Moctezuma | View From Casita Colibrí

Posts Tagged ‘Moctezuma’

Catching the wind

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Dance of the Feathers, dancers, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Grupo de Promesa de la Danza de la Pluma 2019-2021, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle on July 11, 2019| 5 Comments »

Yesterday, Teotitlán del Valle’s new Grupo de Promesa de la Danza de la Pluma 2019-2021 did battle, not only with Cortes, but also with the wind — which grabbed their penachos/coronas/headdresses like sails, challenging their balance, intricate footwork, and Busby Berkeley-like choreography.

Moctezuma holding on to his penacho/corona/headdress

Danzantes holding on to their penachos/coronas/headdress

Danzante appealing to the gods to stop the wind?

Throughout the day, wind continued to challenge the danzantes

Grasping their penachos/coronas/headdresses, Moctezuma, his warriors, and allied kings kept to their feet

The danzantes of Teotitlán del Valle didn’t miss a step at this most important festival day honoring the patron saint of their village, La Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Alas, the wind didn’t bring much needed rain to this agricultural community.

Stay tuned, the festivities continue for another three days.

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Cosijo & la Virgen María

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Doña Marina, Fiesta a la Natividad de la Virgen María, La Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Preciosa, Teotitlán del Valle on September 8, 2018| 6 Comments »

The very dry rainy season continues and is the major topic of conversation among anyone who has any connection to la tierra (the land). However, during today’s Fiesta a la Natividad de la Virgen María in Teotitlán del Valle, the Zapotec god Cosijo answered the prayers for rain.

The sky darkened over Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo

Moctezuma (Sergio Gutiérrez Bautista) danced the story of the Conquest.

Doña Marina (Elizabeth Hernández Gutiérrez) danced her part.

The rain began to seriously fall and the plastic penacho (headdress) covers came out in force, but the danzantes continued to dance.

Comida (lunch break) came just in time, the sun came out, and Malinche (Quetzali del Rayo Santiago Ruiz) graciously posed for photos.

And, Javier Gutiérrez Hernandez (dance master, choreographer, former danzante, and father of Moctezuma) posed with his son’s penacho.

A little means a lot, though probably not enough to salvage this season’s milpa (field of corn, beans, and squash). But, when your culture dates back at least 2,500 years, you take a long view of history.

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Going to Guelaguetza

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Doña Marina, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Guelaguetza, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle on July 9, 2018| 13 Comments »

Yippee!!! After an “exhaustive” (see news report) selection process that took the Comité de Autenticidad (Committee of Authenticity) to 89 communities throughout the state of Oaxaca, they announced the delegations that will be participating in this year’s Guelaguetza. And, drum roll please, one of the 56 delegations chosen will be Teotitlán del Valle’s Danza de La Pluma Promesa 2016-2018!

I’m so happy for the entire group, many whom I’ve come to know, but especially for Edgar Daniel Ruiz Ruiz (above in red shirt), one of the two dancers blogger buddy Chris and I are sponsoring. He missed out when the group performed at the Guelaguetza two years ago, as he was recovering from surgery and this is his last opportunity — their three-year “act of devotion” to dance for their community ends this year.

The group will be performing at La Guelaguetza on the morning of July 23. If you can’t be up on Cerro del Fortín, it is usually broadcast live on local TV and streamed on the internet. I’ll keep you posted!

The above photos of the Danza de la Pluma Promesa 2016-2018 are from the previously mentioned and recently concluded festival honoring La Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo — the most important annual festival in Teotitlán del Valle.

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Thanks Teotitlán, I needed that!

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, People, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged dance, dancers, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Doña Marina, Feather dance, Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Subalternos, Teotitlán del Valle on October 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, after missing the Fiesta de la Natividad because I was in the middle of my 6-week cross-country sojourn in el norte, I managed (courtesy of blogger buddy Chris and his trusty VW Jetta) to make it out to Teotitlán del Valle for the last day of the Fiesta de La Virgen del Rosario and performance of the Danza de la Pluma.

Sergio Gutiérrez Bautista (Moctezuma)

The dance is day-long and recreates the Spanish Conquest from the Zapotec point of view.

