Grupo Tlaloc Oral History

Interview with Carlos Castaneda, group member of Grupo Tlaloc, conducted by Kate Crowe. Grupo Tlaloc is a Denver based organization of over 40 members of all ages dedicated to preserving the traditional dances and songs of the Mexica, Chichimeca, Azteca people of Mexico. There are around 52 different dances that represent the seasons, elements, animals, energies, agriculture, the sun, the moon and the stars that are passed down from generation to generation. La Danza, as it is known, is a spiritual dance of kinetic energy which connects the dancer with the earth and the sky. It is a dance that connects everything of nature with movement. The dance is traditionally performed in a circle with an altar in the center which represents the heart of the dance. An incense called copalli in the nahuatl language is contained in a burner called popochcomitl and is used to help the dancers with that spiritual connection. The instruments played to help with the rhythm of the dances are the upright drums called “huehuetl," ayacaxtli-rattles, atecocolli-conch shell, teponaxtli-horizontal drum, tlapitzalli-flute and chachayotes-leggings. There are songs that go with these dances and each dance tells a story through the movement of the feet and of the body. Grupo Tlaloc has performed at schools, community events, and festivals along the front range and received numerous awards from organizations throughout the Denver area.