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Birdmen in Vallarta
by Érika Carrillo | published: 12/26/2008
One of the most important native cultures of Mexico is the Totonaca. Their ceremonial center, Tajín, in Papantla, Veracruz, is the fourth most visited in the country (only after Palenque, in Tabasco) and their traditions are recognized both in and out of Mexico. The most representative is the Voladores of Papantla.  The ritual encompasses part of the richer symbolism of Totonacapan: the fertility and union of God with human beings. It is executed by five people in traditional attire (with embroidered flowers, birds, in many colors). The central element is the "flying pole" (a wooden post by which originally a solemn religious ceremony was erected) as the connection of the ground with the heavens.
One of the men, the priest, directs the ritual. A flute and a small drum are played that symbolize the song of the birds and the voice of God. The men climb to the pole that extends some 25 meters up. In the top, a four-sided revolving structure (now of metal, but before of wood) bestows honor to the four cardinal points, maintains the men while they are tied to a cord around their waists. The priest in the meantime plays and dances while standing on the upper base of the post. The four voladores descend until the cord untangles them and they arrive on the ground. Each one makes thirteen spins around the post, 52 times all together, which is the number that symbolizes the cycles of time. The men represent the seed that descends from the heavens and is sown into the ground. This Totonaca ritual, that lasts approximately 25 minutes, has been studied (for its symbolic complexity) and admired everywhere of the world. They can be seen preforming on the Malecón on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 6:00pm, 8:00pm and 9:30pm. |
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