Many of our village traditions here in Santa Elena, from dances to religious processions and foods, have changed little since the time when
John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood stayed here in 1839. I shall tell you briefly about one in particular that happens every year in
January. Beginning at the beginning.
San Mateo is the Patron Saint of our village along with Santo Cristo de Amor. However, San Mateo is more fun. People believe that the
statue of him came from the well in the village square. This is not actually a well, but a tunnel-like entrance down which you descend. The
people say the tunnel went all the way to Mani, about 40 kilometers away, and that the Maya used it to escape the Spaniards during the Caste
War. Perhaps this was so, but the entrance is blocked now, and one cannot enter. Regardless, we have our San Mateo, and being our
village patron saint we honor him in January with a two week blow-out celebration. Small tinny parades made up of just 4 or 5 instruments
break the dawn playing "Cielito Lindo", while sky rockets send you flying out of bed. They want to make sure they have your attention, and it
works. The band is accompanying the Saint to the house that will be hosting it for the next 2 days. The participants are members of a religious
group, chosen long ago to host it each particular year. It is a three day cycle, moving from house to house, involving traditional foods, day
and night, religious processions of the Saint from the church through the streets to the host family, the "Dance of the Turkey" and a
procession called the K'oche.
The Dance of the Turkey, and another dance called the "Dance of the Pig's Head," are all performed by girls from the village, each dressed in
their finest embroidered traditional formal gown called a "terno", along with various participating men, and using ribbons and streamers woven
into intricate patterns at various stops. The dance and procession proceeds through the village from one chosen host house to the next. This
is done only once during the two week period, the last Saturday in the month, such is its involvement.
The K'oche, however, is performed several times. You listen for the music and the voladores, (loud, exploding sky rockets), and you know it is
beginning in some part of the village. This is actually a transfer of goods, from one house to the next. Everything the families need to prepare
and serve the traditional foods being made and offered in honor of San Mateo, from cookware to serving utensils, cups, plates, bowls, to the
table to prepare and serve it on. It would all be too much for one family to buy, own, and store, so this is a joint effort and it is taken from
family to family - complete with inventory list! This could be done quietly and with no fanfare, but what would be the fun in that? So somehow
this could-have-been tedious event, has been made into an amazing procession.
This typically happens in the late afternoon, but it can vary widely, and certainly has no set date. You just need to be in the village in late
January. Should you be so lucky, you will also have sneezing fits and watering eyes, as clouds of invisible "chili dust" float through the air:
burned chili paste being the key ingredient for the "chili relleno negro", prepared and served every day using turkeys and pork. All those
turkeys you saw in November and December will now be gone at the end of January, offered up to the Saints. Chilies will raise to a ridiculous
price, and heaven only knows what would happen if there was a crop failure!
In the actual K'oche procession, the girls from the receiving houses are transported through the streets on a table-like platform, dressed to the
9's in traditional gowns. They are supported on the shoulders of several hefty young men, and proceeded by the loudly playing, off tune
band. It is definitely a hilarious affair.
The whole point of this is to give thanks for past harvests, and pray for the future ones, as well as the safety of the family. There is an actual
"rosario", special prayers that are performed in the church by elder women who know how such things are to be done. These prayer sessions
are done before the Saint is taken out of the church in the evening in a long candle lit affair, through the streets to the current host family.
Meanwhile another "celebration" is being prepared at the base of the church hill, a "toro". No one really knows where this came from. It
involves making a wood slat and paper mache structure, vaguely resembling a bull, and covering it with jillions of firecrackers. Then you
convince some young village man to get inside, and DANCE, while all the firecrackers are lit and going off! And dance he does, spinning wildly
through the crowd, charging around the plaza, as firecrackers spiral out of control through the people, rockets and voladores bursting
overhead, and the crowd loves it. Kids shrieking, old ladies covering their heads with their rebozos, men setting off the rockets from the
church hill top, it is a sight to behold. If the family receiving the Saint has money that year, there may be 4 or 5 such bulls. There are
never a lack of contestants to "dance" inside one of these crazy bulls.
All this is being carried out for the Saints to see and enjoy. Both Mateo and Santo Cristo de Amor are carried out of the church to watch.
They say the voladores are to make sure they have their attention. I say they know what's coming and go to Miami for a week of peace and
quiet!
Dancing bulls can be seen at 4 different times from December to January. They are new "bulls" each time, as the old one, is, um, rather
SCORCHED after the performance! If you happen to be here on the evenings of December 7th, 11th, or 24th, you have good chances of
seeing men dancing in the firecracker-covered paper mache bulls. They are prepared by individual families for celebrations in honor of the
Virgin Concepcion on December 8th, Guadalupe (Patron Saint of all Mexico) on December 12th, and the Baby Jesus Christ on December
25th. The dancing bulls, complete with fire rockets and candle lit processions from the church, are used during the celebrations that take
place on the evenings before each date. It is common for anyone so lucky as to be born on any of those dates, to be so named. Anyone born
on the 8th will be called Concepcion, male or female. There are men with the name of Guadalupe also. A different way to celebrate Christmas
and begin the holidays.
And Stephens and Catherwood saw it all, over 165 years ago.....
