Pedro Anaya of Chula Vista spent all of last weekend singing dancing and in deep spirituality.
That was all part of the 36th anniversary of Danza Mexi’cayotl that took place over three days in San Ysidro’s Casa de Familiar and in Chicano Park.
The anniversary is tied in with a ceremonial fiesta that Danza Mexi’cayotl annually puts together to honor their sagrada familia and preserve the Aztec culture and traditions in San Diego. More than 300 dancers participated in the weekend ceremony.
Daza Mexi’cayotl, a Chula Vista-based traditional Chicano dance circle of families in San Diego dedicated to teaching and preserving the indigenous cultures of Mexicans and the Southwestern United States through the Mexi’cayol Indio Cultural Center.
Day one of the ceremony consists of an Aztec dress rehearsal known as Ensayo Real, which includes about two and a half hours of pure dancing at San Ysidro’s Casa Familiar.
The following day was the violación or visuals. Anaya said arguably and traditionally the velación is the most important part of the celebration.
“This is the piece where we basically ask for permission from the elders, from those who have passed away to be able to continue this ceremony the next day to take care of us,” Anaya said. “It’s very ceremonial with a lot of spiritual elements to it.”
There is no time limit associated with the Violación. This year this portion of the ceremony started at 7:30 p.m. and ended at 8:30 a.m. the next day. The ceremony recognized Dr. Mario Aguilar with Danza Mexi’cayotl as the capitán general, which basically appointed him as the mentor for all Danza groups in San Diego.
On the final day was the closing of the ceremony that featured non-stop dancing for about six hours at historic Chicano Park in Barrio Logan.
Danza Mexi’cayotl formed as a nonprofit more than 31 years ago so the group can properly serve and educate the San Diego community through the Mexi’cayol Indio Cultural Center.
“We understood that we needed to keep these traditions alive as much that we can but we also in this reality of the United States we needed to be able to support it,” Anaya said.
“Our whole mission is to educate people about the traditions of the Southwest United States and Mexico. “
Anaya said the group gives back by hosting dances at events, giving presentations about Aztec culture and offering free workshops for anyone who wants to learn the traditional dances in underserved communities.
Danza Mexi’cayotl receives funding through grants, community donations and fundraisers. Anya said the operating budget for the group is about $5,000, with money used to buy traditional dancing instruments like rattles and regalia.
“What we do here [in San Diego] is never going to be the same as in Mexico because we are in that different reality, but we try very hard to keep as much of those traditions alive here,” Anaya said. “Danza brings a sort of pride to the Chicano community and understands that the cultural pride also helps our communities become successful.”
The group is made up of individuals from different backgrounds from a doctor, an attorney from Hollywood, military veterans and educators. The group is proud to hold 10 master’s degree amongst them and many in the group have bachelor degrees.
