“Tonatiuh”
“Any day is a good day to learn, to share and to die.
So, do it today, because tomorrow, who knows”.
Tonatiuh.
Born in Mexico, Ricardo Cervantes Leon grew up in San Sebastian Xolalpa community, just a few meters away from the pyramids of Teotihuacan under the care of his father Mr. Ricardo Cervantes Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. He shared with his brother Quetzalcoatl the knowledge of the Toltec tradition, especially the magic movements of the dance.
He holds a B.A in Tourism Management by La Salle University in Cancun where he volunteered in the communities of Tulum, Valladolid, Bakalar and Carillo Puerto learning from the Maya brothers this part of millenary culture. That helped him to keep the spark of love and respect towards his Toltec origins. Additionally he got his certificate as an English teacher by the same University. Ricardo speaks English, French, and German and has been working as a Tour Guide certified by Secretariat of Tourism of Mexico since 2001.
After 6 years of learning in Maya land he came back to Teotihuacan to work in the Department of Culture and Tourism in San Juan Teotihuacan municipality taking his political position that he follows up to date thus helping his community. In 2008 he participated as a member of Teotihuacan Political Counsel in order to take part as a Candidate to a Local Deputy in the election of 2009 that way reaffirming his commitment with his people.
Since 2006 he took the reins of Gorila´s Tours, his family business, working as a social entrepreneur, given that Gorila´s Tours is a clear example of a micro business with the global extent that benefits local craftsmen, farmers and merchants.
In 2007 along with his father he had founded Centro Cultural Tolteca de Teotihuacan being a President since the very beginning and having achieved the inauguration of the First Toltec Museum in Teotihuacan.
On a daily basis he works as a tour guide in Teotihuacan and other parts of Mexican Republic which allows him to share his Toltec traditions, art and philosophy with the people of the entire world.
In 2008 he participated in Seed of Compassion in Seatle, USA with his Holiness Dalai Lama, his first international event, which was just a beginning to many others: Young Museum in San Francisco, The Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas, The Crossing, Austin, as a cultural ambassador of Memnosyne Institute with the native nations such as The Black Foot Nation in Montana, The Hopi, in Arizona, The Yurok, in California.
During those years he has actively participated as a speaker in several universities such as UVM in Queretaro, La Salle in Pachuca, UVM Lomas Verdes, UAEN in Pachuca, etc.
Being part of “Jóvenes Exitosos del Valle de Teotihuacan” he is frequently invited as a speaker to the regional high schools to encourage young people to accomplish their dreams and goals.
Known as Tonatiuh in his community, Ricardo has been an important link between the modernity and the legacy of his Mixtec – Toltec traditions.
In 2014 he took part in the first Nexus Mexico Social BootCamp event in Museo Soumaya in Mexico City on February, 25 and actively participated in the encounter with the Maya community of Carrillo Puerto with Centro Raxalaj Mayab in order to achieve the cultural exchange between these two indigenous nations.
On March, 21 he celebrated pre-opening of the first MUSEO TOLTECA of Centro Cultural Tolteca de Teotihuacan in San Sebastian community in Teotihuacan municipality with the presence of several important visitors from different indigenous nations of America and Europe.