Pre-Hispanic Dance

''The faces of Ek Chuah'' Grupo Xipe Totek

The return to earth, a path that bears fruits.

The context of this stage production goes back to the post-classic Mayan period in Comacalco, a community in the northeast of the state of Tabasco. The nearness to rivers and the ports of the Gulf made it possible for the area to have an important development of their economy. A

Maya cemetery dating back more than 1000 years was found here, the only place in the area where mass burials have been registered. Among the gods worshipped here - Ixchel, Kukulcán, Chaac - there is marked preference for the god of cocoa, Ek Chuah.

The rains are coming and Ek Chuah is preparing to return to the center of the earth and blossom from a seed; the wise old mother of corn, Ixmucané, leads Ek Chuan's body to renew his spirit so he can flourish and become the fruit of the cocoa bean, this is the central plot of this piece.

The story revolves around the characters of Mayan mythology: Ah Puch, Ixmucané, Ikchau, Kinich Ahau and four cosmic routes, accompanied by a cast of 23 dancers and the music of drums, tunkul (slit drums) and a whistle.

Grupo Xipe Totek, which in the náhuatl native language means ''The venerable renowned lord of nature'', was founded at the beginning of the 90's with the purpose of maintaining and spreading pre-Hispanic traditions in dance, songs and music. Besides presentations at home, they have had the opportunity to express their great artistic talent overseas in countries like Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Today they work in conjunction with Xcaret in cultural and tourism development events.

30 min. - November 1st & 2nd - 16:30 & 21:00 hrs. - Mayan Village Islet.