Located about an hour and a half away from San Cristobal lies the pueblo of Aguacatenango, whose residents are indigenous Tzeltales. To get there, one first takes a collective taxi to Teopisca, then a combi from Teopisca to the road outside of Aguacatenango. Upon arriving outside the town, the traveler proceeds into town on foot. Last Thursday, January 6, the town held a festival for the Dia de los Reyes (the Christian holiday celebrating the day the wise men arrived at the stable housing the newborn baby Jesus). This festival also celebrated the changing of social positions/responsibilities, known as cargos.
Within the community, different persons are required to fulfill different roles throughout their lives. The roles vary – some are religious roles, some are social/legal roles.
Although the religion of Aguacatenango is technically Christian, it is Christianity couched in the terms of the locals. Thus, the town’s religious roles would probably be unrecognizable to Christians from other parts of the world. Religious roles vary, and include those of the mayordomos, who care for the saints housed within the church, two mayordomos per saint. The saints, who bear familiar Catholic names, are really a modern representation of deities that predated the arrival of Christianity to the region. This can be seen in the veneration of the cross. The townspeople of Aguacatenango view the cross as a deity unto itself. It is not merely a wooden representation of an idea – it is an actual deity, deserving of individual worship.
This particular festival marked the changing of certain social/legal roles. There are a variety of these “authority” roles, two of which include the President and the Judge. While one might think the President is the most important position, the President of Aguacatenango is actually a minor position. He is usually a young person, one who can read and write and can serve as a liaison with the technological and globalized world that lies outside the pueblo. The Judge, however, is one of the most highly respected individuals in the community. He, along with other village authorities, are required to be present every day of the year at a specific building between the hours of 3pm-5pm, for anyone who wishes to come and submit a complaint.
The cargos change early in the morning, inside of the town church. Afterward comes the fiesta, featuring the participation of the social/legal and religious authorities, as well as their spouses. After everyone files in to sit in their appropriate seats, a bowl of water is brought around for everyone to clean their teeth. The unsuspecting had best be aware of this ritual – this water is not meant to be swallowed. Rather, you are to take a swig of water, swish it around in your mouth, then spit it out off to the side. After you properly clean your teeth, you are brought a drink called atol, a thick, sweet, corn-based drink, accompanied by two tamales. After polishing off the food, you’re required to clean your teeth once more.
Then comes the alcohol. The village elders, authorities, and mayordomos bless the alcohol, a drink known as pox (pronounced "posh") that is a locally brewed moonshine. For those who elect not to drink, they bring a bottle with them into which they pour the shots of pox that they are served. For those not so fortunate as to have brought a bottle, the first shot is requisite, but the future shots thereafter can be declined. After several rounds of pox, the servers then bring around bottles of beer that have been properly blessed. As the rounds of drinks continue, music starts up, alternating between traditional flute and drum music and a hired band that plays banda.
Perhaps it is the alcohol, perhaps it is formidable loudspeakers booming banda – whatever the reason, the majority of those present participate at some point in the dancing. While men regularly dance with the women, it is common to see women dancing with women as well. Age also does not seem to be a barrier, as the old may dance with the young. Even the village elders on occasion participate, shuffling along to the rhythm set forth by the electric keyboard off to the side. The dance may be rather subdued in comparison to salsa or merengue, but that does not deter the villagers from bobbing and swaying for several hours into the late afternoon.
As the dancing wraps up, the officials close the fiesta with the appropriate rituals and recitations. The new authorities at this point have relocated to the designated building where they await complaints from the towns’ populace, and the rest of the fiesta-goers begin to disband.
Thus, the roles of Aguacatenango have changed for this year, and the new appointees have begun their new cargos for the community.
The research documenting these traditions is the work of Marie Chosson, French anthropologist, who has dedicated the better part of the last ten years learning about the society of Aguacatenango.
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