Joaquin Cruz-Chavez

Joaquin Izkaltonalli Cruz-Chavez (Kalto) is a Mexica cultural practitioner, ceremonial leader, educator, and community organizer dedicated to preserving and sharing Indigenous traditions through dance, ceremony, and cultural education. Raised within a lineage of Mexica leaders and teachers, he has spent his life learning and carrying forward ancestral practices that strengthen identity, healing, and community. As the leader of Danza Xitlalli in San Francisco, Kalto facilitates ceremonies, rites of passage, workshops, and educational programs that empower youth, families, and communities while honoring the living traditions of his ancestors.

Preserving Living Traditions

Youth & Community Educator

Working alongside youth, families, schools, correctional facilities, and community organizations, Indigenous knowledge is shared through workshops, mentorship, and cultural education. Grounded in the understanding that culture is sustained through community, these experiences foster connection to heritage, strengthen confidence, deepen relationships, and nurture a lasting sense of responsibility to oneself, to others, and to future generations.

Leadership

Traditional Mexica dance, ceremonial songs, drumming, and regalia-making are shared through teachings passed down by parents, teachers, and elders. Rooted in oral tradition and lived practice, this work helps preserve ancestral arts while ensuring these living traditions continue to be practiced, shared, and carried forward with integrity for future generations.

Traditional Arts & Cultural Preservation

An annual cycle of traditional Mexica ceremonies honors the seasons, ancestors, rites of passage, and the responsibilities shared across generations. Rooted in oral tradition, these gatherings bring together families, elders, youth, and community to preserve living Indigenous practices, strengthen cultural identity, and ensure ancestral teachings continue to flourish for future generations.

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