Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac

The mission of Ollin Yolitzli Calmecac is to investigate, understand and raise awareness of the Mexicayotl culture which flourished in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1492. The group also aims to provide new cultural outlets and opportunities for the Pennsylvania Mexican community, as well as those of other places to which the group travels to present their mission of encouraging others to be a part of the preservation of many aspects of Aztec culture. Aztec Dance has its origins in the cultures of ancient Mesoamerica, such as those of the Olmecs and the Chichimecs. These cultures have not been widely known since the virtual destruction of all the native cultures of the American continent since the arrival of the Europeans. In the Nahuatl language, Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac means School of Blood Moving in the Heart.

The mission of Ollin Yolitzli Calmecac is to investigate, understand and raise awareness of the Mexicayotl culture which flourished in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spanish in 1492. The group also aims to provide new cultural outlets and opportunities for the Pennsylvania Mexican community, as well as those of other places to which the group travels to present their mission of encouraging others to be a part of the preservation of many aspects of Aztec culture.

Aztec Dance has its origins in the cultures of ancient Mesoamerica, such as those of the Olmecs and the Chichimecs. These cultures have not been widely known since the virtual destruction of all the native cultures of the American continent since the arrival of the Europeans. In the Nahuatl language, Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac means School of Blood Moving in the Heart.

OYC defines its artistic success by reaching Mexican newcomers living in Philadelphia and the entire Pennsylvania area. OYC is one of the first organized groups within the Mexican immigrant community in Philadelphia. This organization has been an example to other “Callpulis” (Aztec Traditional Groups in Mexico, USA, Canada and Europe) who wish to become affiliated under the umbrella of OYC. Immigrant communities can be distant and fractured and OYC is proud to be an organization that has brought groups together to look at their own past with pride and to view their own community as a whole.

According to OYC members, “Some people refuse to take pride in their own heritage. We hope to be able to continue to dance and perform for the community in such a way that it will help members of the Mexican community see them differently and with greater pride. We succeed on another level when we create events that unite the communities and teach about the roots of the Americas. This helps the communities to acclimate to their new city, and to reach out to other cities for a cultural exchange. In this way we have been able to reach a more diverse audience.”

Brujo de la Mancha
Born in Mexico City to a family of indigenous Mexicans and members of the Spanish working class, Brujo de la Mancha is a multidisciplinary, self-taught artist. In his childhood during visits to his father’s family around Xico, Veracruz in Mexico, Mancha experienced the surviving Mayan, Olmec and Catholic cultures of traditional farming, and popular crafts that represent and express the life of the indigenous Mexican people. Later, he cultivated a sense of freedom to express personal dreams and reality by immersing himself in indigenous cultures in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Michoacan, and Tlaxcala. Mancha grew up believing and experiencing independent thinking, realizing that people are rich in resourcefulness in their own power for self-control. His paternal grandmother migrated from Xico, Veracruz to Mexico City and he carried on this tradition by in turn moving to Philadelphia ten years ago, where he has enjoyed diversity and different cultures. In Mexico, a great emphasis is placed on the connection between human beings and the natural world. In 2007 Mancha received the Aztec name Tletxayacoatl (The Snake with the Face on Fire) in a summer solstice ceremony in Chicago with Master Ocelocoatl (The jaguar & Snake), and Master Xavier Quijas Yxayotl. He also received a grant from the Institute for Cultural Partnership to learn how to make Tlapizcalli clay flutes with the Master Xavier Quijas Yxayotl. He has also made a very old clay instrument called Ehekachiktli, or “the Dead Whistle.”

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6/17/09: Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac

Led by Daniel Chico Lorenzo and Brujo de la Mancha, the group performs re-creations of ancient Aztec music on handcrafted traditional instruments and dance from Mexico. Part of Homegrown: The Music of America concert series.

Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac

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Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac

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