Sacred ties

Acclaimed violinist and cultural ambassador Yuriko Kuronuma thanks an Aztec dance troupe for performing sacred dance rituals during the annual Onjuku Ise Ebi (Lobster) Festival which featured barbecued lobster, drinks, dance, and music in Onjuku, Chiba Prefecture, on Sunday. The festival honors the centuries-old ties between Onjuku, a small oceanside fishing village, and the Mexican people. In 1609, local fishermen and ama (female divers) helped save the lives of 317 Spanish officials and crewmen after the Spanish galleon they had been sailing from the Philippines to Mexico, the "San Francisco", shipwrecked in rough seas off the coast of Onjuku that year.

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