In Teotitlán del Valle, the dancers of the Danza de la Pluma (Feather dance), make a solemn commitment to their faith and to their community to dance for three years at each of the four major annual religious festivals in their village. 2022 brings a new group and the festival honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo the first of their public performances for the residents of their village and visitors. They dance four times during this festival — two half days and two full (7 hours) days.
July 5, 2022…
La Malinche (Silvia Melissa González Pérez), Moctezuma (Emmanuel Ruiz Ruiz), and Doña Marina (Youshita Yamilet Vasquez Jim.)
Teotitlán de Valle, Danza de la Pluma promesa 2022-2024.
Danzantes dancing like puppets on a papel picado string.
Subalterno helping Rey 4, Luis Ángel Bazán Ruiz, with his penacho (headdress).
Subalterno taking a selfie with a “borrowed” phone.
July 6, 2022…
Capitán 2, Hugo Félix Santiago Jiménez.
Dancers of the Danza de la pluma promesa 2022-2024.
Moctezuma, Emmanuel Ruiz Ruiz.
Doña Marina, Youshita Yamilet Vasquez Jim.
La Malinche, Silvia Melissa González Pérez.
Danza de la pluma promesa 2022-2024, Teotitlán del Valle.
On the superficial level, the Danza relates the story of the Conquest — the Spanish, Moctezuma, his allies, and Malinche/Doña Maria. But, as is the genius of art, it reaches into our hearts and souls and explores and communicates the truths we know and feel.
In 2022, they will dance again for Natividad de la Virgen María in September, Rosario de la Virgen María in October, and the Fiesta a la Virgen de Guadalupe on December 12.
In Teotitlán del Valle, the fiesta honoring Preciosa Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo is the most important one of the year. It lasts eight days, includes two convites (processions), several special masses, and (in non Covid years) two fireworks’ displays. However, the highlight for visitors and villagers is the four performances of the Danza de la Pluma by the Grupo de Danza de Pluma Promesa.
El Picacho, the sacred mountain, watches over the village and the dancers.
The choreography includes athletic leaps, twists and turns, and complex footwork.
Maneuvering the penachos/coronas/headdresses as the dancers navigate the step takes strength and timing.
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, it is a three year religious commitment.
Rattles, paddles, and breastplates of old coins are part of the dancers’ costume.
In Teotitlán del Valle, Moctezuma’s penacho features the symbol of Mexico: Eagle and serpent on a cactus.
Moctezuma, accompanied by a Danzante, with Doña Marina and La Malinche
Moctezuma, Danzantes, Subalternos, Malinche, and Doña Marina are selected years in advance and make a promise to their god and, thus, their church and community to learn and perform the dance at each of the four annual major religious festivals in the village and any other special occasion they are called upon to dance.
LaMalinche.
The dance divides the historic person of Doña Marina and La Malinche into two characters.
Doña Marina.
A 20+ piece orchestra accompanies the dancers, playing a musical score mostly comprised of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas, quadrilles, and schottisches. The first time I saw the Danza de la Pluma, I experienced a bit of cognitive dissonance at the contrast between the costumes and the music. A little research (after all, I’m a librarian) provided the explanation. At the end of the 19th century, when all things European were being celebrated in Mexico, an orchestra playing European music replaced the original indigenous teponaztli (drum) and chirimía (flute).
Subalterno providing a little comic relief.
Wearing their trademark cross between a boar and bear wooden black masks, Subalternos posing for the camera.
Subalterno taking a break from his Aide-de-Camp duties of offering water to the dancers, dealing with wardrobe malfunctions, clearing debris from dance floor, and entertain spectators.
On two of the days the dancers dance for four hours and the other two, they dance for seven hours. The sun can be brutal and the wind can wreak havoc with the penachos. I don’t know how they do it — their stamina is astounding! I only managed to attend a few hours each at three of the performances. However, I will be back in September for the Natividad de la Virgen María fiesta.
A much needed pause in nesting at the new Casita Colibrí was in order. Teotitán del Valle’s patronal festival of the Preciosa Sangre de Cristo beckoned. The pandemic had closed the village for many months and precluded attending any of the 2020 fiestas. However, with mask on, I returned to spend three days. First on the schedule was Monday evening’s convite (procession) inviting the community to the fiesta.
Lining up in front of Iglesia Preciosa Sangre de Cristo for the convite.
Canastas ground level before being lifted onto the heads of the young unmarried women chosen to participate.
Cohetero (aka, rocket man) mugging before lighting the fuse.
Anticipating the big bang!
Tambor player who has walked many miles.
Young percussion player with many miles yet to walk.
As the shadows lengthened, the convite wound its way through the streets of Teotitlán del Valle.
Doña Marina, Moctezuma, and La Malinche bringing up the rear.
Villagers gather at their favorite location to watch the passage of the convite.
Convite taking over the main street in Teotitlán del Valle.
Danzantes under the watchful gaze of El Picacho.
Subalterno keeping on keeping up.
The return trip to the iglesia.
After almost an hour, the convite re-entered the atrium of the iglesia.
Watching and contemplating — the end.
The last festival in Teotitlán that I attended, before Covid-19 turned the world sideways, was the Fiesta de La Virgen del Rosario in October 2019. The warm welcome I received at the convite on Monday was incredibly touching and I admit to tearing up a little as it began.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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 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.
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.
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!
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