Chavez was raised in a family that descended from generations of dancers and healers. For decades, his mission was to heal people through cultural inclusivity and mutual respect using practices that were rooted in the Aztec empire, but had been hidden for centuries after colonialism began.

“The vibrant and flourishing Azteca community that exists here, you can trace it back in part to the work that Raul Chavez Portillo did and there’s no denying that,” said Dr. Renee Fajardo, a teacher, mentor, and author in Denver’s Chicano community. Fajardo is one of the people who started a GoFundMe in Chavez's memory.

“As we progress, we see this beautiful urban city and all of these beautiful traditions of art and we don’t realize that all of this stands on the shoulders of somebody, something, some people. And Raul Chavez Portillo is one of those people,” Fajardo added.

Traditional dancers came from across the United States and Mexico in their full regalia to pay tribute to Chavez.

“We’re actually marching for our Capitán Raul, to open up the four directions, our animas, our spirits. We are calling them to allow us to put him to rest, to be able to say, 'Hey spirits, we are here. We are calling out for you to take him to the spirit world,'” said one of the dancers in attendance.

To those who came to recognize Chavez’s contributions to Denver, the rainbow that appeared in the sky during the memorial seemed fitting.

“Raul was a great mystic," Fajardo said. "He believed in symbols everywhere. He always said to us if I’m no longer there with you in body I will send you a sign. I think he sent us our sign. I think that rainbow is a sign."

Dana Knowles is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS and can be reached at danaknowles@rmpbs.org.

Brian Willie is the content production manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can contact him at brianwillie@rmpbs.org.