Celebrations

The rain festivals

The Aztecs have a number of festivals to honor the god of rain and lightening, Tlaloc.

The first festival is in February, the start of the agricultural year, in this festival they carry out different rituals to encourage rainfall.

The second festival is to celebrate Tlaloc and the other rain Gods in March, as this is when the flowers start to bloom and symbolize new life from the earth.

The third festival is celebrated in Autumn to encourage rainfall, where they formed shapes of small mountains and the god Tlaloc, as this is where he was believed to live.

 

Homage to Cuauhtemoc Festival

Cuauhtemoc was the last emperor of the Aztecs, whose memory is honoured every year during a celebration held in front of his statue on the Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City.

In this Aztec festival, the story of his life is told, detailing the struggle against the Spaniards both in native Indian languages and in Spanish, while Conchero dancers perform their world-famous dances, wearing feathered headdresses with mirrors and beads.

They carry with them images of Jesus Christ and many saints to represent the blending of Aztec and Spanish cultures. Most of these Conchero groups consist of 50 or more dancers, each performing in his own rhythm and to his own accompaniment. The pace of the dance performance rises gradually until it reaches a sudden climax, which is followed by a moment of silence.