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood stayed here in 1839. I shall tell you briefly about one in particular that happens every year in
January. Beginning at the beginning.
San Mateo is the Patron Saint of our village along with Santo Cristo de Amor. However, San Mateo is more fun. People believe that the
statue of him came from the well in the village square. This is not actually a well, but a tunnel-like entrance down which you descend. The
people say the tunnel went all the way to Mani, about 40 kilometers away, and that the Maya used it to escape the Spaniards during the Caste
War. Perhaps this was so, but the entrance is blocked now, and one cannot enter. Regardless, we have our San Mateo, and being our
village patron saint we honor him in January with a two week blow-out celebration. Small tinny parades made up of just 4 or 5 instruments
break the dawn playing "Cielito Lindo", while sky rockets send you flying out of bed. They want to make sure they have your attention, and it
works. The band is accompanying the Saint to the house that will be hosting it for the next 2 days. The participants are members of a religious
group, chosen long ago to host it each particular year. It is a three day cycle, moving from house to house, involving traditional foods, day
and night, religious processions of the Saint from the church through the streets to the host family, the "Dance of the Turkey" and a
procession called the K'oche.
The Dance of the Turkey, and another dance called the "Dance of the Pig's Head," are all performed by girls from the village, each dressed in
their finest embroidered traditional formal gown called a "terno", along with various participating men, and using ribbons and streamers woven
into intricate patterns at various stops. The dance and procession proceeds through the village from one chosen host house to the next. This
is done only once during the two week period, the last Saturday in the month, such is its involvement.
The K'oche, however, is performed several times. You listen for the music and the voladores, (loud, exploding sky rockets), and you know it is
beginning in some part of the village. This is actually a transfer of goods, from one house to the next. Everything the families need to prepare
and serve the traditional foods being made and offered in honor of San Mateo, from cookware to serving utensils, cups, plates, bowls, to the
table to prepare and serve it on. It would all be too much for one family to buy, own, and store, so this is a joint effort and it is taken from
family to family - complete with inventory list! This could be done quietly and with no fanfare, but what would be the fun in that? So somehow
this could-have-been tedious event, has been made into an amazing procession.
This typically happens in the late afternoon, but it can vary widely, and certainly has no set date. You just need to be in the village in late
January. Should you be so lucky, you will also have sneezing fits and watering eyes, as clouds of invisible "chili dust" float through the air:
burned chili paste being the key ingredient for the "chili relleno negro", prepared and served every day using turkeys and pork. All those
turkeys you saw in November and December will now be gone at the end of January, offered up to the Saints. Chilies will raise to a ridiculous
price, and heaven only knows what would happen if there was a crop failure!
In the actual K'oche procession, the girls from the receiving houses are transported through the streets on a table-like platform, dressed to the
9's in traditional gowns. They are supported on the shoulders of several hefty young men, and proceeded by the loudly playing, off tune
band. It is definitely a hilarious affair.
The whole point of this is to give thanks for past harvests, and pray for the future ones, as well as the safety of the family. There is an actual
"rosario", special prayers that are performed in the church by elder women who know how such things are to be done. These prayer sessions
are done before the Saint is taken out of the church in the evening in a long candle lit affair, through the streets to the current host family.
Meanwhile another "celebration" is being prepared at the base of the church hill, a "toro". No one really knows where this came from. It
involves making a wood slat and paper mache structure, vaguely resembling a bull, and covering it with jillions of firecrackers. Then you
convince some young village man to get inside, and DANCE, while all the firecrackers are lit and going off! And dance he does, spinning wildly
through the crowd, charging around the plaza, as firecrackers spiral out of control through the people, rockets and voladores bursting
overhead, and the crowd loves it. Kids shrieking, old ladies covering their heads with their rebozos, men setting off the rockets from the
church hill top, it is a sight to behold. If the family receiving the Saint has money that year, there may be 4 or 5 such bulls. There are
never a lack of contestants to "dance" inside one of these crazy bulls.
All this is being carried out for the Saints to see and enjoy. Both Mateo and Santo Cristo de Amor are carried out of the church to watch.
They say the voladores are to make sure they have their attention. I say they know what's coming and go to Miami for a week of peace and
quiet!
Dancing bulls can be seen at 4 different times from December to January. They are new "bulls" each time, as the old one, is, um, rather
SCORCHED after the performance! If you happen to be here on the evenings of December 7th, 11th, or 24th, you have good chances of
seeing men dancing in the firecracker-covered paper mache bulls. They are prepared by individual families for celebrations in honor of the
Virgin Concepcion on December 8th, Guadalupe (Patron Saint of all Mexico) on December 12th, and the Baby Jesus Christ on December
25th. The dancing bulls, complete with fire rockets and candle lit processions from the church, are used during the celebrations that take
place on the evenings before each date. It is common for anyone so lucky as to be born on any of those dates, to be so named. Anyone born
on the 8th will be called Concepcion, male or female. There are men with the name of Guadalupe also. A different way to celebrate Christmas
and begin the holidays.
And Stephens and Catherwood saw it all, over 165 years ago.....
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
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| El K'oche, a Celebration in Honor of the Patron Saint of the Village of Santa Elena |
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| A Yucatan Bed & Breakfast Inn |
| The Flycatcher Inn |
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