Conchero Dancers Carry Forward Mexico’s Pre-Hispanic Traditions
- 2019-08-20
- Religion News Service
An ancient dance tradition with roots in Mexico’s indigenous culture, the Conchero calls down ancestral spirits to give their blessing and to purify observers through ritual smoke. Conchero dancers merge body and spirit in rhythmic harmony, giving thanks for creation in a ritual circle that represents the universe.
It is widely believed that the Conchero dance tradition originated around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Around 1531, conquistadors confronted the Chichimecas, an ethnic group that inhabited the center of the country on the hill of Sangremal in present-day Querétaro state in central Mexico.
Some say that the dance is a reenactment of the battle against the Spanish, with the steps containing hidden meanings and echoing old rituals, though few have been explicitly identified. The dances have been passed down through families for centuries.