The Tonatiuh Prehispanic Dance group from Monterrey Nuevo Leon, Mexico, made their first stop in Rome to meet Pope Francis, who greeted them at the end of the General Audience.
GERARDO RAMIREZ
Member of the Tonatiuh group
We listened to the whole message of His Holiness and received a surprise at the end. He called us, because his Holiness wanted to greet us. We were very happy to share a few words with him and he took us by the hand and brought us closer to take a picture with him and then he touched our hearts. He touched our lives.
We were overjoyed to be able to exchange a few words with him, to show him our roots and talk to him briefly about them, and we gladly pay tribute to the Church.
As the group is currently on their tour, “The Magic of Our Ancestors Always Lives”, they wore traditional costumes of the region to the audience.
NORA DE LA CRUZ
Leader of the Tonatiuh group
My costume represents the jaguar. Everything has a meaning. The feathers for us mean that we connect with the universe from the earth. Our ancestors believed that we are energy and that is why they paid tribute to the natural elements, such as the sun, earth, air, fire, and water.
After their stop in Rome, they will continue their journey to Barcelonnette, France to take part in the Latin-Mexican festivals.
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TR: AT