Northwest Yucatan Part 1: Mérida, the "White City"

The walls of the Catedral de San Ildefonso and the Ateneo Peninsular glow a soft white in the dusk. Carole and I paid our second visit to Mérida in January of 2012. Our first visit had been for a brief 2 days during our 2010 journey through Southern Mexico with Caravan Tours. That experience convinced us to return this year for a more in-depth look. Mérida is situated in the northwest corner of the Yucatan Peninsula and is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan. With a population of more than 970,000, Mérida is the largest city on the whole Peninsula, which includes Campeche and Quintana Roo States as well as Yucatan. The Peninsula has a pre-hispanic history going back thousands of years. The area was visited by Spanish expeditions in 1517 and 1518, both of which were driven off by fierce Maya resistance. This was prior to Hernán Cortés' landing on the mainland of what would become Nueva España in 1519. The Maya's hot reception was an indication of the fierce resistance to come when the Spanish conquistadors later attempted to subdue them. In fact, the Maya outlasted every other Mesoamerican civilization the Spanish encountered. Their last outpost, the city of Tayasal in Guatemala, did not fall until 1697. This was a full 175 years after the Aztecs surrendered. Maya culture has shown amazing resilience in the face of the most brutal treatment by the Spanish authorities and their Mexican successors. Today, Mexico has begun to recognize the value of its wonderful Maya heritage.  The government is encouraging various aspects of Maya culture including art, dance, food, music and language, and showcases its great Maya ruins. Much of this was proudly on display in Mérida when we visited. For a Google map of northwest Yucatan and Mérida, click here.


Overview

Mérida rests on the ancient foundations of its Maya predecessor. Above you can see a scale model of the Maya city of T'ho, known as "the city of 5 hills" in a reference to its 5 pyramids. The ancient Maya architects used the Peninsula's abundant white limestone as their primary building material for pyramids, temples, and palaces. As was their usual practice, the Spanish dismantled the Maya buildings at T'ho and used the white stones to build their cathedral and many other structures. Thus Mérida came by its nickname: "The White City". Ancient T'ho was laid out in concentric circles, with the center containing the religious and administrative complex seen above. Immediately around it were the homes of the nobility. Surrounding that ring were the homes of the commoners. (Scale model from the Museo de la Ciudad)

Urn recovered from the site of ancient T'ho. The reassembled stone urn is carved with relief designs around its circumference. Visible above are two very loose-limbed dancers, frolicking at an ancient fiesta. According to the writings of Bishop Diego de Landa, who wrote "Relation about the Things of Yucatan" shortly after the Conquest, there were 3 great edifices in T'ho. A structure called Pocobtok (Knife of Flint) was located where the Convent of San Francisco now stands. Another stood to the east of Mérida's main plaza and was called H'chumca'an (Center of the Sky). The third was dedicated to the Maya god Baklum Cha'an (Phallus of the Earth in Plain Sight). The Catedral de San Ildefonso now stands over the Phallus of the Earth. The conquistador Francisco de Montejo stayed for a year in the Baklum Cha'an complex after conquering T'ho. (From Museo de la Ciudad)

Maya grave from T'ho. Funerary rituals were very important to the pre-hispanic Maya. They believed the dead still experienced sensations, feelings, and needs. Accordingly, they carefully placed various objects around the body to help the dead person on his way through Xilbalba (the Underworld). Often bowls placed in crypts would have a hole punched in them, as a way to "kill" the pottery. If the person was a noble, priest, or royalty, a group of their servants might be killed and placed in the crypt so that they could continue to attend their master in the afterlife. In the 500 years since the Conquest, ancient T'ho has completely disappeared under Mérida. However, at the time the Spanish arrived, the city was still populated and functioning. This makes Mérida one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the Western Hemisphere. (From Museo de la Ciudad)

Mérida's Plaza Grande, as it looks today. The view above is from the northeast to the southwest. In the center is the Jardin, or plaza garden. All the streets in the Centro Historico are numbered, whether they run north-south or east-west. The street running from the bottom left on a slight diagonal to the right is Calle 61. The street running from the bottom center to the upper left corner of the photo is Calle 60. Where they cross, two important buildings stand on adjacent corners. The one with the double steeples on Calle 60 is the Catedral de San Ildefonso. On the corner of Calle 61, facing the Jardin, is the Palacio Gobierno, or Governor's Palace. It is the headquarters of the State of Yucatan. The street that crosses diagonally from top center to the center of the right side of the photo is Calle 62. In the middle of this block is the Palacio Municipal, or City Hall, with a single bell tower. The fourth side of the plaza is Calle 63. In the center of this block stands the Casa de Montejo, built by one of the original conquistadors. It possesses a spectacular facade that is unique in Latin America. Both Calle 61 and 62 have long, covered walkways bounded by the arches and pillars called portales. For a walking-tour map of the Centro Historico area, including the plaza, click here. (Scale model from Museo de la Ciudad)


Catedral de San Ildefonso

Catedral de San Ildefonso is the oldest cathedral in Mexico. Construction began in 1561 and was completed in 1598. The temple to the Maya god Baklum Cha'an lies beneath the church and materials from the Maya structure were used to built San Ildefonso. The Catedral was named after Ildefonsus, a Visigoth whose Germanic name was Hildefuns. The Visigoth barbarians sacked Rome in 410 AD and eventually overran much of the Western Roman Empire, including Spain. In 589 AD, they converted to Christianity, and by 657 Ildefonso had become Bishop of Toledo. His writings made him a potent force among Spanish Christians for centuries, eventually leading to his canonization. To honor him, Yucatan's colonial church authorities gave his name to their new cathedral. The Visigoths themselves were not so fortunate. In 712 AD, their king and many leading men were killed by invading Moors from North Africa. The Moorish Muslims ruled Spain for the next 700 years, until they were finally defeated and expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela. These are the same two who financed Christopher Columbus' voyages of discovery which eventually led to the conquest of Yucatan.

