By Kyra Young
kyrajyoung@gmail.com
Over 100 community members came together at City College’s Mission Center on Tuesday, March 11, and into the early hours of Wednesday, March 12, for the 18th annual Mexika New Year celebration.
Abiding by the Tonalmachiotl, the Aztec calendar, the new year begins six hours later than the previous year. At the stroke of midnight, March 12, or 12 Tekpatl, the Azteca Mexika community rang in this new year.
The gathering began at 6 p.m. and stretched into the wee hours of the morning until 1:30 a.m. Visitors could pass through the community dinner and grab fresh fruit, robust coffee, sweet conchas from La Reyna Bakery and other savory sides. A handful of local artists and vendors were present to showcase their handcrafted jewelry, apparel, art and other cultural goods, reflecting the craftsmanship of the heritage.
The dinner closed with an educational session about the use, symbolism and significance of the Tonalmachiotl led by Elder Mazatzin Aztecayollazalli Acosta, who spent two decades studying the calendar.
“The Tonalmachiotl represents the pre-American calendar system here,” Mazatzin said. “It took thousands of years, by thousands of people across thousands of miles to put this together. It was a culmination – a continental patrimony. It doesn’t belong to any one particular group.”
An Assessor of the Ancient Culture of the Anauak, a Master of Ceremonies and an Ambassador of the Federation of Indigenous Nations of America, Mazatzin began the traditional celebration at City College with his sons.
“He’s a guide in many spaces, the head of the table, the safe keeper of the knowledge and the final say,” said Student Chancellor Malinalli Villalobos of Mazatzin. “Our elders are the ones that guide us with knowledge, and it’s our responsibility to keep learning and share it as we grow.”
The celebration then took to Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets, where an intricate display of flowers, candles, shells and smoking sage could be found reflecting the Tonalmachiotl sitting on the entryway of Mission Center. The college’s commissioned piece is said to be the largest sacred Aztec calendar in the world.
Beneath a night sky and a protective circle of flowers, the traditional dancers took to their places, welcomed into the circle by an intentional saging. As the clock struck twelve, members looked to the stars and each other in appreciation and excitement, glowing with the radiance of the burning candles beneath them.
“Part of the work they’re doing is important because they represent the culture, and most of the people recognize them as the representation of the culture,” said Mazatzin of the dancers.
“A ceremony is good, but we must continue the study,” Mazatzin continued. “I made a proposal for a curriculum to be put together, since the calendar is outside on the front of the building. I’m hoping there could be a class put together for calendar study, what it’s about and how to use it.”