24th September, 2023
Arriving at Atlixco at around 9:30 in the morning, I started searching for signs of activity. This is a festival that I had found out about at the last minute and made a quick change to my itinerary to ensure I could make it. The quick searches that I had done online had not wielded much information – at least not in English – so I had done what I often end up doing when I attend Latin American festivals; turn up and hope for the best.
When I reached the plaza, I could see signs that something was going on. There was a big screen set up beneath a gazebo, but it seemed – from all the empty chairs – that whatever was happening here was yet to come or had already passed so I made my way to the other place that my research told me I should check out; Cerro de San Miguel.
This hill looks over the town and – from what I had read online – seems to be an important place for the community. As I approached it I came across other people making their way up, and many were carrying drinks and snacks so it seemed that I was heading in the right direction. I asked if there was a festival going on and they nodded, directing me to a shortcut up the hill that involved lots of clambering over rocks. I raced ahead, but I think I might have gotten a bit lost at some point because I eventually had to navigate through bushes and crawl beneath a barbed wire fence. But I could hear music and a cacophony that was getting louder. I saw a crowd and followed them.
After a bit more walking, to my great surprise I reached an impressive amphitheatre perched upon the side of the hill.
Don’t get me wrong. I had figured that there must be something here – as I had read online that parts of the festival took place here – but I had not imagined it would be something this big.
And the location was also awe-inspiring, with its view of the nearby mountains and valleys.
Most of the spaces were taken but I managed to claim a seat that was not too far away from the front and waited for the festivities. There was a choir mostly made up of children singing but this was just a warm-up. It did not take long for the performances to begin.
I will not list all of them, as there were many, but I did notice that they seemed to have grouped them up by themes. The first few seemed very much to me like they were concerning courtship rituals, as they involved a lot of people dancing in pairs and other such displays.
I could also understand – from the introductions given – that each performance was by groups from different villages and towns nearby who had come to represent their community. It didn’t appear to be a competition though, as I never witnessed any winners announced.
After the ones about courtship, there followed two that both had more unique themes and were among my favourites. The first of them featured people in bright, red costumes. It was not quite as energetic as some of the other performances but something was mesmerising about the music, and the flowy movements suggested to me that the performance was about sowing and harvesting (click here to watch a video).
The second performance that made an impression on me was one about people escaping from slavery. Despite its dark theme, it very much felt like a celebration of black culture in Latin America (click here).
There followed a few that seemed to be concerned with the colonial history, as they involved a lot of groups dressed as caricatures of indigenous peoples and Spanish engaging in sword duels.
Another noteworthy performance involved dozens of people all wearing these large cone-shaped hats. They didn’t dance as such – it would have been hard to with what they were wearing – but the way their routine was coordinated in a way that made use of the bright colours (video here).
Before I tell you about the final performance – and trust me it is not to be missed – I just want to mention that there was some behaviour going on during this festival that made it a bit frustrating at times. Please don’t read this as a complaint; this was a free event so complaints would be in bad taste and I am also very aware of the nuances here. I live in a country that does not have many festivals like this and I think one of the reasons is that we have a lot of red tape which makes things far more complicated and expensive to organise. Countries like Mexico do not have as much red tape which means there is more freedom to hold events like this but the drawback is that they often have to be self-policed by the people attending. The reason I am bringing this up is because I always try to give a well-rounded account if my experiences, and this might help those who plan to attend this event in the future.
This event did suffer from poor crowd control. There were a few people in jackets located at certain points around the area but the only thing that they seemed concerned about was ensuring that the aisles between all the seats were clear. Some people had better spots than others so there were a lot of people walking around the arena in circles seeking a better view. I sat close to one of the exits, and people kept lingering there and blocking our view. There was barely a minute that went by without someone having to be reminded that they were not the main character in the story the rest of us were living in and be told to sit down, move on, or lower the umbrella they had just unfurled.
And also, some of the worst offenders were the people selling snacks. People who have travelled around Latin America will be familiar with traders who wander onto buses and other such places to sell food and drinks. These people possess no premises – and thus have fewer business expenses – and they are often given free rein because it is convenient for everyone else. They are unregulated merchants, and at this event, there were just way too many of them. Some were so fixated on selling their wares that they were not at all conscious about the fact we had come to watch a festival. I was not the only one annoyed by this, and being a foreigner, I was mostly quiet and let the other locals challenge poor behaviour. But even I found myself snapping at some of these people as the afternoon wore on.
So, if you are reading this and thinking of coming, don’t let this put you off. It is an amazing event. My advice would be to try to turn up early and try to get a spot as close to the front as possible and far away from any of the exits.
Eventually, as the festival was coming to an end, a group of people wearing birdlike costumes with wings stepped onto the stage.
I am sure you have noticed that there is a big pole in the middle of the stage by now. It was something that I did not know what it was for. This group of people formed a circle around it and started dancing around it whilst a single person played a flute.
At first, I was a bit confused. This performance was very dialled down compared to the others, and I could barely hear the flute playing because – unlike the other music so far – it wasn’t being amplified by the sound system. Despite this, I felt intrigued. I could feel an energy in the air, rising.
Eventually, they stopped walking in circles, and then – to my great surprise – one of them began to climb the pole (click here for video).
This was one of just a few surprises for me because shortly after they reached the top, another performer began to climb.
Watching this play out was very moving. Throughout the minutes that followed the whole amphitheatre went and still. Even the inconsiderate merchants stopped for a while. People occasionally applauded when each person reached the top but otherwise, they watched in silence.
The backdrop of the mountains behind them as they climbed made for a dramatic effect; there was something eerie about watching the moment that they passed the mountains and climbed higher in the sky. Someone began to play an instrument and this time it was connected to the sound system so it was louder.
In the end, there were five of them at the top and they each claimed a spot.
As a bit more time passed, I began to wonder what was going to happen next and when they were going to climb down. I could see them moving around occasionally and they appeared to be adjusting a series of ropes. Eventually, one of them rose and spread their wings. (video here).
And then, sometime after that, something else happened which blew my mind (click here for video).
I apologise for not catching the whole thing but I honestly didn’t see this coming. It took me a while to process what I was witnessing before I remembered to turn my camera on again.
Once the four of them reached the ground – to much applause – there was a final performance that came onto the stage but by then many people were leaving. I watched for a while, and it was certainly a joyous way to end the festival but I felt sorry for any performance that had to follow what I had just witnessed.
When I got back to my hostel later that night I did some reading to see if I could find out more about what I had witnessed. I could vaguely remember reading something about this event being connected to the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcóatl, which would explain why they are wearing winged costumes, but during my research, I discovered that this ceremony is called the ‘Danza de los Voladores’ and it is intended to beseech the gods for a good harvest. It is also performed during certain events in the Veracruz region. The person in the middle of the poll represents the centre of the earth while each of the four people who ‘fly’ to the bottom are the cardinal points.
After the ceremony was over, I decided to walk to the top of the hill and see the church there, and it seemed that other people had a similar idea as I found myself within a crowd. I usually don’t like big crowds but on this occasion it was nice because everyone was on a high and the atmosphere was great.
When I reached the top, people were queuing up to go into the church to be blessed with holy water, which is not quite my sort of thing but was interesting to witness. Shortly after, I began to make my way down again, passing through the amphitheatre and then along series of paths back to the centre of the town. On my way, I passed by lots of little street parties. A part of me wished that I could stay to soak up the ambience, but I had to get myself back to Puebla, so I headed to the bus station.
I would strongly encourage you to check out my Google photo album for this event, as I have many more photos and videos from it; click here.
Tej Turner 