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For as long as the teenagers in Tantoyuca, Veracruz can remember, there have been the
“cuadrillo” dances to prepare for in the long weeks leading up to “Dia de Los Muertos,” here
called “Xantolo,” the Nahuatl word for “Santos,” or holy.
This year was no exception: the town, built on a rippling series of hills reminiscent of a small
San Francisco, resounds after dark with the insistent sound of violins and the local
“huapanguera,” a small version of the guitar brought by the Spanish and incorporated, like so
many other “Todos Santos” customs, into a thoroughly Mexican tradition.
For almost all of these young people, these group dances are at once social and educational: it
is no accident that the organizers of the yearly “Taller de Mascaras,” a showcase of mask-
making, run the “Telebachillerato Tepatlan,” a pilot long-distance multi-media learning program
for secondary school students in the state.
Their stated goal is simple: “Al Rescate de Nuestras Tradiciones y Costumbres,” to save our
traditions and customs. The kids make wooden masks by hand, as in the past, and sew their
own elaborate costumes. The old dances are given pride of place – the “vaquero,” symbol of
community, the “mujer embarazada,” the woman pregnant with life, “el diablito,” the prankster,
and “la muerte,” the eternal unknown, continue to spar as they always have during the Day of the
Dead, with humor, and a zest for life.
Marcelo Rodriguez Ordaz is a full-time dance teacher in this city of 40,000, and it is clear from
the reaction to the band's desire to go home at 12:00 AM that his efforts, as are those of many
other proud citizens here, have been overwhelmingly successful. The young people just didn't
want to leave, and in fact, they chanted for more until a DJ helped them dance into the morning.
Altars for welcoming the souls of the dead have risen all over town before the two main
observances, for departed children on Saturday night, November 1st, and adults through the
following evening. The sweet smell of “cempasuchil,” the ubiquitous brilliant orange marigold,
is everywhere, as will be clouds of “copal” incense smoke from every home.
All over the Huasteca countryside, machetes are wielded to cut green branches for arches,
home-made kilns fire up colorful pottery to honor the dead, and the markets teem with shoppers
eager to outfit themselves and their homes with items clean and new.
And across this same rolling land, lush with palms and corn on green hillsides, there will be
dancing in the streets, and a carnival atmosphere, rather than graveside vigils, while families
also quietly make an essentially private ceremony at home, to tend to their memories, honor
their relatives, and take quiet pride in this new generation, proud to carry on Mexican tradition.
Jay Dunn
Veracruz, Mexico
“cuadrillo” dances to prepare for in the long weeks leading up to “Dia de Los Muertos,” here
called “Xantolo,” the Nahuatl word for “Santos,” or holy.
This year was no exception: the town, built on a rippling series of hills reminiscent of a small
San Francisco, resounds after dark with the insistent sound of violins and the local
“huapanguera,” a small version of the guitar brought by the Spanish and incorporated, like so
many other “Todos Santos” customs, into a thoroughly Mexican tradition.
For almost all of these young people, these group dances are at once social and educational: it
is no accident that the organizers of the yearly “Taller de Mascaras,” a showcase of mask-
making, run the “Telebachillerato Tepatlan,” a pilot long-distance multi-media learning program
for secondary school students in the state.
Their stated goal is simple: “Al Rescate de Nuestras Tradiciones y Costumbres,” to save our
traditions and customs. The kids make wooden masks by hand, as in the past, and sew their
own elaborate costumes. The old dances are given pride of place – the “vaquero,” symbol of
community, the “mujer embarazada,” the woman pregnant with life, “el diablito,” the prankster,
and “la muerte,” the eternal unknown, continue to spar as they always have during the Day of the
Dead, with humor, and a zest for life.
Marcelo Rodriguez Ordaz is a full-time dance teacher in this city of 40,000, and it is clear from
the reaction to the band's desire to go home at 12:00 AM that his efforts, as are those of many
other proud citizens here, have been overwhelmingly successful. The young people just didn't
want to leave, and in fact, they chanted for more until a DJ helped them dance into the morning.
Altars for welcoming the souls of the dead have risen all over town before the two main
observances, for departed children on Saturday night, November 1st, and adults through the
following evening. The sweet smell of “cempasuchil,” the ubiquitous brilliant orange marigold,
is everywhere, as will be clouds of “copal” incense smoke from every home.
All over the Huasteca countryside, machetes are wielded to cut green branches for arches,
home-made kilns fire up colorful pottery to honor the dead, and the markets teem with shoppers
eager to outfit themselves and their homes with items clean and new.
And across this same rolling land, lush with palms and corn on green hillsides, there will be
dancing in the streets, and a carnival atmosphere, rather than graveside vigils, while families
also quietly make an essentially private ceremony at home, to tend to their memories, honor
their relatives, and take quiet pride in this new generation, proud to carry on Mexican tradition.
Jay Dunn
Veracruz, Mexico
This double-page HOY
newspaper feature on the Day
of the Dead is an excellent
example of the kind of in-depth
cultural reporting that will
accompany any entry into our
festival calendar – personal,
engaging, and positive.
In addition to the most up-to-
date information possible
regarding observances, we will
include our best references to
local experts, helpful tips about
navigating the area, and
suggestions about unique
places to stay and experiences
not-to-be-missed.
We welcome traveler’s input on
these subjects – please contact
us with your observations,
recommendations, and
suggestions!
This material is copyrighted Jay Dunn 2012, as is all associated content on www.mexicoculturalcalendar.com |
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