After practicing some of the Somatic techniques of European origin that have had a significant influence on the development of postmodern dance, such as the Feldenkrais Method, Body-Mind Centering, and Ideokinesis, and going deeper into their theoretical aspects, I am now researching the knowledge generated by my own ancestors of Indigenous Mexico through the study of the amoxtlis, ancient hand-painted books or codices, to see what they might offer to this reflection and practice.

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This interest has required me to learn a different way of reading. The structure of the amoxtlis allows for a multidirectional and polychromatic approach. It offers possibilities of interpretation that depart from conventional linear reading and incorporate color and multi-directionality into the construction of meaning. I am interested in the possibility that this daily practice might not only transform how we interpret a document, but also expand how we perceive and respond to the world.

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Specifically, the Tonalpohualli contained in the Borgia Codex, the 260-day count, or tonaltin of ancient Mexico, has become the center of my attention. This document, which experts date to the fifteenth or sixteenth century, has organized my daily study. I have approached the Amoxtli Borgia as a pre-Hispanic interface that I research alongside scholars such as the Tlacuilo (from Nahuatl, meaning “the one who draws by painting”), Gerardo Ingram, and teacher, Lili Tellez.

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My personal contribution consists of exploring and interpreting creatively through reflection, writing, and movement.

Beyond the vast body of knowledge that this document offers, I am coming to understand the practice that emerges from daily interaction with and observation of it as a practice of perception and attention (Somatics), one that allows us to explore ancestral and, at the same time, innovative ideas in relation to the body, time, and space, and to enrich the study, practice, and reflection of movement.

Additionally, I am developing a curriculum structured around the Tonalpohualli, in which each subject of study follows this same chronological structure and offers an approach to the knowledge and philosophy of ancient Mexico and the culture of Anáhuac.

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- Rodrigo Esteva Ramirez