Abstract of the Dissertation The Rituals of Kindness: The Influence of the Danza Azteca Tradition of Central Mexico on Chicano-Mexcoehuani Identity and Sacred Space by Mario E. Aguilar Claremont Graduate University San Diego State University 2009 Since its arrival in the United States from central Mexico in the mid 1970s, the indigenous ritual cycle of dance known as La Danza Azteca (the Azteca dance) has had profound impact on the self-identification, resiliency, and concept of sacred space of the Mexican-American, Chicano, and other Latino communities. Using the Nahuatl term “Mexcoehuani” to identify these communities as one multi-faceted membership group, this study through an online survey, auto-historia narrative, and an auto-ethnography has studied the impact of La Danza Azteca on its practitioners. The data collected in this research shows that La Danza Azteca tradition, known to its Mexican practitioners as the “rituals of kindness” has roots deeply imbedded in the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica. The arrival of the Spanish invaders in 1519 added a new tradition of Christianity to the old indigenous traditions. This lead to the creation of “Indocristiano” a new syncretic paradigm of resistance, resiliency, and evolution in religion, art, and dance. Through over 400 years of history, La Danza Azteca has given its practitioners in Mexico a system of membership, survival, and continuity with their indigenous identity. The arrival of La Danza Azteca in the U.S. gave the Mexcoehuani community a new paradigm of identity, space, and spirituality. At first mixing in the non-Mexican traditions of the U.S. American Indian nations, the Mexcoehuani have had 36 years to learn the traditions of Mexico. The process of integrating themselves into the Mexican dance tradition, while still developing their own resiliency and self-determination, has been one of La Danza Azteca’s key features in the U.S. The rituals of kindness of La Danza Azteca have given the Mexcoehuani communities of the U.S., a third space within the identities of the United States and Mexico, of identity, membership, and self-determination. The Mexcoehuani communities call this space “Aztlan.” Aztlan has no physical space; wherever there are Mexcoehuani, Aztlan is present. Dedications I would like to give tlazcamati, (thanks) to our creator, our lord and lady of creation for giving me the blessing of living to see the day when my lifelong dedication to La Danza Azteca was transformed into this dissertation. I would like to give tlazcamati to my wife Beatrice Zamora Aguilar for her love, patience, and support in this journey. Tlazcamati to my son and daughter, Andrés and Sofia, for their love and inspiration. Tlazcamati to my parents, Leonel and Melly for my Mexican indigenous heritage. Tlazcamati to my sisters Caty and Lily for their love and beauty. Tlazcamati to my maestro and spiritual grandfather, Florencio Yescas. Tlazcamati to Capitana Rosita Hernández, Capitán Pedro Rodríguez, Capitán Moisés González Barrios, Capitán Cruz Maldonado Aguilar, Manuel Pineda, and General Andrés Segura Granados for their knowledge. Tlazcamati to my compadritos José Salinas, Samuel Padilla, Salvador Sámano, and Sergio Velarde who have gone on before us. Tlazcamati to my compadritos and comadritas in our dance circle, Danza Mexi’cayotl, for their love, dedication, and support. Tlazcamati to all the pipiltin (children) in our dance circle, for they are why I took on this challenge. Tlazcamati to my Tlamachtiquetl John Sullivan, and the kind and gentle people of the Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas: Delphina, Urbano, Manuel, Eliazar, Victoriano and Ofelia. Tlazcamati to my carnales Rolando and Rudy, whose love and support have helped me keep sane and happy throughout this 35 year journey. In addition, Tlazcamati to Chunky, Alurista, and Juan Felipe, for having gotten me involved in the path of the tree of life. ¡Él es dios! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the help and support of my dissertation committee members Drs. Rafaela Santa Cruz, Lourdes Arguelles, Alberto Ochoa, and John Regan. I would also like to acknowledge the help and support of my carnal Rudy Jacobo, and my sister Bonnie Reddick, who together, completed our gang of three. Thanks to John Sullivan, Ceci Necoechea, and Gwen Hoyt for your support in this journey. I would like to acknowledge and thank Rafael Hernandez, our director at the UCSD Early Academic Outreach Program. Without your kind and humane approach to staff development and support, this research would have been tremendously more difficult to complete. I would like to acknowledge the wisdom and knowledge shared by my friends Roger and Cynthia Maze, who have shown me the connections between our two nations. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the wisdom and knowledge shared with me by Eddie and Bernie Bautista, who have walked ahead of us into the spirit world. vi PREFACE: REFLECTIONS “It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.” -Emiliano Zapata. “Mexico looks to Spain, Chicanos look to the Northern tribes for acceptable identity and validation.” - Argelia Andrade, C. Phil. “Wow, this is what I was born to be, this is what I came to this earth for... I felt as if from the time I was born till that day I was asleep, and from that moment on it was a spiritual awakening… -Dancer Xiuhcoatl in narrative. “I can remember probably being about five or six; I was definitely running around already. But at that age it seemed that it was really normal, like that’s just the way it is. La Danza seemed like a natural part of family life.” -Dancer Metztli in narrative. “It’s a way of being connected with your ancestors…it still connects us to our ancestors from Mexico, and keeps us connected to the traditions and culture of Mexico.” -Dancer Ehecatl in narrative. “The circle says unity. Whether you like the other person or not, it is a circle and it unites.” -Xipecihuatl in narrative. “We believe we are caretakers of our Danza, so we carry it with pride taking care to dance only where we believe we should… It doesn’t make you better than others…but you work the Danza and you weave it into your modern life as best you can.” -Cihuacoatl in narrative. vii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... VI PREFACE: REFLECTIONS ....................................................................................... VII LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES ............................................................................. XV CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION: AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................ 1 CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................... 8 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 8 DEFINITION OF TERMS ...................................................................................................................... 9 From Mexican to Chicano to Mexcoehuani. ............................................................................... 9 Other terms used in this study ................................................................................................... 12 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY ......................................................................................................... 29 LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY .......................................................................................................... 29 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY .................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER TWO: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................... 33 THE AGRARIAN ROOTS OF MESOAMERICAN CULTURE ................................................................... 34 We Are What We Eat: The Plants ............................................................................................. 34 We are what we eat: The animals ............................................................................................. 40 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MESOAMERICA .............................................................................................. 42 The first nations of Mexico ........................................................................................................ 42 The Olmeca ............................................................................................................................... 43 The Olmeca question: African, Asian, or extraterrestrial origins?........................................... 46 The Teotihuacano ...................................................................................................................... 48 The Tolteca ................................................................................................................................ 53 viii The Otomi .................................................................................................................................. 57 The Tlaxcalteca ......................................................................................................................... 58 The Azteca ................................................................................................................................