damian trujillo: hello, and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today, we celebrate the mexica new year on your "comunidad del valle." ♪♪♪ damian: and that's where we begin today, the celebrating the mexica new year. it's coming up next month. with me is maestro pedro aquihua perez from calpulli tonalhequeh, on our show, back after a couple of years. pedro, welcome back to the show. pedro aquihua perez: thank you, damian. it's good to be here. damian: now, for those people who might not understand, pedro, because we celebrated the new year's--verdad?--on december 31. talk about what the mexica new year entails.

pedro: yeah, thank you, damian, and welcome, everyone. the mexica new year essentially is our celebration, our community celebration that takes place in the second week of march every year, and, of course, just like any other native culture, you know, we just finished celebrating the chinese new year, the vietnamese new year, and, of course, the mexica new year is comin' up in march, and so it's just part of our culture, part of our tradition, part of our, you know, heritage, things that we've inherited from our ancestors. damian: and how much do the astros have to do with when we celebrate the mexica new year? the stars and the alignments in the aztec calendar? pedro: yeah, it's a good question. very much related, right? that's exactly how we guide ourselves, guide our lives using the teachings that we've learned over the years. the aztec calendar essentially is our guide, and it is very

much connected to the cosmos, to the alignment of the stars, the planets, and so we follow nature. we follow, you know, the traditional changing of the seasons, which is when our new year begins. damian: i know that, in the past, we were organizing some events at san jose state, and we said, "well, we'll have the aztec dancers, and we'll have them dance for ten minutes." it's not a time limit, right? you have to pay homage and honor to the four winds and whatever else ceremoniously you have to do. it's not about a time limit here. pedro: yeah, definitely, damian. it's, actually, it's a ceremony. it's a prayer. and so, you know, we go through, beginning with a sunrise ceremony that starts at 6 in the morning, and, essentially, it's an entire-day ceremony with our ceremonial fire honoring our medicine, our medicinal plants and everything, all the elements

that we need to survive, to stay alive, and so our dance portion is throughout the day. usually, we dance for about four or five hours, continuously, again, in honor of the new year comin' in. damian: all right, that's fabulous, and it's fascinating and everything, all of the above. now let's talk about your name, aquihua. there's a special ceremony that you go through to see what your name is. talk about your name, aquihua, and how that's all developed. pedro: yeah, so aquihua is my spiritual name, damian, and i received that name through the teachings and guidance of our teachers, our maestro, our temachtiani, a maestro that comes from mexico to conduct the special ceremony, and it is, again, very much aligned with the date and time that i was born, using the, again, the aztec calendar,

the [speaking foreign language] for direction, for, you know, just the exact time and the elements that were present during the time of my birth, and so "aquihua," in the nahuatl language means, like, the "essence of water." that is my strength. that is what i, you know, am connected to, and this is how i guide my life. damian: that's beautiful. you know that old saying, "where one of us goes, we're all gonna go"? and is that with the family, tambien? the whole family is involved, and everybody gets into the spirituality of the mexica new year in your household? pedro: yeah, yeah, damian, and, of course, you know my lovely wife, tamara alvarado, whose name is mozahuani, and as well as our kids. we all go through this ceremony. we all participate in all of the important dates during the year,

mexica new year being the most important for us, and so it's a family affair. it's a community affair, and, you know, needless to say, all are welcome to come and participate. damian: all right, and i wanna talk about specifics in our next segment about what's happening at emma prusch park, coming up again on the second weekend in march. but you say you dance for, consecutively, for four hours, all at once, and instead of feeling tired, is there a sense of satisfaction after you do that, a sense that--a cleansing, if you will, a spiritual uplifting? pedro: yeah, you know, it's really interesting, and for those of you that are, you know, dancers, artists, musicians, anything of the nature, you know, it's, like you said, it's very uplifting. you would think that you'd be tired, but once you're focused, once you are connected, the energy that is generated inside

our ceremonial circle, which includes all of our medicinal plants, all of our medicine that we honor, and everybody else that's dancing around you, the beat of the drums and everything there really allows you to not focus on being tired physically, but we are uplifted emotionally, and it's a beautiful feeling, and, you know, everyone's invited to come in and share in that beautiful energy. damian: all right, well, let's show the folks, again, when this is. this is happening the second weekend in march, march 10 through 12, at emma prusch park, in san jose. there is the information on your screen, the mexica new year. aztecdancers.com. we'll be back after this. stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: and we're back with pedro aquihua perez of calpulli tonalhequeh, talking about the mexica new year's celebration

coming up in san jose the 10th through the 12th of march. and i've seen you and your vestuario, and is it the more experience you have, the more plumas that you get to wear? how does that work? pedro: yeah, good question, damian. that is very much so what happens. you know, we take our regalia very seriously. it's part of our medicine. it's part of our culture that, you know, we employ and that we have, and so everything has a meaning. it's not just random. it's not just because i like the color blue or green or what have you. it's all related to our name, to everything that is important in our lives, and so our regalia is a representation of that, and the feathers, you know, are very special to us. they're sacred. they are earned, and so, you know, dancers that are beginning will earn their feathers based on the work that they put in,