Quetzali del Rayo Santiago Ruiz (Malinche)

Elizabeth Hernández Gutiérrez (Doña Marina)

Miracle of miracles, the rain held off, the clouds parted, and the sun made a much welcome appearance.

Foreground: Marcos Vicente Gutiérrez (Capitán 1 ro.)

Foreground: Edgar Daniel Ruiz Ruiz (Vasallo 8vo.)

As we approached the atrium of the Templo Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, the father of one of the Danzantes explained a venue change — due to some (hopefully) minimal earthquake damage to one of the bell towers of the church, the Danza de la Pluma was moved next door to the plaza in front of the municipal building.

Juan Bautista Ruiz (Subalterno)

Florentino Martínez Ruiz (Subalterno) and Señor Inocencio

A heartfelt muchisimas gracias to the people of Teotitlán del Valle, many of whom I am so lucky and grateful to call friends. The warm welcome I received was such an incredible tonic to the grey days we have been experiencing in Oaxaca.

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Teotitlán on the big stage

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged dance, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Guelaguetza, Mexico, Moctezuma, music, Oaxaca, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle, video on July 27, 2016| 2 Comments »

As regular readers know, I have a huge soft spot in my heart for the people and cultural traditions of the Zapotec village, Teotitlán del Valle. Blogger buddy Chris and I go out there often, especially for their major festivals where the Danza de la Pluma is performed. Earlier this month, a new group of danzantes de promesa assumed the sacred 3-year commitment to perform the Danza de la Pluma and, for the first time in recent memory, they were selected to dance in this year’s official Guelaguetza. As you can see from the Vive Oaxaca video below, their 17-minute performance Monday evening was spectacular!

¡Felicidades! to the band, Los Reformistas, led by Maestro Antonio Servando Bautista González; to the breathtaking dancing of Sergio Gutiérrez Bautista (Moctezuma), who was front and center and flawless during the entire performance; and to all the Danzantes, who impressively executed the complicated and visually stunning choreography of Maestro Javier Gutiérrez Hernandez. While I may only be a (albeit, frequent) visitor to Teotitlán del Valle, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud of the dancers and the way they represented their strong, vibrant, and historic community.

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Dancers of promise

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, History, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged dancers, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Doña Marina, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Subalternos, Teotitlán del Valle on July 8, 2016| 3 Comments »

One of the much anticipated features of this year’s Fiesta Titlular a la Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo in Teotitlán del Valle was the debut of the new Grupo de Danza de Pluma Promesa.

Danzantes

Unlike in many of the other villages, where the Danza de la Pluma is danced by folkloric dance troupes, in Teotitlán del Valle nineteen young men and two little girls make a promise to their god and, thus, their community to learn and perform the dance at each of the four annual major religious festivals in the village for three years.

Moctezuma with Malinche and Doña Marina

Danzantes woven wool leggings

This is not a commitment to be taken lightly, as there are 40+ dances that comprise this Zapotec retelling of the story of Moctezuma and the Aztecs battle with Cortes and the Conquistadors. The entire telling of the story takes almost eight hours to perform in the church plaza — in conditions that can vary from brilliant sun with sweltering temperatures to gusty winds to drizzling rain.

Subalterno offering water

Subalterno imitating the danzantes

It’s been almost six months since we first saw the new group at one of their early practice sessions. In jeans, t-shirts, and gym shoes, the guys were at the beginning stages of learning the steps.

Moctezuma, a danzante, and Doña Marina

Moctezuma and the danzantes

They have learned well and it’s going to be an outstanding three years!

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Dancing the dance

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Ailani Ruíz Ruíz, dancers, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, Doña Marina, José Isaac Vasquez de Los Angeles, Juana Lizbeth Contreras Vicente, La Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Teotitlán del Valle on September 13, 2015| 4 Comments »

After being rained out on Sunday, we picked ourselves and our rain gear up and returned to Teotitlán del Valle on Monday for the abbreviated version (4 hours instead of 8 hours) of the Danza de la Pluma — more of the multi-day fiesta honoring La Santísima Virgen María de la Natividad (the Sainted Virgin Mary of the Nativity).

