TRADITIONAL MEXICAN DANCE

BALLET FOLKLORICO TAPATIO
Tucson, Arizona

Origin of the Word “Tapatío”

Historically, the word, “tapatío”, is used to refer to natives of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Historian Méndez Moreno states the word originates from the Indian tribe Coca Talapatioti, which, in that language has two meanings; to change or touch something, or the price of buying something. Another historian, Francisco Javier Aceves, states that the word is derived from the Azteca Thapatioti Indian tribe. In their language, tapatío was the unit of money used in the Aztec territories before the Spanish conquest and consisted of a small bag of 10 grams of cocoa seeds.

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