The left tower of the Catedral and its great coat-of-arms. King Phillip II of Spain ordered the building of the Catedral and awarded it a coat-of-arms.  Phillip was the same Spanish king who ordered his Armada (naval fleet) to sail to England and invade the domain of Queen Elizabeth I. The Armada was defeated by English sailors led by Sir Francis Drake, and most of the Spanish fleet later sank in a great storm. Drake was a ferocious pirate and plunderer who--with the connivance of Queen Elizabeth--had raided many Spanish New World settlements, including some in Yucatan. His actions helped trigger the launching of the Armada on its ill-fated voyage. They also brought about the fortification of many Spanish settlements including the Yucatan Peninsula city of Campeche. Drake has been dead for almost 400 years, but those massive fortifications can still be seen today.

Interior of Catedral de San Ildefonso with its massive crucifix. The Cristo de la Unidad is the largest indoor crucifix in the world, standing 7.62 meters (25 ft.) tall. It was commissioned by the Church to try to solidify a sense of unity between the Maya and the Catholicism. The cathedral was built in a mixture of styles, including Moorish, Renaissance, and Baroque. Its chief architects during 37 years of construction were Pedro de Aulestia and Miguel de Auguero. The cathedral in Mexico City was also built by Auguero, but at a later time. In addition to the crucifix, there are two other notable features in the interior. One is a painting above a doorway depicting the Maya ruler Titul-Kiú, meeting with conquistador Francisco de Montejo el Mozo. These two allies defeated other Maya who were resisting the Conquest. Such alliances were typical of the Spanish divide-and-conquer strategy. Titul-Kiú converted to Christianity and his descendants still live in Mérida. The Catedral's other interesting feature is a Maya woodcarving of Christ. The wood for the statue was taken from a tree that the Maya saw burning all night without being destroyed, leading them to believe it was sacred. The carving was originally kept in a church at Ichmul which later burned down. However, the statue survived intact except for some blisters. It was removed to the Catedral in 1645 and is now kept in a nook called the Chapel of the Christ of the Blisters.

View toward the entrance of the Catedral showing the organ pipes. The church interior is very impressive. Beautiful limestone columns rise to support Moorish arches high above. The church seems a bit austere today because it was sacked during the Mexican Revolution. In 1915, General Salvador Alvarado was appointed Governor of Yucatan by the revolutionary government in Mexico City. He is famed today because of the many social reforms he implemented to help the Maya and other ordinary people. However, because the Church had provided political support for the ousted dictator Porfirio Diaz, General Alvarado ordered the sacking of the Catedral. He even went so far as to use it as a stable for his horses. In 1924, he was murdered in Chiapas, possibly in retaliation for his social reforms. Since that period was the prelude to the Cristero War between the revolutionary government and Catholic fanatics, it could also be that Alvarado was an early victim of that conflict.

Intriguing statue in a wooden retablo. A retablo is a large wooden structure, often found behind altars or at the back of side-chapels. The wood is often carved and gilded, and there are niches for religious paintings and sculptures as you can see above. This particular niche contains a tableau I found unusual. Christ hangs from a cross which is gently supported by much larger figure who appears to represent God. I have seen many statues, paintings, and other representations of saints, the Virgin, and Jesus Christ in Mexican churches. However, God, seems to be a very remote figure in Mexican Catholicism, and I can't recall ever seeing another painting or statue of him. The saints, the various Virgins, and Christ are felt to be intermediaries to whom one can appeal for intercession with God. Rarely does God appear directly, as in the statue above.

Offerings of thanks drape a saint. This is one of the more charming practices that I have encountered in various Catholic churches in Mexico and Guatemala. The faithful pray to a saint for help in a personal matter. If the prayer is answered, a ribbon is marked with some brief statement of thanks for the favor granted. The ribbon is then left draped over the saint's arms, or around his neck. I have seen similar offerings draped around a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a tiny niche deep in the mountains overlooking Ajijic. In Santiago, Guatemala, people who have safely returned from the US leave expensive designer scarves around the necks of statues of their saints.


Anteneo Peninsular

The Museum of Contemporary Art glows under floodlights. The museum is sometimes called "Macay" for short. Like many colonial religious buildings in Mexico, this one experienced a turbulent history and has been used for a variety of purposes. Construction began in 1573 under Bishop Diego de Landa, mentioned earlier in this posting. The building process lasted  into the period of Bishop Gonzalo de Salazar (1608-1663). The building functioned as the Bishop's residence and administrative center for the next 250 years. The Macay sits adjacent to the Catedral on the south side, filling up the rest of the block. Retail stores occupy most of the ground floor. Beyond its construction dates, little is known of the early history of this structure, because the records were lost during a violent episode in 1705. Alonso Valverde was the Franciscan head of the Convent of San Francisco. He apparently displeased Bishop Pedro de los Rios de la Madrid, who imprisoned him in this palace. In the attempt to rescue Valverde, his supporters destroyed the early records. In the 1850s, the palace was deemed to be State property under the Reform Laws of Benito Juarez. However, not much actually changed and the Bishop continued to reside in palace into the 20th Century. Then, in 1915, General Salvador Alvarado arrived.

