XOKOLATL CAFÉ CELEBRATES AZTEC NEW YEAR WITH MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION – Los Angeles

Celebration culminates March 13th with internationally acclaimed author and mathematician Everardo Lara González who will discuss the connection between math, danza and the Aztec calendar.

Other highlights include an open-air market featuring local artisan vendors, spoken word performances, Film and Forum, and an Aztec themed Brunch

Los Angeles, CA (March 1, 2010) – Streamers, noisemakers and Champaign toasts will take a back seat to a different kind of New Years party filled with refection, meditation and cultural expression as Xokolatl Café begins its month-long celebration of the Aztec New Year in March.

Throughout March Xokolatl Café, a community café specializing in organically grown, indigenous inspired cacao-based drinks, is organizing weekly events that celebrate the Aztec New Year and introduce Angelinos to ancient cultural traditions, which include a period of daytime fasting for five days leading up to the New Year called “nemotemi”, among other customs.

Events include Film and Forum presentation with a menu of goodies to indulge in before nemotemi; Xocopozolazo a weeklong drink special offering customers an energizing drink called xocopozol to aid fasters; Aztec-themed Brunch; and Open Turn Table Night to celebrate the New Year.

The program culminates on March 13th, with a full day of activities including an open-air market featuring local artisan vendors, an hour of Spoken Word featuring community poets and Semillas Community School students, plus a special lecture by acclaimed author and mathematician Everardo Lara González who will discuss the connection between math, danza and the Aztec calendar.

“Bringing culturally diverse events to Los Angeles for the betterment of the community has been a key goal for Xokolatl Cafe. We are excited to be hosting this important event and exposing our customers and Los Angeles at large to these traditions,” said Marcos Aguilar, Xokolatl Café co-founder. “We are thrilled to be offering a lecture with Mr. Lara who will explain how the relationships among humans, time, space and movement have been measured by our ancestors since time immemorial and how we relate to these energies today.”

The Aztec calendar has a cycle of 52 years.  Each year is named with a number from 1-13 consecutively, succeeded by one of the four signs: Tochtli in Náhuatl or rabbit; Tecpatl or flint; Calli or house; Acatl or reed. This New Year will be 11-Tochtli, or the 11th year of the rabbit. Tochtli’s symbolism is one of unpredictability, humor and vision.

Launched in December as a project benefiting the students of Semillas Community Schools, Xokolatl Café has established itself as a hub for cultural convergence with an emphasis on education and community self-reliance.

Program Details:
Location: Xokolatl Café, 4987 Huntington Drive North, Los Angeles, CA 90032

March 5, 7-10pm: Film and Forum screening of The mun2 Hook Up featuring Black Eyed Peas member Taboo as he challenges local poet Yaxkin Chumacero to take his music to the next level. Screening will be followed by a Q&A with The mun2 Hook Up director Ernesto Quintero and will feature a menu of goodies to indulge in before the fasting begins.

Week of March 7th: Xocopozolazo, a weeklong drink special offering customers xocopozol in the morning to aid fasters. Xocopozol is a modern take on an ancestral drink popular among the Aztec and Maya peoples.

March 13: New Years Celebration

• 12:30 – 5pm: Open-air market featuring over 20 artisan vendors, hand-made crafts, jewelry, pottery, local vendors, activities for children and more.
• 6:30 – 7:30pm: Spoken Word featuring Mixpe Ley of Semillas schools, Las Ramonas, as well as Lilia Ramirez, Semillas muralist and formerly of First Street Studios.
• 8 – 9pm: Lecture by Everardo Lara González who will discuss the connection between math, danza and the Aztec calendar. Followed by Q&A and book signing.
  

March 14th, 11:00 – 2pm: Aztec-themed Brunch with a conversation with Everardo Lara González.

Fri. March 26th, 7-9pm: Open Turn Table Night celebrating the New Year

About Xokolatl Café
Xokolatl Café was founded upon the culture, tradition, community and wellness generated by Semillas Community Schools and started with the support of the Cal State Federal Credit Union, and the guidance of Antigua Cultural Coffeehouse. Xokolatl Café brews roasted and raw cacao-based chocolate drinks and espressos in addition to healthy sandwiches, soups and salads. Menu items featuring cacao include ancestral recipes, family secrets and modern variations derived from Aztec and Mayan cultures.  For more information please visit www.XokolatlCafe.com.

About Semillas Sociedad Civil: Semillas represents two community-based charter schools in East Los Angeles, Xinaxcalmecac Academia Semillas del Pueblo for grades kinder through eighth and Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory High School of North America for grades ninth through twelfth. Semillas students strive to become internationally-minded, culturally wise community members. For more information visit: www.dignidad.org.

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