Denver Danza Community Mourns Capitán Raul Tlaloc Chavez Portillo

Raul Tlaloc Chavez Portillo, the beloved captain of Denver's Grupo Huitzilopochtli, has died, and members of the Aztec dance community are remembering him as a generous teacher who opened his circle to anyone who wished to join. Funeral services are scheduled for Thursday, May 19.

Portillo, known to many as "El Capitán," danced at gatherings large and small across the city. He performed at a community event connecting residents to health and wellness resources, organized by Latino leaders Stephanie Salazar-Rodriguez and Cheryl Lucero. He also danced at two healing ceremonies held after the December killings of Alicia Cardenas and Alyssa Gunn Maldonado, both Indigenous women who danced, and most recently at a celebration of life in March for Indigenous healer Dan Salazar.

Salazar-Rodriguez said Portillo gave his time and talent to dance at her brother's memorial service. Though the two were not related by blood, she said, he told her he was honored to perform for "la familia."

Those who knew him recalled a warm presence. Asia Fajardo-Diamond, who met him while in middle school, remembered a sense of peace, love and encouragement. Maria Martinez said he greeted people at his door with a big hug and never failed to make someone smile. Alyssa S. Loya, who considered him an uncle all her life, recalled being mesmerized by the colors and feathers of his attire and headdress, and said he helped inspire her mother to begin danza and her grandfather to continue a tradition his family had started in Mexico.

Danny Stange, who met Portillo in 1995 at La Raza Park while the group tied a new drum, explained the meaning of his name. Stange said Portillo was named Tlaloc by his grandfather, a name that comes from Tlalli (Earth) and Octli (drink), making it "Drink of the Earth" rather than simply a rain god. Outside danza, friends said Portillo enjoyed the mountains, fishing and camping, and loved cars, often searching junkyards for parts to fix them.

Stange described Portillo's leadership as humble and rooted in example. In the tradition, he said, the captain is not a boss, and the circle holds that "nadie es más, nadie es menos": nobody is more, nobody is less. Still, Stange said, Portillo was firm about conducting ceremonies properly and believed a danzante's first responsibility is protecting the tradition. He also said Portillo felt dancers should answer requests from the community even when others did not understand or respect the practice.

Loya said Portillo was proudest of his family and of the many people to whom he brought danza. She recalled his saying, "Para nosotros es vida, la danza, y así nos vamos a morir," meaning danza is a way of life. Martinez said she believes he would want to be remembered as someone who kept his culture alive in Colorado and taught young people about it. Fajardo-Diamond said the group will keep his legacy alive and keep him on their altars.

Stange said funeral rites for a danzante combine Catholic rosary prayers over nine days with an understanding of humanity's relationship to the cosmos, often described as pre-Columbian spirituality.

Services begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 19, at Latina Funeral, 3020 Federal Boulevard, with a danzantes tribute from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Burial follows at 2:30 p.m. with a graveside service at Crown Hill Cemetery, 7777 West 29th Avenue, in Wheat Ridge. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with funeral costs.