Ateneo Peninsular is the name on a crest adorning the top of the building. General Alvarado promptly evicted the Bishop and quartered his troops in the palace for several weeks. In June of 1915, the military formally took possession and began renovations that led to the building's present appearance. The name Ateneo Peninsular seems to have come from a literary society that used the building for a period after Alvarado's troops pulled out. At some point they installed the crest with their name. Then various state and federal agencies used some of the space for offices. In the 1930s, the military again took over the building as its headquarters for the area. By the 1980s, the Ateneo Peninsular was virtually abandoned. Finally, in the early 1990s, the Yucatan State government renovated the building yet again, and re-opened it 1994 as the Museum of Contemporary Art, or Macay.


La Casa de Montejo 

A home for conquerers. La Casa de Montejo (Montejo House) was built by Francisco de Montejo el Mozo in 1549, seven years after he completed the conquest of western Yucatan. There were actually three conquistadors named Francisco de Montejo: the father (el Adelanto), the son (el Mozo), and the nephew (el Sobrino). Together, they participated in the conquest of the Aztecs under Hernán Cortés. After that, el Adelanto won permission from King Carlos I of Spain to conquer Yucatan. He had previously participated in the unsuccessful Grijalva expedition to Yucatan in 1517, so he had some sense of the ferocity of the Maya. In 1527-28 he attempted to invade the Caribbean coast from the east, but was driven off. He then switched to a western approach from Tabasco, where his son el Moza played a key role in putting down resistance from 1528-31. From Tabasco, el Adelanto launched his assault on Yucatan in 1531. This new campaign lasted until el Adelanto was driven out in 1535. It turned out that the Maya were a very different kettle of fish than the Aztecs. Cortés conquered the Aztecs in a relatively short time by capturing their capital at Tenochtitlán and overthrowing Emperor Moctezuma. The Maya had never been part of a unified empire and were very decentralized. This required the Spanish to conquer them piecemeal, one small city at a time. It was brutal, bloody, and dangerous work in the heat and humidity of Yucatan. In the end, el Adelanto's troops deserted and he fell back to Tabasco in defeat.

Montejo family coat-of-arms decorates the facade over the main door. It fell to el Adelanto's son, el Mozo, to complete the conquest of Yucatan. He reinitiated the fight in 1537 and, in the process, founded the city of Campeche (capital of the modern State of Campeche) in 1540. Using Maya allies, he finally subdued western Yucantan in 1542, and established his capital in the ancient city of T'ho. El Mozo named it Mérida, after a city in Spain whose buildings were also of white limestone. Montejo laid out his new city with the Plaza Grande as the center. He assigned the whole south block of the plaza to himself so he could build the great house that we see today. Ultimately, Francisco de Montejo el Mozo moved to Guatemala where he died in 1565. However, descendants of the Montejo family lived in the house well into the 20th Century.

The Plateresque architectural style of Casa de Montejo is the finest in Mexico. The house built by el Mozo was constructed in the Plateresque style and is considered its most outstanding example not only in Mexico but in the Western Hemisphere. Plateresque developed in the 14th and 15th Centuries in Spain and is a mixture of Gothic, Moorish, and early Renaissance. In a following posting, I will show you details of the amazing facade of the Casa de Montejo, and we'll also take a peek inside. Today, the Casa is a museum housing a number of rooms filled with fine examples of 18th and 19th Century furnishings. Unfortunately, photographs of these rooms are not allowed, so my interior shots were limited.


Palacio Municipal

The Palacio Municipal sits in the middle of its block. You are viewing the Palacio Municipal from the southwest corner of the Plaza Grande, looking north up Calle 62. The Palacio is the red building with the clock tower. The yellow building in the foreground is another fine old colonial home that has been restored and filled with shops. There are many similar restorations in the Centro Historico, but much remains to be done.

The Palacio Municipal is a two story building lined with graceful portales on both floors. The site of the Palacio was originally occupied by one of the five pyramids of T'ho. The first Palacio was built between 1734-1736 during the period of Don Santiago Aguirre. Up until then, the Ayuntamiento (City Council) needed to meet in Aguirre's store next to the Palacio Gobierno (Govenor's Palace) on the north side of the plaza. Once their new building was complete, the councilors moved in and began conducting business, much of which seemed to involve Palacio renovations over the next couple of centuries. These included two renovations in the 19th Century and six in the 20th Century. The white building at the end of the block is the Centro Cultural Olimpo, which contains a theatre, a planetarium, and space for exhibits and conferences. Every Tuesday evening, Olimpo sponsors a free concert which includes traditional Mexican songs and dances. The gleaming white building was inaugurated in 1999.

The Palacio's clock tower lights up at dusk. Lacy palms of the Plaza Grande nicely frame the graceful old tower. The tower has quite a history in itself. The original clock tower was built in 1870-72. It was replaced by another, grander one in 1919. Less than ten years later, in 1928, the tower was replaced again, along with renovations to the facade of the building. These final changes give the Palacio the appearance it has today. Unfortunately, the clock no longer functions and its bells are silent.

North side of Plaza Grande

Calle 61 was pleasingly free of traffic on the Sunday I took this photo. Mérida is a very busy, fast-paced city and the streets are usually full of careening traffic. On Sundays, however, the city government shuts down several of the streets around the Plaza Grande so that strollers can enjoy street vendors, dance and musical performances, and the general relief from dodging cars and buses. The green building in the right foreground is the Palacio Gobierno, or Governor's Palace, the seat of the Yucatan State Government. In a following posting, we'll visit this Palacio to see the huge murals contained within its interior courtyard and salons. As you can probably tell from the blue skies and fluffy white clouds in many of these photos, the weather in January was gorgeous. I recommend visiting this time of year, as the summers can be oppressive.

