting and caught off guard in the middle of their conversation. The crowd has no choice; they demand everyone’s attention by simply walking in. Their headpieces make them look seven feet tall and their costumes and rattling movements are mesmerizing. In the air, a spiritual force is released through the aroma and smoke of the incense that trails them. An older gentleman – obviously representing an Aztec commoner – leads the way for the dancers. His generic, white, cotton clothing is much different from what the others wear. A colorful bag is draped across one shoulder and he carries an enormous conch. The old man blows the conch once to announce their presence and again to announce the commencement of the ritual.

The dancers slowly approach the altar of San Miguel and simultaneously kneel and bow before him. The feathers from the copilli swoop down and touch the ground in the most humbling manner. For several seconds they hold that position in silence to pay their respects. They rise. Again the feathers making one long, slow, majestic stride towards the sky. The old man blows the conch a third time and the dancers take their positions as the beating of the huehuetl begins.

Once they have greeted the image of San Miguel and have requested permission to initiate the ritual, the dancers begin by indicating the sign of the cross with their feet; up…down…frontward…backward…and side to side. With each stomp, this tridimensional cross places the dancer as a mere speck in the center of the universe’s plot. They dance in a circle creating a magnetic field that can almost be felt by everyone gathered around. Everything is contained in this sacred ring. Everyone is equal and the circle becomes the universe.

Each thundering beat of the huehuetl touches my soul and resonates throughout my entire body. Every stomp of their feet an individual prayer creating a union with mother earth. Every zigzag motion honors the element of water. Every hopping motion symbolizes fire and every complete turn pays tribute to the wind. A vibrating wave is sent up and down their muscular legs peering out of their potzahuanco. This sacred dance, while giving thanks for our creation, integrates the body, mind and soul.

Their atuendo is symbolic, colorful and majestic. Its design is not chosen randomly but rather the Aztec calendar – according to the dancers’ time and date of birth – determines the colors, symbols and elements that describe the dancer and therefore the atuendo. The garb and symbols utilized by the ancient Aztecs were established according to the social class they were born into as well as their time and date of birth. The potzahuanco worn by the men symbolizes the male reproductive organ. A squatting motion during the dance that allows the potzahuanco to touch the earth symbolizes fertilization. The feathers on the copilli have a definitive function as they attract the energy from the sun as well as the energy produced in the circle which is then drawn to the head – the center of the dancers’ body. On their feet, they wear cactli or huaraches and their ankles and wrists are covered with ayoyotes. With even the slightest movement the ayoyotes rattle, warding off all negative energy.

After about forty-five minutes of dancing and the ritual has ended, again they kneel before San Miguel. They rise and begin to depart, leaving everyone fascinated with their performance. As they walk away from the crowd I realize they left me feeling an incomparable emotion. I was numb and it took several seconds before I became conscious of where I was and even then, I could still feel the beating of my heart in sync with the drums.

By Gloria Vaquera

Winter 2010