Some traditions disappear over the years, surviving as only the faintest memory in the mind of a village elder. Some traditions, however, survive the passage of time, sometimes even growing in size and strength. In Chiapa de Corzo (see Point A on map), a town located roughly 40 minutes outside of San Cristóbal de las Casas (see Point B on map), one such tradition comes to life every January.
From January 8 – 23 every year in Chiapa de Corzo, the town hosts the “Fiesta Grande de Enero” (the Grand Festival of January). This festival has attracted so much attention that one of the characters used in the festival, the parachico, was registered in November 2010 on the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.[1]
This festival honors the three patron saints of the town, Saint Anthony Abbot, Our Lord of Esquipulas, and Saint Sebastian,[2] in addition to the Spanish patroness, Doña Maria de Angulo. Legend has it that during the period of Spanish domination, a Spanish noblewoman of devout Christian faith came to Chiapa de Corzo.
This woman, Doña Maria de Angulo, had a son who was suffering from an unknown illness - thus, she was traveling in search of a cure. A Spaniard recommended that she take her son to a local shaman, who then subsequently ordered that she bring her son to the baths of Cumbujuyu, a region in Chiapa de Corzo. After bathing her son in these waters for nine days, her son regained his strength and was healed.[3]
This miracle occurred in a time of great famine in Chiapa de Corzo. Hence, out of gratitude, Doña Maria returned to the town accompanied by her servants, some which were called chuntáes (sometimes spelled chuntas), to provide food, money, and other gifts to the townspeople. She further offered her son as a sacrifice, baring his naked body to the sun after binding it to a pole and proceeding through the main streets of Chiapa de Corzo, praying to Heaven for mercy on the town.[4]
The festival also features the chuntáes, those who represent the servants of Doña Maria. Occasionally, the onlooker may see an actual woman dressed up as a chuntáe. But the majority of the time, these characters are men dressed as women. For this celebration, there is no shame for a man to dress as a woman – indeed, the more beautiful he appears, it seems the more admiring the reception. The chuntáes dress up in traditional dresses and dance in the streets to the bayashando, a traditional type of music involving the drum and reed flute. They carry baskets from which they throw candy and small denomination coins to the bystanders. Almost comically, the aim of these lovely ladies is a bit deadly, and sometimes results in the occasional bruised forehead for the unsuspecting crowd member.[5]
The other main figure is the parachico. These men from the town dress up in a wooden mask, designed to mimic the European features of the Spanish who arrived in the region centuries ago. This mask is hand-carved and worn under a cap made of ixtle (a pre-hispanic textile material), which is intended to mimic the blond hair of the Europeans. The parachico also wears a colorful cape called a chalina, adorned with bright ribbons over a black outfit. For six days, the parachicos run through the streets of Chiapa de Corzo with metal rattles called chinchines. The parachicos celebrate El Señor de Esquipulas on January 15, San Antonio Abad on January 17, and San Sebastián Mártir on January 20. On January 23, the last Mass of the festival is held, with the parachicos crying during the Mass since the celebrations are nearing a close.[6]
This past January 22nd marked the date of the grand parade that occurs toward the end of this festival. By 4pm, the main streets of Chiapa de Corzo were packed with townsfolk and the occasional tourist, wandering through the different booths vending items. Vendors sold all types of items: clothing, candy, preserved sweets, micheladas (a spicy beer mixture), jewelry, food of all types (ranging from corn dogs and pizza to tacos, churros, and garnachas), even fake eyelashes and mustaches for those desperately in need of facial adornment. The carnival rides ranged from the tame to the more high velocity. Also available was a mechanical bull that drew a fair number of spectators as the rider held on to the tune of different banda songs.
By 6pm, families occupied the plastic lawn chairs lining one of the main streets in town. People without a seat began to search for a vantage point from which to watch the parade – women with children were perhaps the worst, pushing the crowds with indefatigable determination.
The police band start off the parade, sounding trumpets and drums. While the trumpets were perhaps not precisely in unison, the clarion was nevertheless formidable. After the band marched forward, the main attractions of the parade began to file past, featuring the parachicos and the chuntáes.
Several representative parachicos danced by first, later followed by the entire crowd of dancing chuntáes. The deadly aim of the chuntáes as they pelted the crowd with candy created a bit of a stir, and the more extroverted chuntáes run up to bystanders encouraging photos. Shaking both shoulders and rattles, the chuntáes proceeded onward in the parade, twirling their skirts as they moved through the streets.
Following the procession of the chuntáes came the main throng of parachicos. Twirling around with arms outstretched, shaking their chinchines and chanting, the parachicos moved as one big mass between the crowds.
After the parachicos danced on down the street, the float carrying Doña Maria de Angulo rode by as she waved to the crowd. Other festive floats then followed hers, some bearing beauty queens, some with girls displaying garments they made themselves, some with seemingly little relation to the overall theme of the parade.
By 7.30pm all the floats made their way through the main streets, and the crowd began packing up. Some drifted off to the nearby food stands, others went off to the rides, while some families headed to wait in the hour-long line for the colectivos (collective transport) back to Tuxtla. For those in town, they had one more day to prepare for, that of the final Mass of the Fiesta Grande de Enero.
[1] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, “Parachicos in the Traditional January Feast of Chiapa de Corzo,” http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00399.
[2] Id.
[3] Fiesta Grande de Enero 2011, Informational Pamphlet from the government of Chiapa de Corzo, http://www.chiapas.gob.mx/media/feria-grande/folleto.pdf.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] UNESCO, http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00399.
This is an interesting and well-written blog.
ReplyDeleteBengoshi
Thanks so much for reading! Look for the next entry a bit later on this month.
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