More portales and second-story wrought-iron balconies. These portales are on Calle 61, just to the west of the Palacio Gobierno.There are tables under this walkway where you can order some of the excellent local coffee, or enjoy an ice cream, or even a full meal. Upstairs is a bar/restaurant where some of the tables sit on the little balconies overlooking the street. They provide an excellent vantage point to take in some of the action below. I took some of my photos of the Plaza Grande activities while sitting at one of these balcony tables. While I was at my balcony table, small children gathered on the sidewalk below and begged me to drop a peso or two so they could buy ice cream. I obliged, of course.

Bathed in the golden afternoon sunlight, horse-drawn carriages wait for customers. You are looking east on Calle 61, just across the street from the Palacio Gobierno. To the right, out of sight in the photo, is the Catedral de San Ildefonso. We tried a variety of ways to see the sights of Mérida. These included double-decker tour buses, taxis, walking, and riding one of these carriages. In a later posting, when we take a look at the grand avenue called Paseo de Montejo, we'll do it from the seat of a  carriage. As you will see, the carriage ride was a tour not for the faint of heart.

Mérida attracts tourists from all over the world. These two young women appear to be from the Middle East. I saw them several times around town and they seemed to be with a group of young Europeans students, perhaps from one of the universities frequented by the children of well-to-do Middle Eastern families. The number and variety of foreign tourists was striking. A great many of them, especially at our hotel, were from European countries like Germany, France, Spain, and Belgium.

Keeping a watchful eye. These cops seem ready for anything. They wear body armor, and the beefy guy on the left is fondling an Uzi submachine gun as he talks on his radio. There was a pretty substantial police presence in Mérida, although not all of them were as combat-ready as these appear to be. Actually, Yucatan is one of the safest areas of Mexico, with very little of the drug cartel violence seen in some other areas. These guys seem determined that it should remain that way.

This completes Part 1 of my Northwest Yucatan series. I hope you enjoyed it. I always enjoy comments and if you'd like to leave one, please do so in the Comments section below or email me directly. Also, feel free to send a link to my blog to family and friends if you'd like.

If you leave a question in the Comments section PLEASE leave your email so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim

The Masked Dancers of Tuxpan's Candelaria Fiesta

Chayacate dancers in front of Tuxpan's main church. For several years, Carole and I had been trying to get to Tuxpan's famed Candelaria Fiesta. The last time we tried, a deluge of rain nixed our plans.  I began to wonder whether we'd ever get to participate in this wildly colorful blend of Catholicism and indigenous religion. This year, el Dia de la Virgen de Candelaria (February 2) dawned bright and sunny. From our home in Ajijic on Lake Chapala's North Shore, Tuxpan is only a 2-hour (one way) drive. Two carloads of us set off on this easy day-trip. The small, attractive town of 33,000 is worth a visit even without the fiesta. We took Highway 54 down the long valley that stretches south from Guadalajara to Colima. The almost arrow-straight road passes some large, shallow lakes with high mountains rising dramatically on either side. Tuxpan is situated about 16 kilometers (10 mi.) south of Ciudad Guzman. There is only one turnoff to Tuxpan after Ciudad Guzman on this long straight stretch. If you reach the place where the road begins to wind through the canyon country, you have gone too far. Tuxpan is about 4.8 kilometers (3 mi.) east of Highway 54. At the intersection with the main street leading down into town you will find a large statue of a costumed indigenous dancer. A right turn here takes you almost directly to the church plaza. When you get to a cross-street called Juarez, the plaza is only about 1 block to your left. For a Google map showing the area, click here.


The meaning of Candelaria

Mid-day sun frames a steeple of Tuxpan's church. The brilliant sunshine and deep blue skies promised a successful fiesta, although I wondered if the high contrast would give my photos a "washed out" look. It was tricky, but the miracle of digital photography allows adjustments that cover a multitude of sins. Also it helps if you take more than 2000 photos, as I did. Even a blind pig can find an acorn if he roots around long enough. Prior to setting off, I had done a bit of research about Tuxpan and its Candelaria celebration. For much of this, I am indebted to Judy King who edits the "Mexico Insights, Living at Lake Chapala" website (see "Other sites to visit" on the right column of this page). The choice of February 2 for the fiesta grows out of the biblical Jewish tradition that a woman is considered "unclean" for 40 days after she gives birth. After that time, a new mother could present her baby at the Temple. Since the traditional date of Jesus' birth is December 25, the 40 days would expire February 2. In 540 AD, early Christians began to celebrate this as a special day.

All around us, women moved toward the church carrying beautifully dressed dolls. Many of the dolls wore elaborate costumes like the one we found above, just outside the church's main door. The little figures represent the Baby Jesus or el Niño Dios (the Child God). Some of the dolls were female, but this didn't seem to matter and they were all taken into the church to be blessed during the mass. We were even more fascinated by this old tradition when we learned that prehispanic people believed in a child god called Pilzintecuhtli. The Spanish were always alert for ways to coopt indigenous people into Catholicism, so they simply incorporated Pilzintechutli into the Candelaria tradition. The little figures play a role throughout the Christmas season. They occupy the manger in household nativity scenes before getting blessed at the church on Candelaria. Niños Dioses are often handed down from generation to generation and some are quite old.

