In Mexico City, drum-pounding, shell-shaking Aztec dance troupes have long been a fixture in the zocalo, or central square. Stray dancers even turn up at traffic lights in neighborhoods further afield, performing for tips.

In today’s LA Times, my colleague Hector Becerra reports that Aztec dance troupes have also become a fixture at left-wing political rallies in Southern California. Hector has a little bit of fun dancing around the fact that Aztec culture wasn’t exactly a 21st Century liberal’s paradise. Don Bartletti and Christina House have fun with the photos.

Photo: No one ignores the dancing Aztecs. Crowds press close, pulling out iPhones and cameras. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times / May 1, 2013. Via http://www.latimes.com. )