Powderhorn Park to host ceremony in honor of the water

Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc, a traditional Mexica / Aztec Danza community, is busy preparing for their first annual celebration of the waters: Ceremonia Chalchiutlicue. Chalchiutlicue (chal-chee-tlee-kway) is a Nahuatl word used to describe the phenomena of the fresh water of the Earth. Ceremonia Chalchiutlicue will take place at Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis on Saturday, June 11, from 1 to 5 p.m., with over 100 dancers expected to participate from as far away as California, Arizona, New York and Mexico.

“Ceremonia Chalchiutlicue is a ceremonial festival dedicated to honoring the waters of the world. Here in Minnesota we live in the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes,’ and as a guest amongst the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota and Ojibway Nations, we host this ceremony with hopes that we as a people will once again be in good relations with the water of the world and find a healthy environment that will allow us to live in harmony with the universe,” says Jerry Lopez, head dancer of Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc.

Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc has been an active grassroots organization in Minnesota for the past 10 years. They are an open circle of people dedicated to promoting, preserving and practicing the culture, history, language and traditions of the Mexica Aztec nation. Part of their obligation to preserve history is to become knowledgeable about the elements that surround us which are necessary for our daily life. The purpose of the ceremony is to create a cultural awareness about the current status of the waters of the Earth and particularly here in the region of Minnesota. To help do this, Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc is starting the Chalchiutlicue Environmental Project which will educate youth and families about how to protect our water by reducing household waste and toxic chemical use.

Four years ago, Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc was given the honor and the responsibility to begin preparing to host this traditional Mexica Aztec Danza ceremony, and it just so happens that the first annual Chalchiutlicue ceremony will take place in South Minneapolis during the first year of the U.N.’s “Water for Life” decade of the water (see www.un.org/waterforlifedecade). Part of the obligation of hosting Chalchiutlicue is encouraging the community to get involved. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the ceremony by coming to watch, help out, or learn more about the Danza and our cultural relationship to the water.

This June 11 will be the first time that this type of ceremony has been held in Minnesota (and probably the first one held outside of Mexico). Lopez explains, “It is a great honor to host such a ceremony here in Minnesota. Bringing attention to the environment is a critical part of the ceremony. Although the focus of this ceremony is the waters, it is imperative that we understand how all of the elements are closely related and how all of the Earth must be cared for in order for balance and harmony to be realized.

Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc would like to extend an open invitation to all members of the Native American Community to come and witness this historic celebration in its inaugural year. We will gather in community celebration in the ways of our ancestors through the traditional Azteca / Mexica dance. There will be a march from the Minneapolis American Indian Center at Franklin and Bloomington beginning at 10 a.m. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at the soccer fields in Powderhorn Park. A community feast will be held at 5 p.m. followed by live entertainment from 7 to 10 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Powderhorn Park Recreation Center. Everything is free and open to the public. This is a sober and drug free family event. For more information, go to www.chalchiutlicue.org or call Tara at 612-721-5299.