The Concheros dance, also known as the dance of the Chichimecas, Aztecas and Mexicas, is an important traditional dance and ceremony which has been performed in Mexico since early in the colonial period. It presents syncretic features both pre-Hispanic and Christian. The dance has strong visual markers of its pre-Hispanic roots with feathered regalia, indigenous dance steps and indigenous instruments such as drums. However, the name Concheros comes from a type of lute made with an armadillo shell, showing Spanish influence. The dance in its current form was the adaptation of the old "mitote" dance to Catholicism as a means of preserving some aspects of indigenous rite. It remained a purely religious ceremony until the mid 20th century when political and social changes in Mexico also gave it cultural significance as a folk dance. Since the later 20th century, a sub group of the dance called Mexicas has emerged with the aim of eliminating the European influence, often with political aims. This form of the dance migrated to the United States in the mid-1970s and can be seen in states such as California in Mexican American communities.
Although the dance tradition has been known (especially in the U.S.) as "Aztec" or "Mexica," it is not indigenous to them in any way. The roots of the conchero dances (and thus the roots of the modern "Mexica" dances tradition) is deeply rooted in the Chichimeca cultures of the north. The Otomi, Jonaz, Chichimeca, Caxcan, and other tribes never conquered by the Mexica, are the true roots of the Danza Conchera. Whereas the Mexi'ca rituals were based on solar concepts and values, the Chichimeca were rooted in selenic and stellar cosmology. Worship and honoring of family and cultural ancestors was a large part of the Chichimeca tradition. That is why today's conchero rituals always start at midnight, and include rituals to call "down" the spirits of the ancestors to bring purity for the following day's battle (dance ritual).
History
While "Concheros" is the oldest and most common name for the dance as performed today, other names are used such as Huehuenches, Chichimecas, Aztecas and Mexicas. Some are regional and some are names that have been used more recently to mark how the dance has evolved.
The dance emerged shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. It is based on the old "mitote" dance, but modified to include Catholic symbolism as a means of preserving ancient ritual. While the Spanish tried to eliminate as much indigenous culture as possible, total eradication was not possible. In the case of dance, that which could not be suppressed was adapted to Christianity to facilitate the evangelization process. Early dances often had a pre Hispanic idol buried or otherwise hidden.
The dance's origin has been ascribed to the Bajío region, Querétaro and even Tlaxcala, all on the outer edges of the former Aztec Empire. One theory states that it originated as part of a large number of dance innovations, such as re enactments of the Conquest or the battle that subdued the Otomis and Chichimecas near what is now the city of Querétaro . The dance adopted Spanish military terms for its lead dancers such as captain and lieutenant and was originally done by lords and princes who would perform in their finery. This tradition of performing the dance in as fantastic a costume as possible continues to this day. Since then, the dance has been passed down generations. By the 19th century, dancers performed in close collaboration with Catholic confraternities with limited membership often by lineage, which is still the case in many small towns and villages.
Sometime before the end of the 19th century, migrant workers brought the dance to Mexico City and other nearby cities. The spread led to several major lineages of Concheros dancers, as different migrants at different times would form groups in the capital. Many of these city Conchers also allow the admittance of those who do not have a family history of the dance, as well as performing more openly and not always on certain special occasions. Despite this, most Concheros groups claim lineage going back centuries. For Mexico City, one of the most important lineages arrived just before the Mexican Revolution, that ascribed to Jesús González originally from San Miguel Allende. Many of city's oldest dance groups trace their lineage to this man and to the original standard, which now is only a few strips of tattered cloth. However, factionalism has always existed among Concheros both in the north and in Mexico City. Not all Concheros accept the González lineage as authentic.
The changes that occurred in Mexico during and after the Mexican Revolution spurred changes to the dance which have had repercussions to this day. Governments after the war passed anti-Church policies which included the prohibition of public worship in the 1920s. Ironically, the Concheros, who were originally organized to save vestiges of pre Hispanic ritual after the Conquest, became the most ardent defenders of the Catholic Church during the Cristero War, a reaction against the anti Church policies following the Revolution. One reason for this was that laws against public worship forbade them from dancing and many of their dance sites and shrines were destroyed. Some groups perished and others went into hiding, using the same sites they used to hide from Spanish authorities centuries before. Public worship and dance was permitted again in 1929.
