Danza Azteca

BENBEN: Danza Azteca

"The Danza Azteca has survived because the poor people, the peasants, the barrio people, were the ones who kept it alive, who kept it as part of the tradition. That was one of the few things they could have that nobody else could take away from them. The rich people, the landowners, the businessmen, as soon as they could blend into the Spanish society, they lost it..."

- Mario Aguilar

"One of the beautiful things about the Danza, is that it's religion, it's culture, it's physical fitness, it's mental fitness, it's sewing, it's art. The family participates - you don't have to be a dancer, you can make beautiful outfits, you can participate any way you can and that's why it's to me so beautiful, the Danza. It's like a unifying force of many aspects of the culture."

- A Traditional Dancer

Before the invasion of alien religions to the Nahua (Aztec) culture, all Nahuans followed the indigenous culture and spirituality. As with all indigenous systems, dance was an important part of one's spiritual and cultural life. Much of the traditional knowledge and culture was lost once the Nahua people were conquered by Europeans and Christianity, as the majority of the priests, warriors, and wise people were slaughtered at the hands of the invaders. Some of the knowledge has been preserved, but most of the dances have not been kept purely indigenous and generally not the same pre-colonial dances that the Nahua ancestors danced…

There is much speculation about how the art of Danza and music came into being, and this topic is hotly debated. Consensus as to the origin of Danza does not exist - most religious dancers only trace the history back to the era of forced Christianization, and academics argue that Danza came from one of several Mexican states, while others insist that the practice came from the God Tezcatlipoca.

Tezcatlipoca is an Aztec God characterized as the most powerful, supreme deity, and was associated with the notion of destiny. Tezcatlipoca was the object of the lengthy and reverent prayers in rites of kingship. He was a sort of dualistic God - he was the true invisible god who walked over the heavens and surface of the earth and hell; wherever he went wars, anxiety, and trouble were sure to follow. Tezcatlipoca was also worshiped under the name Titlacahuan, "He Whose Slaves We Are", who was the master of human destiny. In some ways like Huitzilopochtli who represented the blue sky, or the day sky, Tezcatlipoca represented the night sky. It is said that Tezcatlipoca brought Danza and music so that human beings could be happy. He told the wind to go by the seashore at dawn and call Tezcatlipoca's sea animals (the whale and sea tortoise) to take the wind to the sun at the break of dawn. The wind would then sing a special song to the singers, and if the singers heard the beautiful song they would have to follow the wind back to Earth, and this is what brought Danza and music to human beings.

Nahua Danza traditionally serves many purposes, ranging from the practical (such as to prevent dry seasons) to the spiritual (obtaining the benevolence of the Gods). Nahua dancers performed ceremonies to obtain the fertility of the Earth, for an abundance of corn, beans, chile, and other crops, to obtain rain, and to assure victory in war. Other ceremonies dealt with hunting, germination of crops, and ancestors.

Dances performed in front of temples were "sacred" dances and were usually dances for the Gods. These dances were reserved for temples and spiritual ceremonies. Dances performed in houses or the market were "secular" dances, and were meant mostly for entertainment and agricultural endeavors. Types of dances were usually categorized into three categories: snake dances (fertility, guarding crops, etc, circular (unification of people), and processions (a show of respect). Within these categories, dances were further categorized into those that mimic animals or spirits, and nonfigurative dances, where dances entered into altered states of consciousness.

Dancers often paint their faces as part of the dance costume. According to researchers, red and yellow paint was connected with fertility, the rebirth of nature, and the sun, while blue honored rain and fire. White, which is associated with death, was rarely featured as a face paint, and the color black was reserved only for men. The deeper meanings of the dance costumes, colors, and symbols are largely unknown, and it is to be assumed that the mentioned meanings are archeological ideas only, and not necessarily the true spiritual or cultural meanings behind the colors.

Because of the cultural and spiritual importance of Danza, this practice threatened the conquerors and missionaries who were stubborn in their desire to force Christianity, on the indigenous people. Indigenous populations were forbidden to use masks or sing their ancient spiritual songs unless they were examined by religious authorities and deemed "safe". Dancers were also forbidden to dance before dawn and were required to attend Christian religious mass. They were not allowed to have processions unless a vicar or minister approved and was present! The wearing of headdresses was forbidden, and if one was caught playing the huehuetl (a drum used in ceremonies), their hands would be severed.

Because of this oppression, the esoteric meaning and knowledge of the danza were kept only within certain secret circles. Widespread knowledge of the true significance, meaning, and symbolism of the dances is therefore not known.

The last Nahua ruler, Cuauhemoc ("Falling Eagle"), left the world with this powerful prayer:

Our sun has left us:

He has left us in the shadows.

We know he will return

To illuminate us once again.

While he dwells in the House of the Dead Let us be passionately united:

Let us stretch out our hands

While concealing in our hearts

All that we treasure.

We must destroy our temples, Our houses of meditation.

The streets we shall leave deserted.

We shall lock ourselves in our houses Until the New Sun shines upon us.

There in our houses,

Parents must teach their children,

So they may teach our children's children, That one day we shall rise reunited, Gaining strength from the New Sun To fulfill our destiny.

While many have misinterpreted this prayer and have used it as a way to legitimize Christianity, those who hold real knowledge know that this prayer means something entirely different. Until the day the indigenous of the world can be reunited, it is necessary to uphold the knowledge, traditions, and spiritual practices, even if this means taking them underground so that when the oppressor falls, all will not be lost.