Christmas 2011 and Aztec Dancers

Okay, this is the last post from last year . . . that I can remember, anyway.  I did have a cryptic note from last year about the Cowboy Poetry Days . . . I did go to a couple events and they were great.  But, that's about all I remember.

This is about Christmas.  There is a narrow gauge railroad in Durango, and it is a big tourist attraction.  I had never been on it.  But, a friend of mine whose husband works on the train, had gotten free tickets for the three boys from the therapeutic riding place.  I love these three boys.  I think they're the reason I stayed for so long when I really wanted to leave.  Therapeutic riding, that is.  Anyway, I bought my ticket and away we went.  During the summer, the train goes all the way up the mountain to Silverton.  In the winter, it only goes about halfway.  But, this was a special event based on the book, Polar Express, and it only went to the other side of town where they had built a "Santa Claus Village" of sorts.  Many children wore their pajamas and slippers to this event.  I thought about wearing my feet pajamas, but changed my mind at the last minute!  Good thing, huh!

Anyway, the boys' grandmother and I think their great grandmother went, also, and I just tagged along. The youngest boy is the one I always helped with riding, but I was also close to the oldest boy.  The middle boy was kind of standoffish.  But, as it worked out, that's who I sat with, and it was good.  We enjoyed the hot chocolate and the train.  At one point, Santa Claus comes around and hands all the kids a bell - - that was part of the Polar Express book.  These bells were cool!  I wanted one!  So, when he comes to us, after he gives one to the middle boy, I hold out my hand.  Santa Claus pats my hand and says, "I can see you've been a good girl all year," and he hands me a bell!  I still have it!  It's awesome!

There are a couple archeology places within about an hour of me.  On this particular day, I drove to one of them because they were having an Indian dance offering.  I parked and took the tram up the narrow road to the large kiva where the dances would be.  Several Native Americans had stand set up to offer Indian made items such as jewelry.  Beautiful stuff.  I got a chair in the shade by the kiva.  Several of the dances did not allow pictures to be taken, so I took notes!  That was a couple months ago or so, and hopefully I can read them!

In the first non-picture dance, the Indians had a bush of some sort covering their face and feathers on their back like wings.  They held feathers and hand-made rattles, and several of them had bells sewn into their clothing.  They had animals skins as tails, and concho belts.  The ones that didn't have the bush covering their faces had a red stripe across their face.  

In another non-picture dance, the Indians had the bush on their faces again and used "canes" in both hands like they were walking on four legs.  The bush on their faces looked like it came from a Christmas tree.  In this dance, the girls had pink, yellow, and black flowers on them.  (Black flowers?  Don't remember that, but it's in my notes!)  These girls danced in a line.

All through the dances, the drumming went on, and I couldn't keep from moving my body.  Except for the little girl sitting next to me, no one else seemed affect like this.  It was interesting.

I've been to many Indian dances, but this one had something incredibly unique.  They had a couple performances by Aztec dancers!  Their costumes were beautiful with long, colored feathers.  They had a speaker who interpreted each move of the dance, which was incredibly awesome.  All in all, I would have to say that was my favorite part.  It was a true spectacle.  Awesome, really.