“La Danza de la Pluma” Documentary Film

Collaborative project with Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico

Education Center
11:00am – 11:50am
1:00pm – 1:50pm
2:30pm – 3:20pm

La Danza de la Pluma is a traditional ritual dance still being performed in the Oaxacan valleys in Mexico. It is a cross-cultural conquest dance, part of the cycle of Conquest Dances, and closely related to the Matachín dances, which are still performed in indigenous and Hispanic communities in New Mexico and northern Mexico.

The modern La Danza de la Pluma originated from Mixtec and Zapotec dance rituals in Oaxaca under the influence of the Spanish colonizers. It incorporates the struggle between Moctezuma and Cortez, Christianity and paganism, with several variations as to the ultimate victor. It has deep cultural significance and importance, with dancers committing themselves for a three-year period, and involves much ritual preparation and communityinvolvement. The essential element of reciprocity, of “paying your dues” for the benefit of the community, is evidenced by the dancers’ commitment.

While La Danza de la Pluma is performed throughout Oaxaca, Teotitlán del Valle (whose translation from the Nahuatl is “Place of the Gods in the Valley”) is the oldest known settlement in the valley of Oaxaca; it is referred to as the Spiritual Heart of the Sacred Valley of Tlacolula. Teotitlán del Valle is currently considered the guardian of the Zapotec culture of the valley, and its presentation of the Danza de la Pluma is renowned. Teotitlán del Valle is world renowned for the Zapotec weavings it produces. The village is still governed by a system of “Usos y Costumbres” (literally translated as Uses and Customs), in place since pre-Hispanic times. It is a community / communal system of government, with an emphasis on cooperation for the good of the community and support for its individual members.

Metamorfosis Documentation Project

Contact for additional information:
Armando Espinosa Prieto
Craig Johnson
Metamorfosis Documentation Project
06 Camino del Sol
Santa Fe, NM 87508
505.984.3295