Between 1930 and 1950, there were about forty official dance groups with about 4,000 dancers. During this time the population of Mexico grew and the government promoted Mexico's indigenous heritage for both political and economic (tourism) reasons. The number of Concheros grew, especially among the working class in certain major Mexican cities, but it also meant that the dance began to change in meaning from a religious rite to a cultural spectacle, included in the repertoire of Mexican folk dance and even featured in a number of films during Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema. By the 1950s and 1960s, dancers found that they could earn money performing for tourists in places such as Acapulco and Veracruz as well as in government –sponsored folk dance competitions. This has caused a crisis in the identity of the dance which continues to this day, a debate about what is "authentic" and what is not.
The change in focus also became evident in regalia, with some groups starting to discard the tunics with attempts to copy Aztec dress as depicted in the codices. The first men to discard shirts for the dance in the 1940s caused great scandal, especially among dance elders. Those who first introduced this regalia began to call the dance "Azteca" and re introduced the use of conch shell trumpets, the huehuetl and teponaztli drums. In some cases, these were mixed with the concha (Spanish inspired lute) and other European instruments and in others replaced them entirely. The goal for these dancers is to get rid of the European aspects of the dance and return to a "purely indigenous" performance.
The dance, especially the "Azteca" version of it, arrived to the United States in the mid-1970s. Two dancers, Andres Segura and Florencio Yescas were instrumental in creating Conchero/Azteca groups from California to Texas among Mexican American communities. The dance entered the US at a time when many Mexicans and Mexican Americans were taking more militant stances against the status quo, especially after the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. A number of dance groups decided to banish the Christian aspects of the dance ceremony entirely and elements of "new age" philosophy had influence. These became more of a political force than a religious one, seeing the pre Conquest world as idyllic and the current world after that time as corrupted. Most of these dancers call the dance "Mexica" (mex-shi-ca) or some variant of the word.
In Mexico, the dance continues to keep its both its Catholic and indigenous elements although other forms of spirituality have had effect. Although there is conscious efforts among the most traditional Conchero dance groups to not change how the dance is done, there has still been innovation, including influence from the Aztecas version.
Until 1992, there was no complete record of the many songs and accompanying music or even the prayers, which have mostly been taught orally.
Performance
While the dance contains a number of highly visual markers of its pre Hispanic roots, it is not strictly indigenous. The dance, with its variations, is a multilayered phenomenon with both religious, cultural and political meanings, depending on the people involved. Most in Mexico who participate in dances say that they do it for personal and/or spiritual reasons, and many are those with mundane city jobs during the week looking for something the "transcends" the ordinary. Most dancers do not do so as performance although the dancers generally attract spectators.
Concheros do not dance alone but are generally organized into groups with hierarchies. The basic group is called a "mesa" (lit. table). The most traditional of the Conchero groups in Mexico are registered with the Association of Concheros, and generally part of a complex associative network based on interpersonal relationships. Most conchero groups consider themselves as "descendents" of a "dance forefather" who is named in the standard of the mesa. Each mesa has a group of officers such as a captain, alférez, sergeants and soldiers with a special post held by women called malinche. The captain may be a man or a woman but the post is often hereditary and is recognized by other Conchero groups. The captain's house contains an altar with the image of the group's patron saint as well as the group's standard. The captain is in charge of organizing pilgrimages, and other ritual obligations, sometimes even paying for the expenses of the group. Dancers are both individual and group. The standard is held during events by the second lieutenant. Sergeants maintain order during ritual. Malinches are in charge of the censers for the constant ritual cleansing of space. Traditional Conchero dance groups consider their performance as spiritual and therefore do not solicit donations. Those who do are called “chimaleros.”
When performing at a church, the traditional Concheros will acknowledge the patron saints of the site, when walk in two lines towards the outside atrium or square, fronted by the second lieutenant holding the standard. The officers take a place which becomes the center, surrounded by the other dancers. There is often an inner circle which consists of the leaders, and altar, the drummers and the older members of the group and an outer circle with younger dancers often with males and females alternating. The dance circles is divided into four sections with the lieutenants marking the cardinal directions.
Before dancing, the Concheros call on deity and their ancestors, perform ritual cleansing with the aim of bringing the past and present together. One of these songs or praises is a mentioning of the four winds or cardinal directions, linked to the Four Evangelists. The main instruments of Concheros dancers include two pre Hispanic drums called a huehuetl and a teponaztli, conch shell trumpets and conchas, lute instruments made from the shell of an armadillo or other stringed instruments. The drums are generally in the center with various dancers holding the other instruments and with rattles (like the ayoyotes) in their hands and on their legs. The altar is often profusely decorated with flowers, candles, colored paper and many other objects.