Photo: Teotitlán del Valle, 2006 (Some rights reserved)
Danza de la Pluma (The Feather Dance) is a re-enactment of the battles between the Spanish and the Aztecs performed as a series of dances in the Zapotec communities of Teotitlán del Valle, Cuilapam de Guerrero, and Zaachila in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico.
The origin of this dance goes back to the spiritual and physical conquest of Mexico by the Spanish – La Guerra de Conquista. The dance originated in the town of Cuilpam de Guerrero where Martin Cortes (son of Cortes) celebrated the first baptism of his child. Martin played the role of his father and the locals played the roles of the conquered Indigenous peoples.
In Teotitlán del Valle visitors are cordially invited to watch the performance held in front of the town’s church during the town’s annual festival in July.
Positions are filled years in advance, often with family ties.
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A desayunar con los danzantes/Breakfast with the danzantes
Danza Pluma
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