you know, everything that they do to support themselves, their family, their community. as they grow older, as they get more mature and understand, you know, the symbolism, the meaning behind everything, then they begin to earn their feathers, quite literally, and so that's how you, you know, kind of, grow spiritually in that sense. damian: yeah, we're looking at the video right now. we see the acorns on the ankles. is there a significance to the acorns? pedro: yeah, very much, again, it's part of our medicine. it allows us, essentially, from a practical standpoint, to carry the beat, to join with the beat of the drums, so that we're able to, you know, understand rhythm, understand steps, and understand, you know, kind of, our ceremonial dance. damian: i'm getting a lesson here. i really appreciate it, a crash course in aztec culture. so give us specifics. the 10th through the 12th, it's a whole weekend dedicated to

danza and to the mexica new year. pedro: yeah, it's a beautiful community event, damian, free for everyone to join us. it starts on march 10, at 5 p.m., and it goes through march 12, sunday, so, on friday, march 10, at 5 p.m., we begin with our cali native night. this is where we gather, in unity, all the local native tribes, the first nations of california, and so we will be honoring the ohlone muwekma tribe, which is our local tribe here in the bay area, here in specifically san jose, but also, we have many other native dancers showcasing their ceremonial songs and ceremonial dances. saturday, then, is the mexica dancers, primarily, during the--most of the day from 11, on. and then sunday we also have other nations participating.

this year we have the honor of welcoming the makah nation, from washington, to join us and to share their song and dance. we also have some, you know, people from mexico. the totonacas as coming in from mexico as well as grupo tribu celebrating their 50th year doing percussion, mexica music. damian: and you talked about the aztec dancers from mexico, the makah from washington, the muwekma ohlone, different nations, but it's one culture, no? it's the same spirituality that you all share? pedro: yeah, thank you, damian. yes, very important. you know, we're all native. we're all native, and we celebrate unity. our differences are essentially, you know, not that important to--you know, in terms of the whole idea of uniting

under our indigenous culture. we all celebrate, and we all honor, you know, the sacred elements of life. we all honor mother earth and our father sun, and so this is what brings us together in ceremony and in celebration. damian: i get a sense, pedro, that, if you--maybe you're having problems at home paying the bills or something's piling up, you know, some conflict at home, and you show up to a ceremony like this, y como que se olvida todo, you forget about everything, and there's some sort of zen that takes place. pedro: yeah, exactly, damian. you know, this is medicine. it's medicine for the self, for the individual. it's medicine for the family. it's medicine for the community. and this is why it's so important. this is why it's so important to celebrate, you know, the--our new year because we come, we come in a good way, we come respectfully. there's no drugs or alcohol allowed. it's a family affair.

it's just a beautiful feeling, and you're right, you know, you get a sense of, you know, strength. you get a sense of a good, powerful energy that you can take back to your home and your community and work through, you know, all the issues that we have, the day-to-day, you know, grind, the things that we have to face on a daily basis. damian: that's wonderful. pedro, any final thoughts before we let you go? pedro: you know, this year, we're celebrating the--our year is 11 reed, and so it's really important to come out and, kind of, get an understanding of what that means. it's important to come out and celebrate with us, joining in unity, you know, the community affair, just a beautiful celebration, and so you'll feel welcome. we'll do everything in our power to make you feel strong and, you know, just happy, have a great weekend in community. damian: all right, pedro aquihua perez, maestro at calpulli tonalhequeh, thank you for your time for sharing

that with us. pedro: thank you, damian. damian: thank you. at the end of the show, we're gonna play that clip in its entirety, the calpulli tonalhequeh, but, again, the mexica new year celebration, march 10 through 12, emma prusch park, in san jose. there is a web address for information. up next, a special award for a local librarian. stay with us. ♪♪♪

damian: well, she is the "i love my librarian" 2023 award recipient, and who doesn't love their librarian? with me, on "comunidad del valle," is a special guest, once again, kathryn blackmer reyes, at san jose state university, back on our show. welcome back to the show, and congratulations. kathryn j. blackmer reyes: thank you very much, damian, for the invitation, and thank you for the congratulations. damian: absolutely. what does that mean to you before we get into what--you know, everything you've done that merited you receiving this award, but what does this mean to you personally? kathryn: well, certainly, i mean, i think it just speaks to,

i think, sort of, my lifetime of work in working not just with students but really working with community, bringing their projects and, sort of, their visions into the library and, certainly, the privilege of bringing them into a library that is part of a university, so it's really been a wonderful accomplishment to be able to bring so many voices into a university library, and, for me, it's just been a privilege while it's been great fun, so i'm very honored by the--by being selected and certainly very pleased. damian: i think that's taking it a step beyond the role of a typical--i don't know what a "typical librarian" is though, right? i mean, you're--by adding voices and giving voices to people, that's a kind of an extra step, and i think it shows your

character and then the type of person that you are. kathryn: absolutely. i think that's what's so great about my job and the position that i have here in the library and the work that i've been able to accomplish, really, in the 25 years that i've been a librarian, and, certainly, i do the traditional work of a librarian and, you know, reference questions and instruction, and purchasing books and such, but i've had the privilege, really, of extending my, i guess, my work to include, to provide a space to community and to students that isn't quite always available, and so i would say that i'm not the gatekeeper, right?

