danza de Moros y Cristianos

The danza de Moros y Cristianos (dance of Moors and Christians) is a battle dance that symbolizes the Christian victory over the Moors. It originated in medieval Spain as a form of religious street theatre, depicting the struggle between good and evil.12

After being brought to the Americas in the 16th century, the dance's narrative was adapted. The opposing forces were reframed to represent the Spanish as good and Indigenous peoples as bad. This ritual dance became integrated into colonial religious festivals and is still performed today in various forms throughout Latin America, often under different names such as danza de la conquista or danza de Santiago. These performances use elaborate costumes and dance to enact historical battles and cultural themes.2