Aztec dance group keeps ancient tradition alive in San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — An Aztec dance group in San Diego is keeping an ancient tradition alive through powerful performances that honor their indigenous Mexican roots and celebrate cultural identity.

Just outside his Encanto home, Alejandro Meraz keeps a sacred space. An altar, or ofrenda, dedicated to Saint Andrew that honors ancestors and dancers who have passed. 

“Most of the people pray talking or singing, but we pray dancing," said Meraz, co-founder and leader of Danza Azteca Kuauhkoatl.

He and two others, including his wife, founded the Encanto-based group in 2021. 

However, Meraz carries forward a more than 500-year-old indigenous tradition originating in central Mexico through more than three decades of dance.

“Two of my aunties took me with the man taught me this tradition because i was a little bit lost so they tried to find something to engage me," said Meraz.

Different instruments drive the rhythm of Danza Azteca.

“I feel like I go into a trance. The drum is very powerful, so I feel that go into me. It mirrors our heartbeat so it's very intentional," said group member and dancer Michelle Luna Reynoso. 

Meraz said his ancestors were forbidden from drumming after the Spanish conquest in the early 1500s because it was seen as pagan. 

“Our ancestors started passing those drumbeats into these guitars," said Meraz.

Together the sounds create a sacred atmosphere. It's not a performance, but rather a spiritual way of life. 

“It preserves our social organization and social support," said Meraz.

Each dancer, or danzante, expresses their identity through colorful Regalia that contains feathers, shells, and native patterns. 

“It's not something that already passed. It's a live tradition that's why we redesign every time our Regalias," he said.

Group member Veronica Mendez Garcia is breathing life into her heritage and passing it down through family.

“My little sister. She is the main reason why like I want to learn so I can pass it down and she passes it down and so on," said Garcia.

For dancers like Juan Barajas, it's a commitment. 

“I used to dance in the 90s and then I stopped because of college. But something kept like calling me back and I don’t know what it was. It was like something calling my heart.”

With every step comes meaning. Michelle Luna Reynoso is one of about 40 members of Danza Azteca Kuauhkoatl.

“We hope that other people that we conquer their hearts and their souls, and they’re inspired to join danza," said Reynoso.

Just like those who came before him, Meraz carries the torch of tradition, passing on the richness of his culture to new generations.

“Someday I’m going to pass like everybody else, but what if I never teach what I now know. I’m just trying to share, share, share," he said.