and, in fact, i'm trying to be all-inclusive to everybody, and i think it just speaks to how i was brought up and, you know, values and traditions, and how you want people to treat you and how you wanna treat individuals. damian: yeah, talk about your role specifically there at the san jose state library system. kathryn: yeah, so i am--the director gets the official word is the director and librarian of the africana, asian american, chicano & native american studies center, which houses the u.s. race, ethnic materials, and so we look at that u.s. experience. and so, in addition to books, we also do exhibits and programming, and i've been on, of course, on the show to speak of other programs that we've hosted in the library, associated with my position, so it's really a multilayered,

multitask, some vision as to how you want to integrate the community into academia and how you want academia to be responding or responsive to the community, and i think that's, really, i think, how i would describe what i've had the fortunate--the fortune to do. damian: yeah, you know, in pursuit of my major there at san jose state, i took, you know, african american studies 1a and 1b, just 'cause i wanted to learn more. i wanted to be more well-rounded. we know about the efforts around the country to eliminate some of these topics, african american studies, chicano studies, and whatnot. why is it vital? why should we keep those programs and those lessons, those library lessons around? kathryn: right, well, i think we're in a really unique time right now, given that the state of california has now required ethnic studies to be part of the curriculum, the required part of the curriculum, and i think, you know, san jose state is in a

particularly strong position, given the collections that we have that i've been part of developing, unlike any other of the universities, the csu universities, you know, to have a collection like this to support the curriculum, to support the curriculum development, to support the research projects that the students want to develop, right? to have those resources available, i think, is just--we're in a really, really unique time, and since libraries are supposed to be supporting the curriculum, academic libraries supporting the curriculum, i think the space that i oversee is really there to help grow chicano studies, chicana and chicano studies, asian american studies, african american studies, and native american studies, so there's

gonna be new growth, and the library is gonna be there just with them. it's not gonna be behind. in fact, i would say we're probably leading it with them, so that's also very exciting to be part of. damian: one of your big cheerleaders is dr. julia curry there, a professor at san jose state, and she calls you a "shero." your reaction to that? kathryn: you know, i have had the fortune to be mentored by many great chicanas, and i think, as an undergraduate at uc davis in chicano studies, my mentor was adaljiza sosa ridel. she was the first chicana to receive the phd in political science at uc berkeley. she was hired at davis, was denied tenure, but she stayed on to build the program, and i was very fortunate to be part of her

circle, and her circle included being part of an amazing group of chicanas who were in higher education. so, i mean, i might be a shero, but i had a lot of teachers. i had a lot of excellent examples of how you want to be mentored and how you wanna bring people into academia, and so i consider myself very privileged. i don't know if i'm a shero, but i feel like i'm doing the work that i was trained to do, starting from ada, and so she's the person that has given me the, i guess, the wings to do what i'm doing, even though she wasn't a librarian. but, you know, i think i've also been fortunate to have very excellent chicana and chicano librarians in academia that have also been excellent teachers for me. damian: well, we appreciate your work, and congratulations

on the well-deserved award, the, oh, "i love my librarian" 2023 award recipient, kathryn blackmer reyes. kathryn: thank you very much. damian: yeah, thank you for being on our show. all right, well, we'll have you back soon. up next here on "comunidad del valle," we have some of danza azteca to celebrate, again, the mexica new year, so you wanna stay with us. ♪♪♪ - life is uncertain. everyday pressures can feel overwhelming it's okay to feel stressed, anxious, worried, or frustrated.

it's normal. with calhope's free and secure mental health resources, it's easy to get the help you and your loved ones need when you need it the most. call our warm line at (833) 317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. damian: well, if you wanna get ahold of us, on "comunidad del valle," for any show ideas, you can follow me on instagram. my handle is @newsdamiantrujillo; and on call our warm line at (833) 317-4673 twitter, it's @newsdamian. we thank you for sharing your sunday with us once again. here, again, is calpulli tonalhequeh. happy mexica new year. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ male: [speaking foreign language]

[speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] female: we found the direction of the sun. that -- star that was near, the giver of life. life -- ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ male: [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] female: saludamos, diferenciamos. thanks to our mother earth, that mother who takes care of us that, one day, we will return to, to return back to nature, to the earth. [speaking foreign language] ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ male: [speaking foreign language] [speaking foreign language] female: we need the direction of the east, of the west, of the north and south, the four directions of life, the four elements, the four stations, the four seasons, to give thanks to the creation -- ♪♪♪

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