Kalpulli Ehecacoatl
Aztec Dance
Kalpulli Ehecacoatl is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Watsonville, California, serving communities throughout Santa Cruz County and the neighboring Monterey County.
Our name combines “Kalpulli,” which can be understood as a learning community or place of ceremonial gathering, with “Ehecacoatl,” meaning serpent of the wind. Ehecatl (wind) represents our first breath at birth and symbolizes abundance, as the wind brings life-giving rain clouds. Coatl (serpent) represents movement, transformation, and knowledge.
At the heart of our work is the empowerment of individuals through culture. Through Aztec dance, cultural education, community gatherings, and leadership opportunities, we create spaces where individuals can strengthen their cultural connection, develop confidence and leadership skills, and become active and engaged members of their communities.
Living Cultures Grant
2026
Preserving Indigenous Mexican Culture Through Dance and Drum
Funds will purchase essential materials like copal and coal for our weekly gatherings, support travel to learn from other ceremonies and bring knowledge back, fund feathers to strengthen our regalia to preserve traditions, and purchase other supplies to help share our work and continue to strengthen our cultural practices.
