“Rather than rely on others to create my identity, ¬I needed to identify myself,” explained musician and storyteller Michael Heralda, in search of his Indigenous ties that are relayed through his award winning Aztec Stories presentation.
Photo: Courtesy Colorado Folk Arts Council
Gallery, 7th Ave and Santa Fe.
Heralda who has presented for such prestigious institutes as the Smithsonian Institute in New York and the Heard Museum in Phoenix brings his award winning show case of Mexica (Aztec) based music and culture to Colorado audiences as an educational outreach opportunity of goodwill.
“I am a songwriter, touring artist, storyteller and poet. As an independent artist I have produced all my CDs under my own label since 1996. I have shared my Aztec Stories presentations with interested listeners and participants of all ages across the United States. I always love touring Colorado. ” Said Heralda.
This year his show is healthy and hot -- the Seven Warrior Foods (of the Mexica People) is what many call a cultural granola bar with chili pepper.
“Thousands of years ago the most nutritious and beneficial foods were within reach of the natives on this planet. They learned the science and chemistry of these foods and how they interact with the human body. They understood plants. This ancient knowledge has always been available to those who seek it,” explained Heralda.
The Seven Warrior Foods program is an engaging, enlightening, and interactive presentation that re-introduces these seven highly nutritious foods through the use of oral tradition stories and narratives. Information as well as nutritional benefits of each of the foods will be shared. Other native foods and important plants to the Mexica people will also be mentioned but the focus will be on the 7 warrior foods.
His inspiration for his inter active show began nearly 20 years ago when he found the book Aztec by Gary Jennings at a yard sale.
“That book not only changed me, but also changed the way I identified myself. The book was a fictional
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