Port Chester resident Martha Xochitl Blanca (right) holds hands with St. Paul’s Church Pastor Jim O’Hanlon as she leads a friendship dance in Lyon Park at the third annual Celebration of Indigenous Cultures on Sunday, Nov. 17. The event, hosted by St. Paul’s Church, Congregation KTI and the Port Chester Historical Society, offered food, entertainment and games while educating attendees about native societies. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Midland Avenue resident Pedro Reyes energetically dances during a performance by the Aztec dancers of La Santa Cruz del Caminante at the Celebration of Indigenous Cultures at Lyon Park on Sunday, Nov. 17. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
In the Bush-Lyon Homestead, Kikki Short, one of the Port Chester Historical Society directors, explains some of the history of the Lenape, the indigenous group that lived in the Rye Town area prior to European expansion, to Locust Avenue resident Marissa Torento-Butkiewicz. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Flanked by the traditional Aztec dancers of La Santa Cruz Del Caminante, Port Chester Trustee Joan Grangenois-Thomas speaks on the importance of recognizing and appreciating indigenous cultures. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Lily Rojas, a Queens resident, burns incense in preparation for her Aztec dance with La Santa Cruz Del Caminante. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Marching to the beat of her drum, Martha Xochitl Blanca of Port Chester leads attendees out of the Bush-Lyon Homestead to the performance site in the park. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Port Chester resident Claudia Mora (left) performs a traditional Aztec dance with the rest of the troupe on the grass of Lyon Park. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Sosimo Nolasco, a traditional Aztec dancer from Queens, plays the drum as event attendees join hands and dance together. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Arthur Court resident Jordan Vargas, 3, finishes with a yellow marker while making a medicine wheel, inspired by those made by the Lenape. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Sosimo Nolasco (center) blows into a conch shell as Maria Pacheco (left) and Lily Rojas pay their respect to the four elements and deities associated with the cardinal directions ahead of their performance. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Port Chester resident Whitney Clearwater (left) and her 3-year-old daughter Amelia, husband Jason and 1-year-old son Ansel hold hands with Aztec Dancer Lily Rojas as they partake in a friendship dance. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
Sosimo Nolasco, a member of La Santa Cruz del Caminante from Queens, describes a visual representation of the Aztec Book of Life displayed on an ofrenda, an offering shrine used during Dia de Los Muertos. (David Tapia/Westmore News)