View from the church door toward the plaza and Sierra del Tigre. In the foreground, Carole (left) chats with Jerry and Hal, two Americans who recently came to live full-time in Mexico. I invited them along because of their interest in Mexico's indigenous cultures. Additionally, Jerry is an accomplished photographer. Above, they are silhouetted against the broad plaza on which much of the dancing will later take place. In the middle of the plaza stands a tall, stone cross from Jalisco's earliest days. Behind the cross, the mountains of the Sierra del Tigre rise. Archaeologists believe that the area around Tuxpan was initially settled by the Toltecs in 642 AD. The town lies near a pre-hispanic trade route (now Highway 110) that passes through these southern Jalisco mountains, connecting Michoacan with Colima. This strategic route became the scene of many conflicts over the centuries. At one point in the late 15th Century, the Tarascan Empire (modern Michoacan State) sent an army through here in an attempt to seize the valuable salt beds along the edges of the shallow lakes we passed on the way down. The Teco Kingdom of nearby Colima resisted fiercely in what became known as the Guerra de Salitre (Salt War). The Tecos managed to oust the Tarascans after a long struggle which lasted until only a few years before the Spanish arrived. After his victory over the Aztecs in 1521, Hernán Cortés sent out armed parties in every direction to explore his new domain. Francisco Cortés, Hernán's nephew, led the conquistadors who passed through the Tuxpan area in 1529. In 1536, Franciscan friars founded the village of Tuxpan which, in the native Nahuatl language, means "place where the rabbits live." Armies passed and battles were fought along the Sierra del Tigre route during the War of Independence (1810-21), the French invasion and occupation (1862-67), and the Revolution (1910-20).

At the base of the plaza's stone cross I discovered this carved skull and bone. I was mystified by the ominous carving and could find no explanation for it. The octagonal cross itself is reputed to be the oldest colonial monument in Jalisco State. Candelaria, sometimes known as Candlemas, also has pre-Christian roots from the Old World. The reference to candles relates to a pagan festival celebrating the mid-point of the winter season. Since February 2 is normally cold and gloomy in Europe, people celebrated by lighting up their homes with candles. The Church cleverly turned this pagan celebration to its own advantage by linking it to the legend of Simon, a holy man at the Temple when Mary first brought in her new baby. Simon prophesied that the newborn would "bring a light to all the nations." The Church declared to Europe's pagans that candles represented this light, and began holding a special service to bless them on February 2. This special Mass was called Candlemas or Candelaria.


The Prelude

Local craftsman fashions a mask. Mexico has a tradition of mask making that stretches back thousands of years. All through the fiesta dances, this craftsman worked quietly and steadily on his creation. Attached to the face of the clay mask is an impressive rack of antlers. While these appear to be clay, I saw many dancers wearing the real thing. Local residents take great pains in assembling their costumes and practicing their dance routines. I was pleased that the whole affair seemed to be by, for, and about the local people. Even including our party, there were only a handful of tourists in evidence, foreign or Mexican. Many of the indigenous dances I have witnessed around Mexico seem to have evolved into a show aimed at entertaining tourists. While they are interesting and colorful, these dances sometimes feel a bit detached from their original purpose and meaning. Not so at Tuxpan, at least up to this point. Each of Tuxpan's several barrios (neighborhoods) hosts its own troupe, made up of local people of all ages. The various troupes create colorful costumes, unique to that neighborhood.

A dancer adjusts his peacock-feather head dress. This dancer wears a red tunic that reaches his knees, and red stockings. Long bangs of artificial hair extend down from the front part of his head dress, obscuring his face. Peacocks were unknown in pre-hispanic Mexico, so ancient dancers would have used feathers from the tail of the quetzal bird. By about 10:30 AM, dance troupes had begun assembling in their neighborhoods. Above, a scattering of dancers had arrived at the church's plaza and were adjusting their costumes. The troupes arrived one group at a time and danced their way into the plaza, a process lasting a couple of hours.

Taking in the view. The dancer with the bangs finally lifted them up for a a better view of the scene. Tuxpan has earned the nickname "pueblo of the eternal fiesta" because of the 50 (count 'em, 50!) fiestas held here every year. Mexicans are seriously into partying, but these people take it to a whole new level. Everyone was cheerful and upbeat and many people smiled at us as we wandered about, gawking and taking photos.

The kids couldn't resist my camera. As soon as they saw me shooting, they began waving and engaging in other antics. I finally called a group together and got them settled down enough to take their photo, making them the envy of their friends in the area. Everywhere we turned, we were greeted with warm hospitality. Quite a number of people spoke at least some English and many asked if they could explain what the fiesta was about, or otherwise assist us. We were amused to find that some had lived in the US, often quite near our former homes in Los Angeles and Oregon. We have experienced the same open friendliness in many of Mexico's small towns and rural areas. Previous to our arrival in Mexico, we had lived in several big cities in the US and this left us a legacy of what Carole likes to call "psychic body armor". This involves an automatic suspicion toward friendly strangers, and the immediate thought of "what do they want?" It is an unfortunate aspect of modern life, based on a real need to watch one's back in urban areas. In all my encounters with Mexico's rural people, I have always been greeted with a warmth and concern for my well-being that always felt genuine. The people of Tuxpan were no exception to this. They are proud of their town's traditions and eager that others should understand them.


Los Sonajeros, the dance of the warriors

A Güegüe leads los Sonajeros as they march into the plaza. The horned monster with the foaming mouth is called a Güegüe (pronounced gway-gway). These are beings who drive away evil spirits and are usually armed with a whip for that purpose. Behind the Güegüe, massed Sonajeros march, each holding a long wooden rattle that sounds like a tamboreen. There are two kinds of dancers in the Candelaria event, los Sonajeros and los Chayatcaes. The Sonajeros'  (rattle dancers) tradition is by far the oldest, harking back to the prehispanic warriors who used to march into battle carrying a fearsome weapon called a macuahuitl (hungry wood). These were wooden swords with razor-sharp obsidian blades fitted along the side. The rattles the Sonajeros carry look quite similar to macuahuitls both in size and shape. Their costume consists of white cotton shirts and pants, a red belt, a colorful scarf, and an extraordinary vest made of rows of looped, multi-colored ribbons. The vest may represent the quilted armor the prehispanic soldiers wore. Most of the Sonajeros also wore a white cowboy hat that probably came into fashion in the 20th Century.

