The Eagle's Children TV Listings

• 1998
• 0 hr 39 mins
• Documentary

• Watchlist
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"La Danza de la Conquista del Gran Tenochtitlan", also known as "Los Concheros", "Danza Azteca", & "Danza Chichimeca", traces its origins to pre-Columbian Nahua ("Aztec") roots. Its adherents are organized into dance groups, each led by a "Capitan de Danza", who must obey one of the "Generales" who head distinct lineages and claim to pass traditional lore down from before the Spanish invasion of Mexico. The "Danzantes" must take part in a complex series of "obligaciones" throughout the year. At the great annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Chalma, thousands of "Danzantes" from Mexico and the US gather for four days of ritual and dance. Since the 1960's, Mexican dance teachers like Florencio Yescas and Andres Segura have brought the "Danza" to the US. The Eagle's Children follows Mexican-American "Danzantes" to Chalma, Central Texas, and San Diego, as they rediscover their indigenous heritage. Allegra Fuller Snyder UCLA Dance Department