Aztec West Audio Tour: The Sharing

Descendants continue traditions passed down for generations.

Meghan Murphy

The trail through the Aztec West great house is 0.5 mile in length and requires about 40 minutes to complete using the audio tour. Most of the trail is paved and accessible to wheelchairs, with some steps and low doorways. Wheelchairs are available at the visitor center to borrow upon request.

• The Sharing

  
  

  The final cultural stop on the Aztec West self-guided trail.
  Audio Transcript

  The Sharing. As you look to the center of the plaza, imagine you are a spectator at one of the ritual dances. Drummers emerge from the Great Kiva just as the sun begins to rise. From the rooftops, the ceremonial clowns start to sing and call out, "They are coming, the Clouds and Rainbow are coming, the Deer and Buffalo are coming, the Corn Maidens are coming, they are all coming!" One by one, the dancers emerge from the kiva. They line up in the plaza facing east, welcoming the Sun and ready to dance, male and female, the two lines of human life. Slowly, the drummers begin to drum and chant their prayer of life. The men, adorned in cotton quilts, macaw feather headdresses, and cowrie shell belts, lift their feet in unison to the beat of the drums, keeping time with their gourd rattles and the beating of their hearts. The women, in their ceremonial mantas, lift their feet gently in time with that feminine rhythm of life that complements, creates, and nourishes. They invite all who are present "to remember to remember" who they are and where they have come from and remember their relationship to each other, their ancestors, and the Earth Mother.