Los Sonajeros whirled in twisting lines as they filled the plaza with color and sound. They were accompanied by a flute called a carrizo and a deer-hide drum. Their dance resembles a cross between country line dancing and military close-order drill. It requires great skill and obviously a lot of practice. Known as the Dance of the Warriors, it is performed in honor of Xipetotec, the god whom the Aztecs believed invented war. He was a life-death-and-rebirth deity, and therefore was connected to agriculture, vegetation, the seasons, disease, and--somewhat oddly--silver and goldsmiths. He is often depicted in the ancient codices carrying a bloody weapon and wearing a flayed human skin. As part of the ceremonies held to worship Xipetotec, captives were sacrificed by cutting their hearts out. Their skin was then removed, or flayed, and worn by priests or warriors. The person emerging from the dead, rotting skin represented life being reborn from death. Ancient life was not for the squeamish or faint of heart.

A Young Sonajero crouches and brandishes his noisemaker like an ancient macuahuitl. The wooden device is about 1 meter (3 ft.) long and contains from one to three slots along its length. In each slot are several thin, metal disks. The device has a handle on each end with which it can be held or shaken. When shaken, the clashing metal disks make a sound similar to a tamboreen. Masses of Sonajeros rhythmically shaking the instruments create an impressive din.

A young Sonajera shows off her rattle. People of all ages and both sexes participated in the dances. When I asked to take her photo, this young Sonajera rewarded me with lovely smile. Her rattle is appropriate to her size, and contains only a single slot for the clashing disks. As with most of the Sonajeros, her pants are beautifully embroidered around the ankles and she wears sandals on her feet. The large statue at the edge of town that you pass when entering Tuxpan shows a dancing Sonajero.

Los Chayacates, the horned dancers

A Chayacate with a full rack of horns towers over the crowd. Cayacates have a somewhat more recent pedigree than Sonajeros. I found two completely different explanations for the Chayacate dance and I can't verify which is true, so I'll give both. Although each neighborhood that fields a Chayacate troupe produces its own unique costume, there are some similar features among troupes. One of these is a white-faced mask with a dark beard. Since indigenous people at the time of the Conquest were dark skinned and had little or no facial hair, the masks appear to represent Spanish faces. According to one account, the Chayacate dance was a way that indigenous people could safely ridicule their oppressors. The horns represent evil, and the whips some dancers carry represent the cruelty of the Spaniards. At the same time, the agility and grace of the dancers themselves represents the ancient indigenous warriors.

The Chayacates produced their own music with their own kind of instruments. Most of them carried a rattle called a cirian made from a gourd filled with seeds and attached to a short wooden handle. In addition, many troupes were accompanied by a violinist. The violin is an instrument introduced by the Spanish, and was unknown in Mesoamerica prior to the Conquest. The alternate version of the Chaytacate dance story begins in 1774. At that time a virulent plague of smallpox devastated Tuxpan and the surrounding communities. The people appealed to San Sebastian for deliverance, since he is the patron saint of health. The appeal apparently succeeded, according to this version of the story, because the grateful people organized the Chayacate dance to honor him for his help.

Some Chayacates wore long blonde "hair" with their Spanish-featured masks and antlers. The Nahuatl word Chayácatl means "man wearing a mask."  It was a warm day and I imagine that the vigorous dance activity raised quite a sweat under all those clothes and heavy masks. Some dancers even wore gloves.

A young boy peeks from under his mask as the festivities gain momentum. Apparently, in the early days, all the Chayacates were children. If one believes the first version of the story, this may have been to protect the dancers from retribution should the Spaniards figure out they were being ridiculed. As the dance became a long-standing tradition, grown men and women began to participate as dancers.

A Chayacate with hair made of maguey fibres. This one also sports a truly impressive set of antlers. Which version of Tuxpan's story is true? I can't say for sure, but I tend to favor the ridicule version. It is not uncommon for people to find ways to make fun of their oppressors, if they can do it covertly. Certainly any overt show of disrespect would have resulted in savage Spanish reprisals. Also, there exists another famous indigenous Mexican dance called the "Dance of the Old Men." That dance mocks the feebleness of Spaniards who did no work because of the ready availability of indigenous slave labor. In the Dance of the Old Men, the performers also wear white faced masks and blonde wigs. The epidemic version may have been a clever story created to cover the real intent.

Dancers came in all sizes. By early afternoon, the crowd was packed around the dance area and performers ranging from niños to abuelos (kids to grandparents) filled the air with the sound of their rattles, vioins, flutes, and tamboreen sticks. By now, all the troupes had arrived and the dancing was building to a frenzy.

Chayacates began to file into the church to be blessed. The long blonde hair worn by these dancers was made from maguey fibres. The maguey plant is a relative of the agave from which tequila is made. Maguey fibre was used by ancient indigenous people for a variety of purposes including ropes and sandals. Also, apparently, they used it to create mocking wigs.


The great parade

A huge parade began, with many of the audience participating. After all the dance troupes had arrived, performed, and been blessed, everyone prepared for the big parade through town. Quite a number of statues and other sacred objects were brought out to be carried by the faithful. Above, several versions of the Virgin Mary are carried on palanquins. Each statue is dressed in a different color and at least one is adorned with bouquets of flowers. To get a better view, I had climbed up on the wall surrounding the octagonal stone cross in the middle of the plaza. While I was able to shoot over the heads of most of the participants, it was a fairly wobbly position. I had some concern about providing unintended free entertainment to the crowd by tumbling over backwards.