As I’ve previously mentioned, the Danza de la Pluma is a ritual re-enactment of the Spanish conquest. The full version is told in 41 bailes (dances) and lasts from early afternoon into the night. It is danced by folkloric groups throughout the valley of Oaxaca. However, in Teotitlán, Moctezuma, Danzantes, Subalternos, Malinche, and Doña Marina are selected years in advance and make a promise to the church and community to perform their roles for 3 years. It is a great honor.

La Malinche (Juana Lizbeth Contreras Vicente), Doña Marina (Ailani Ruíz Ruíz), and Danzantes.

Moctezuma (José Isaac Vasquez de Los Angeles) poised to dance the dance.

Moctezuma approaching… dancing the dance.

Moctezuma departing… dancing the dance.

Malinche (Juana Lizbeth Contreras Vicente) dancing the dance.

Malinche dancing the dance.

Doña Marina dancing the dance.

The Danzantes dancing the dance.

The rains came again and we missed the fireworks and castillo. However, we are already plotting our return at the beginning of October for the Rosario de la Virgen María festival.

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Faces of Oaxaca in B&W

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Andri Cauldwell quote, Black and white photography, Carnaval, Doña Marina, Guelaguetza, Mexico, Moctezuma, musicians, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, Santiago Juxtlahuaca, Teotitlán del Valle, Tlacolula de Matamoros on September 19, 2014| 6 Comments »

After a visit to Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo, I’m seeing the color of Oaxaca in black and white…

Moctezuma at La Guelaguetza in Etla, July 2014

Tlacolula de Matamoros, August 2014

Convite photo-op in Teotitlán del Valle, July 2014

Doña Marina at La Guelaguetza in Etla, July 2014

Santiago Juxtlahuaca delegation at Guelaguetza desfile in Oaxaca, July 2014

Carnaval in San Martín Tilcajete, March 2014

Guelaguetza desfile in Oaxaca, July 2014

“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul.” – Andri Cauldwell

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Back to Teotitlán del Valle

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, History, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Danza de la Pluma, Doña Marina, Feather dance, festivals, fiesta, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Subalternos, Teotitlán del Valle on July 10, 2014| 3 Comments »

We returned to Teotitlán del Valle on Tuesday and Wednesday the Danza de la Pluma — more of the multi-day fiesta honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

An airborne Moctezuma and the Danzantes

The Danza de la Pluma is a ritual re-enactment of the Spanish conquest. The story is told in 41 bailes (dances) and lasts from early afternoon into the night. It is an honor to be a participant — the Danzantes, Moctezuma, the Subalternos, Malinche, and Doña Marina are selected years in advance and make a promise to the church and community to perform their roles for 3 years.

Dance of Malinche and Doña Marina

All is not completely serious — the Subalternos provide a little levity along the way.

Subalterno trying on the Penacho of a Danzante

The subtext and “hidden” narratives of the danza are multiple and complex and after 5 years, I’m only in the infant stages of understanding. I will leave it to the two scholarly articles listed below to attempt interpretation.

References:

Cohen, Jeffrey. Danza de la Pluma: Symbols of submission and separation in a Mexican Fiesta. Anthropological Quarterly, Jul 93, Vol. 66 Issue 3, p. 149-158.

Harris, Max. The Return of Moctezuma. The Drama Review, Sp 97, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p. 106, 29 p.

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Cast of characters

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Danza de la Pluma, Doña Marina, Feather dance, festivals, fiesta, Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, Malinche, Mexico, Moctezuma, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, Subalternos, Teotitlán del Valle on July 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We returned to Teotitlán del Valle on Tuesday and Wednesday for performances of the Danza de la Pluma, a ritual re-enactment of the battles between the Aztec and Spanish. According to OaxacaWiki:

The origin of this dance goes back to the spiritual and physical conquest of Mexico by the Spanish – La Guerra de Conquista. The dance originated in the town of Cuilpam de Guerrero where Martin Cortes (son of Cortes) celebrated the first baptism of his child. Martin played the role of his father and the locals played the roles of the conquered indigenous peoples.

The story is told in 41 bailes (dances) and lasts from early afternoon into the night. Selected years in advance, it is an honor to be a dancer and they perform their roles for 3 years. This week, during the multi-day fiesta honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, we saw the first performances by the new cast and they looked great!

Presenting the Cast of Characters

Montezuma