Like just about every holiday that comes in contact with American culture, Día de los Muertos, the Mexican celebration of ancestors, has become commercialized. Traditional sugar skulls have been recast as colorful glass Christmas ornaments and the fancy female skeleton, La Catrina, has become a Halloween costume.
For a group of 15 students at Edison High School, Nov. 1 and 2 gave them a chance to learn more about their cultural roots. The group, an informal school club called Latinxs Unidxs, arranged to have Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli perform on the plaza behind the school’s gymnasium. Student Daniel Zuniga, one of the group’s leaders, said it was an effort to attract more students to join the group.
Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli is a traditional Mexica-Nahua (Aztec) cultural group dedicated to preserving and sharing the dances, songs and philosophy of Nahua traditions and culture. They’re based in St. Paul. The name means “warriors of the first cactus flower.”
On Nov. 2, as students gathered on the plaza and dancers donned their regalia in a nearby locker room, an Edison faculty member built a fire in a portable fire pit. Kids immediately crowded around it, seeking a little warmth on a blustery 40-degree day.
The dancers emerged from the gym locker room, the feathers on their headdresses glowing brightly against a gray cloudy sky. “The country of Mexico is named after the Mexica (meh-shee-ca) people,” said the leader, Atquetzali. “Carry the name with honor.” She and others member of the troupe offered a song with a Spanish melody and Nahua words.
Día de los Muertos was once a 40-day celebration, taking place in August and September. The first 20 days were devoted to the mourning and celebration of children; the second 20 for adults. That tradition ended with the Spanish colonization of Mexico from 1521-1821. “When the colonists came, they said, ‘That’s too much. You can have two days in November,’” said Atquetzali.
The ceremony began with the troupe addressing the four elements — Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind — and blowing on a conch shell, which represents Water, to gather the people. They performed an energetic “warrior” dance; the ayoyotes – shells — on their leggings made a light sh-sh-sh rhythm over the heavier beat of a drum. The shells come from a tree and represent Earth. The feathers in the dancers’ headdresses represent Wind. Fire, in this instance, was represented by the flames in the fire pit.
After a slower ritual dance came a dance lesson. The Edison kids joined the dancers in a large circle. Atquetzali explained that dances always begin with the left foot because it’s closer to the heart. There’s also a duality in Aztec dance; whatever movement is performed on the left must also be performed on the right. Atquetzali called out the steps in Nahua. Some students giggled self-consciously as the tempo accelerated and they struggled to keep up. They were instructed to place their hands over their heart at the end of the dance to honor life.
When the program ended, Zuniga invited the students to mingle with the dancers and share hot chocolate around the fire.
Below: Xicintli was airborne for a little while. The performers bowed to the four elements. Alma, left, blew the conch shell to disperse the dancers. Isabel, right, awaited the next cue. Edison student Jean Carlos, right, paid careful attention to the dance steps taught by Atquetzali. (Photos by Cynthia Sowden)