San Sebastian was martyred by being shot full of arrows. Sebastian was a very early Christian martyr, who died in 268 AD during the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian. He had been a captain in the Praetorian Guard, the emperor's elite troops. Somehow he became a Christian and promptly began converting prominent Romans, at least one of whom, according to legend, was cured of muteness as a result. The emperor got wind of this treachery and ordered Sebastian to be tied to a stake (or possibly a tree) and shot with arrows. The widow of one of his martyred convertees went to retrieve Sebastian's body and discovered he wasn't dead. She nursed him back to health, after which he is said to have cured a blind girl in the household. Then, apparently determined to have a successful martyrdom, he stood up during a procession while Diocletian passed by and denounced the emperor publicly. His comments were not well received. Diocletian made sure of the job this time by having him beaten to death and his body thrown into a privy. San Sebastian is thus famed for being the only saint to have been martyred twice. The people of Tuxpan probably appealed to San Sebastian in 1774 (if that version is true) because he was said to be a defense against the plague. In the Dark Ages, a plague ravaged the barbarian (but partially Christianized) Lombards. The story goes that they erected an altar in honor of San Sebastian and brought the plague to a halt. According the Tuxpan story, he was successful there too, and now is paraded through the streets during every Candelaria fiesta.

A big smile from a little girl. She was my seat mate on the wall by the cross and was very curious about my photography. I asked her for a photo and she obliged, nearly blinding me with her radiant smile. Kids are great! At the end of the big parade, all the troupes and their supporting neighbors returned to their barrios for food, drink, and more partying. While we understood that everyone would be welcome to visit any and all of these parties (and food and drink would be free to all), the day was getting on and we had a long drive back. Before we left, however, I noted that the Hotel Plaza Juarez is right down the street from the church plaza. It appears to be an excellent and quite inexpensive place to stay, should we decide on an overnight visit in the future.

This completes my posting on the masked dancers of Tuxpan. I encourage you to visit during Candelaria, or at any other time if you are in the area. Who knows how much longer this wonderful fiesta will remain unspoiled by the temptations of the tourist dollar. If you would like to leave a comment, please do so in the Comments section below. In addition, if you would like to forward a link to my blog to friends or relatives, help yourself. The more the merrier!

If you leave a question in the Comments section, PLEASE leave your email so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim

Etzatlán Adventure Part 7: Archaeologists unearth the mysterious ruins at Palacio de Ocomo

Palacio de Ocomo is another of Western Mexico's unique archaeological sites. Above, you can see three successive layers to the walls, the most recent running along the bottom. This wall is a staggering 125 meters (410 ft.) long, and the other 3 sides are of equal length. Arguably, Palacio de Ocomo is the largest palace of its kind in all of Mesoamerica. There are some claims that the palace of Moctezuma at Tenochtitlán was larger, but since much of that structure is buried under modern Mexico City, this cannot be verified. Archaeologists used to consider Western Mexico a backwater lacking in sites worth investigation. However, the Etzatlán area possesses three kinds of archaeological remains that are unique to Mesoamerica: the Shaft Tombs (Part 5 of this series), the circular pyramids and huge ball court at the Guachimontanes (Part 6), and the vast Palacio de Ocomo. In my research on Etzatlán, I had read about archaeological projects under way in the area. Accordingly, I emailed the local Oficina Turistica to arrange a visit for my party during our two-day adventure. The tourist office provided a guide to Palacio de Ocomo and persuaded the chief archaeologist to give us a tour. The Palacio is located in the the pueblo of Oconahua, about 10.6 kilometers (6.6 mi.) west of Etzatlán, to the the south of Highway 4. For a Google map showing Etzatlán and Oconahua, click here.

Our group got an excellent tour from the young archaeologist in charge. Sean Monte Marquez Smith (far right) obligingly walked us through the entire site. It was well he did. Although American archaeolgists Phil Weigand and his wife Acelia first alerted the scientific world about Palacio de Ocomo in 1958, it was not until 2007 that any significant work began. At present, the only part of the site that has been substantially restored is the long north wall, seen above in the background. Some exploratory holes have been dug, and workers have filled many sacks with pottery shards. Without a knowledgable guide such as Sean, it would have been difficult to appreciate the site's significance. The ancient city covered 500-600 hectares (1235-1452 acres) on a rolling plateau at the base of steep mountains. The Palacio was a huge complex with in the city, encompassing about 50,000 cubic meters (164,042 cubic ft.).

Part of the uncovered but, as yet, unrestored north wall. An uneducated eye would easily pass over something like this. In the late 1950s, local residents told Weigand about old ruins they called "Ocomo", and when he investigated he was intrigued by the site's unusual size. While farming their lands and building their houses, the locals had turned up many artifacts, including polychrome vessels and semi-precious turquoise jewelry. Tests showed that the turquoise originated in Cerrillos, New Mexico, near Santa Fe. This clearly indicates that the ancient people of Palacio Ocomo were involved the Mesoamerican trade network that extended all the way from the US Southwest to Honduras.

Sean explains how a dig proceeds. Sean is an engaging and highly intelligent young man whose work is sponsored by a university in Michoacan. His father is American and his mother is Mexican, so he speaks both languages well. Archaeology is a science that requires great patience and attention to detail. Workers sometimes use toothbrush-sized implements to painstakingly remove the earth from artifacts. Looters, by contrast, are only interested in what they can sell. Their crudely-used shovels and picks often destroy the most important aspects of a site. The items they recover lose much of their meaning when removed from the context. Fortunately, most of Palacio Ocomo is still buried, and its obscurity has left it largely unlooted. Local people were suspicious of the intentions of Weigand and other scientists at first, and it took almost 50 years for archaeologists to get permission to proceed.

