Concheros: The Traditional and Religious Dance of Contemporary Nahuatl Communities

Concheros: The Traditional and Religious Dance of Contemporary Nahuatl Communities

Introduction to the Concheros Dance:

“El es Dios!” And so the dance begins. Dating back to colonial times, the Aztec people of Mexico created the Concheros dance and used it as a way of acknowledging their ancestors. The dance came about shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec people. Today, his symbolic tradition is, “conducted in the courtyards of churches in honor of saints and virgins represented there” (Vento, 59). The dance consists of men and women, representing the warriors and the people who assisted the soldiers. The dance is split into different segments, also known as offerings; The Flowering War, The Father Sun, Warriors, Death and Rebirth, and The Young Lord. The Conchero dance shares significance in their traditions of religion, the spring equinox, costumes, and the music played.

Religious and Traditional Significance:

The indigenous people of the Mexico have kept the tradition of the Concheros dance alive since the 1500s. Despite the modernization of the people, the dance itself has remained the same, as people return to their indigenous roots. The special performance can be viewed from a political or spiritual point of view. “For some groups, the dance has become a conscious way of reasserting an Indian identity in a country, especially in and around Mexico City, that is increasingly in danger of forgetting its indigenous past” (Rostas, 12). Although the dance originally started around the Bajo region and Mexico City, it has spread much further north and into the United States as well, allowing people to celebrate feasts of saints and for other purposes (Rostas, 15).

Religion and Syncretism:

Some people view the Con...

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...ty grounded in a largely invented Mexica past, which they attempt to live in the present, that is that of the main body of the Concheros” (Rostas 15). People are always looking to find their identity, and where they fit in, in their communities.

Works Cited

Retana, Manuela Moon. (2014). El cerrito concheros dances dedicated to spring equinox. Journal Rotary, Queretaro, Mexico, 1-2.

Rostas, S. (2009). Carrying the world: The concheros dance in mexico city. (pp. 21-209). Boulder: University Press of Colorado.

Rostas, S. (1991). The concheros of mexico: A search for ethnic identity. Edinburgh University Press, 9(2), 3-17.

Vento, A. C. (1994). Aztec conchero dance tradition: Historic, religious and cultural significance. University of Minnesota Press, 10(1), 59-64.

Xulamoxa, “Danza De Concheros” Cedart Morelia. Youtube. Youtube, 27, Jan. 2010. Web. 16 May 2014.