Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, was the world’s preeminent indigenous composer and musician of prehispanic Aztec & Mayan music. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico and of Huichol heritage, Xavier’s indigenous name, ‘Yxayotl’ is Nahuatl for ‘tears’. Xavier Quijas Yxayotl moved to the mountains of Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico to live with his Huichol relatives and the Tepehuane people in the 70’s.  There, he studied and learned to play pre-Columbian instruments while participating in ceremonies and rituals.  The knowledge he acquired enabled him to make museum quality instruments, such as, Mayan and Aztec drums, flutes, turtle shell drums, rainsticks, log drums, rattles, and gourds.  Yxayotl spent most of his life constructing and playing these instruments and performing all over the world.  

Six of his seven CD releases nominated by the Native American Music Awards, where he performed along with the international dance group, “Call For Peace”. He also performed at  the opening ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize event in Rome giving blessings to the Dalai Lama, Michael Gorbachev and Jimmy Carter, and at the United Nations Gala in New York City in 2005. 

Gustavo & “The Maestro” collaborated on the recording of Cortiñas’s “Desafío Candente” in a session in Los Angeles in the Summer of 2019. During this session they developed a bond and friendship, which led to Yxayotl inviting Cortiñas to collaborate on a recording that same week. Singles from this recording have been released posthumously and stand as a beautiful memory from a week of sharing the road, music, bread and life.