The Dance of the Jaguar

MEXICO | Monday, 24 November 2014 | Views [444] | View Smaller Image

Lourdes, a woman from the “otomí” ethnic group lights the candles in the altar, setting the start of the ceremony. Around her, there are flowers as part of the offerings, water and small pieces of ‘peyote’, a cactus conceived as sacred medicine for some tribes in Mexico and North America -they will be distributed through out the night-, and other symbolic elements.

Traditional Aztec dancers from different backgrounds gather during the full moon of July, for the ceremonial dance of the jaguar, in a place surrounded by the majestic mountains of “La Huasteca” in Santa Catarina, Mexico. The aztec dance is a tradition that remains alive and has been transmitted through many generations.

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The dancers blow the seashell, known as ‘atecocolli’, asking for permission to start the dance, this is made facing the four cardinal points, the floor and sky. The sound travels and as soon as this happens, the dance starts with the sound of the ‘huehuetl’, a tubular drum made from a wooden body and skin stretched over the top.

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The Dance of the Jaguar

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