On Saturday we went to La Feria del Caballo in Texcoco, a town not far away from San Juan. David Chico's esposa, Terre, had told us that this festival was much more grand than La Feria Obsidiana, and she was right. When we arrived and parked it was already clear. They have a Plaza del Toros that is permanent and about three times the size of the temporary one put up in San Juan. The scale of events and food and curios put San Juan's tiny festival to shame, although we still enjoyed it very much. In the picture are Dan with David Chico and Augustine Chico's families, clockwise from left to right: David Chicitito (as Dan calls him), Augustine's wife Alicia, David Chico, Dan, Augustine holding his son, Augustine Chicitito, Terre, and daughter Brenda.
One of the things we got to see at La Feria del Caballos was the ceremony of Los Voladores (The Flyers) de Papantla, which is in the state of Vera Cruz. These men in traditional outfits of the Totonac Tribe of Papantla, climb this pole and strap into these harneses and then slowly unwind from their feet until they flipover just before hitting the ground and land in a jog on their feet.
Charlie says this is a religious ceremony of the Totonac Tribe. Many years ago, the Spanish tried to get rid of all native religious worship, including the ceremony of Los Voladores. Fortunately, many tribes were resistant and practiced these rituals clandestinely, which is why they can still be seen today. It is pretty amazing to watch. The Flyers look absolutely relaxed as they slowly plummet and then land effortlessly.
Charlie also says that "The Hippies" were amazed by this and decided to try it themselves, but after several broken necks, they moved on to try bungees instead. I believe him about the first part, but I am reluctant to take his word on the Hippies.
No comments:
Post a Comment