The further west we moved along the wall, the more dilapidated it became. According to the local people, there used to be many stelae (upright blocks of carved stone) in the area. Some had carvings showing feathered head dresses. However, in 1890 a Franciscan priest appeared and denounced the stelae as works of the devil. He ordered that they be destroyed and the remains thrown in the local creek. Residents managed to keep some artifacts safe in their homes, but Weigand found fragments in the creek that verify the stories about the priest. The outside walls shown above had an adobe core faced with stone which may have been plastered or stuccoed. The sides of the walls facing the courtyard may have either been plastered or finished with cantera stone.

A sunken lane was built by farmers right through the main Palacio site. Some of the stones in the walls lining the road no doubt came from ancient structures just under the earth. So, what went on here? In ancient times a palace like this was called a tecpan. Similar--but smaller--palaces have been found in other areas of Mesoamerica. Moctezuma's tecpan was extensively described by Hernán Cortés in letters to the King of Spain. Because the overall outlines of Palacio de Ocomo so closely resemble these other tecpans, archaeologists speculate that the activities conducted at the Oconahua site would have been similar. Behind the thick stone walls was a large sunken courtyard. Around the courtyard would have been rooms for the ruler and his wives and children, as well as for the nobility and priestly class who administered the temporal and religious affairs of the kingdom. Historians, philosophers, and poets would also have used the maze of corridors and meeting rooms for their activities. The royal treasury would have been kept here, and other rooms would have contained weapons. Still other spaces would have been maintained for the various palace functionaries and for visitors.

A heap of loose stone covered by vegetation conceals more ruins. Sean confirmed that this was an unexcavated Palacio structure. When intact, structures like this would have been stuccoed and painted beautifully. Palacio Ocomo flourished between 500-1100 AD. At its peak, the Palacio and its environs may have contained as many as 8,000 people. The present population of Oconahua is 2000. The civilization that built the Palacio and its surrounding city was probably the same one which caused the downfall of the Teuchitlán culture (see Part 6). Archaelogists note that construction suddenly stopped on circular structures like those of the Guachimontones. Thereafter, only squared structures like those found at and around Palacio Ocomo were built. The abruptness of the change suggests a conquest.

Below the north wall, a broad, flat plaza stretches out, bounded by a stone wall. The wall was probably built by post-Conquest farmers and contains many stones from the ancient ruins. Beyond the stone wall is the arroyo in which the stelae fragments were found. On the other side of the arroyo, rolling hills rise up. On these, the ancients built their homes and planted their fields. The archaeologists have been digging in four sites within about 300 meters (984 ft.) of the Palacio. At least one of the sites contains ancient homes around a sunken courtyard.

The foundations of an ancient pyramid lie underneath the church above. As was their usual practice, the Spanish dismantled the pyramid and used its stones to build the church. Other ancient buildings are not available for excavation because residents homes or small stores are built over them. Palacio Ocomo, on the other hand, is largely located on the pasture land you can see in the foreground. Notice how the spurs of the mountains in the background come down to the very edge of the town.

A burro grazes contentedly on pasture covering the south side of the Palacio. The wall in the background probably contains many stones retrieved from the ancient structure. The people who built the Palacio were fairly advanced for their time. They used the newly-introduced bow and arrow and worked with copper. They also seemed to have discovered how to work iron. In this they were more advanced than the later Aztecs who had no knowledge of iron at the time the Spanish arrived.

Sean showed us a broken piece of ancient pottery recovered from the site. There were several decorative styles but all of it was geometric in design. Numerous bags of potsherds were stacked inside the vacant house the archaeologists use as a workshop. On a rustic plywood table, he spread out a selection for us to examine.

Polychrome potsherds. It was not clear to me whether these pieces came from the same or several different pots. However, the design was attractive and the paint was still bright and colorful after 1000 years of burial. Plans for the Palacio Ocomo include planting a screen of trees around the site to maintain its sense of seclusion. There is also talk of changing the approach to the site to create a more dramatic entrance. While most of the Palacio is still underground, I still found it fascinating. As an active archaeological dig, new discoveries are turning up regularly. The archaeologists are using high technology such as ground penetrating radar to identify the places to dig, and have already detected a possible grave site.

This pet deer appeared to be the mascot of the site. Its tiny antlers indicate that the deer was apparently not much older than a fawn. The creature seemed a little anxious about the sudden flood of unfamiliar people as my 12-member party filed through. The mountains that rise immediately in back of Oconahua are no doubt thick with such deer.

Tot and horse commune on the doorstep of a local tienda. The little adobe store is located right across the street from the archaeologists' workshop. The photographer in me found the scene irresistible. Except for the Coca Cola sign and the electric meter, this had the appearance of something right out of the 19th Century. Much of rural Mexico has that antique feel.

This completes Part 7 of my Etzatlán Adventure series, and brings the series itself to an end. I hope I have given you incentives to visit Etztatlán. As I said in Part 1, the town of Etzatlán, and the area around it, are a largely undiscovered jewel full of things to do and see. I would advise contacting the Oficina Turistico (turismo_etzatlan@hotmail.com) beforehand or when you arrive so that you can arrange for a guide. However, the directions and maps I have provided should allow you to see things on your own, if you so choose. I always appreciate feedback from my blog viewers. If you would like to do so, please use the Comments section below, or email me directly.

If you leave a question in the Comments section, PLEASE leave your email address so I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim