I’m honored to present a guest post from Calpulli Xiuhcoatl (Cuezalin), an expert on Mesoamerica and its various indigenous nations and cultures.

This is our lord Xochipilli (also Macuilxochitl) – the Noble Young Lord of Flowers.

He/It is the personification of recreational sex, chance, dance, games, fun and the effects of hallucinogenic plants. He is the philosophical representation of the joy of life free of judgment and guilt from the pleasures of the body.

Each one of the sacred plants covering his body have different effects, all leading to healing, and better understanding of self within a ceremonial context and practice.

This personification of the human life experience is accompanied by an Ozomatli (a spider monkey) who echoes the similar nature. The Catholic priests who came to destroy and indoctrinate the native populations were disturbed and in opposition to the idea that the ancestors would have the “sinful” thoughts of enjoying the body pleasures of human life. They believed the “rightful” thing to do was to deny and detach from all earthly pleasures(sin) in order to earn entrance in heaven with their creator god.

Xochipilli literally translates to noble flower youth/child. It is something that lives within all of us and to honor that noble child and all that it represents is a beautiful thing.

Xochipilli has a partner Ome teotl (two sacred) duality, her name is Xochiquetzal (precious/standing straight flower). She is also an aspect of us all, she is romantic love, which is love with emotional ties, responsibility, accountability; she is the part of us which regardless of age is always beautiful, the sexuality which is perennial, not momentary.

To love one self is to accept all of what it means to be us and to be human, the Teteotl all live within us, they are venerated and in harmony when we love ourselves.

~Cuezalin~

“We are a Danza Calpulli (row of homes/community). Our main purpose is to restore the 18 ceremonies of our elders. This means that most of our ceremonies do not include Danza. We participate in Danzante ceremonies, but we understand these are only one type of ceremony with the emphasis on Danza, whereas our ceremonies focus on the restoration of the original practices and world view of our peoples.

We study and practice everything related to the Mesoamerican culture prior to the european invasion and occupation. Although we realize that it is impossible to separate our daily living and practices from political circumstances, politics, rallies and protests are not something we practice as a calpulli but more as educated and concerned individuals. We are also not for entertainment or profit.

Having said that, our secondary purpose is to share and promote the ways of our people to our people.

Tihuan ti tlacah – We Who are the People.”

For the original post and more information, you are invited to visit Cuezalin’s Facebook page Calpulli Xiuhcoatl (Cuezalin)