Dancing With the Aztecs

From across the Zocalo, Mexico City’s largest square , I can hear the beat of drums and the chants of the Aztec dancers or Concheros as they are known in Mexico. While their bright costumes and rhythmic  dancing may make you think their purpose is to entertain tourists, while that is a side effect that does bring them some money, these dancers do it to show a history rich in culture that was almost eradicated by the Spanish. Concheros a name given to them by the Spanish is not the original Aztec name, that may be lost forever. Concheros were names for the Concho a stringed instrument that they danced to. While many of the Aztec traditions have been lost they present day Concheros  draw inspiration from the dance and traditions of the past to teach people about Aztec history. While many dancers wear huge feathered headdresses called penachos, some use body paint to decorate their bodies to better represent the god or animal they are honoring. The dances themselves are very interesting, holding both cultural and religious meaning. The men and women in these dances each play different parts to show the duality of the Aztec world. Women represent night, the jaguar, and the earth while men represent the sun, the eagle and water.  Your costume in this case is based on your social status in the group. The main purpose of the dancers is the honor the gods and to form a link between their world and earth. The four cardinal points must be blessed before the dancing begin.The leader will often call to the gods to bless the group and to help bring the past and present closer together.  Following the dance there is often a shaman who will do a blessing for the dancers and members of the audience for a price of course. While you can usually find them at the Zocalo they also perform in many of the other tourist attractions around the city or at any festivals. I think these dances are a beautiful way to express this areas rich heritage and culture and allows the world to see a bit of living history.