Photography exhibit tells history of Aztec dancing
An exhibit chronicling Aztec dancing in San Diego will be on display Saturday at Balboa Park’s Centro Cultural de la Raza.
The tradition, officially known as Danza Azteca, is a spiritual and artistic expression that honors rituals of central Mexico’s Native American communities.
The dancers wear brightly colored feather headdresses, carry musical instruments and dance to the beat of drums, flutes and guitars. The performance, while entertaining to watch, is spiritually significant because the dancers are offering a prayer through their movement.
The photo exhibit, “May We Discover Our Heart” will open at noon at the Centro Cultural de la Raza on Park Boulevard. There also will be a live performance by Aztec dancers at 2:30 p.m. and a seminar by Mario Aguilar, who leads San Diego-based Aztec dance group Danza Mexi’cayotl.
The images on display include those of dancers in Mexico, dancers in the United States in the 1970s and Danza Mexi’cayotl, which has been around for more than 40 years, said Bea Zamora Aguilar, who helps lead the dance group with her husband.
Zamora Aguilar, who also participates in the dancing, said the tradition resonates with so many Latinos because it is a representation of their cultural roots.
“As a Chicano nation we developed that indigenous identity,” she said. “Seeing these dances ... we acknowledge that there’s a reason why the color of our skin is the color that it is, our hair is dark, we are brothers and sisters with the natives in this northern
section of the Americas.”
She said the exhibit will focus on the achievements and influence of Danza Mexi’cayotl in San Diego. There are close to eight groups locally.
“It really focuses on the group ... how they’ve been involved with not only preserving and teaching these traditions in San Diego, but really casting a wide net of teaching the dance throughout California and other states,” she said.
She said the influence of Danza Azteca can be seen everywhere, including in Chicano art, murals at Chicano Park and lowrider art.
The dance was brought to the United States in the 1970s. Elder leader of Aztec dancing Florencio
Yescas is credited with bringing the dance tradition to a group of young men and boys in San Diego in 1974, she said.
One of those young men was Mario Aguilar, who went on to become a “Danza Elder” and has led the San Diego group for 41 years. The group often performs at large events, such as Chicano Park Day, marches and during processions for Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The free exhibit will run through May at the Centro Cultural de la Raza and then move to the Sherman Heights Community Center. The gallery closes at 4 p.m.