Jalisco - La Culebra / Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl (BFH)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvkrQGBop0A

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Los Tapatios / Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl (BFH)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM_lI5wyd2w&mode=related&search=

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El Jarabe Tapatio / Ballet Folklorico Huehuecoyotl (BFH)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWzs7BgZrE0&mode=related&search=

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Cancun

http://youtube.com/watch?v=np_1XGiL0_c

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This dance is central to the pantomimes performed by the Yaquis on all occasions, religious or secular. Originally intended to guarantee success in hunting, it is danced by a close-knit society of men who have spent most of their lives learning their roles. 
The “deer,” especially, is portrayed with incredible sensitivity and fidelity. Wearing only an animal headdress, a kilt made of a rebozo and strings of ankle rattles, he moves to the music of flute, drum and rasp. His dramatic death is usually brought about by the “hunters” but he sometimes falls victim to

other enemies like the coyote or the jaguar.

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Still widely performed, this spectacular ceremonial is very ancient. Tenochtitlan had a special plaza where it was regularly staged long after the Conquest until the Spanish pre-empted the space for their bullring.
A tall pole, rigged with a tiny platform and a framework was set up. The attached ropes were carefully wound and a musician and four “flyers” costumed as birds climbed to the platform. While the musician played and danced obeisance to the four cardinal points the flyers, who represented those points, attached themselves to the ropes. As the dance ended, they flung themselves outward to soar in ever-widening circles until they touched the ground. Ideally, each flyer made 13 circuits for a total of 52, the number of years in the all-important calendar cycle.

Even more amazing is the musician, called the caporal. Balanced on a narrow wooden platform without a rope or safety net, the caporal plays a drum and flute and invokes an ancient spiritual offering in the form of a spectacular dance.

As he turns to face the four cardinal directions, he will bend his head back to his feet, balance on one foot then lean precariously forward, and perform intricate footwork, all the time playing the flute and drum! No matter how many times you see this beautiful performance, it will continue to astonish you, and the plaintive tune of the flute and drum will remain with you long after you have returned home.

The early history of the ceremonial flight of the Voladores is shrouded in the mists of antiquity. Information about the original ritual was partially lost when the invading conquerors from Spain destroyed so many of the documents and codices of the indigenous cultures. Fortunately, enough survived through legend and oral history and in materials written by early visitors to New Spain, that anthropologists and historians have been able to document at least part of the story of this ancient religious practice and how it has evolved through time.

A Totonaca myth tells of a time when there was a great drought, and food and water grew scarce throughout the land. Five young men decided that they must send a message to Xipe Totec, God of fertility so that the rains would return and nurture the soil, and their crops would again flourish. So they went into the forest and searched for the tallest, straightest tree they could find.

When they came upon the perfect tree, they stayed with it overnight, fasting and praying for the tree's spirit to help them in their quest. The next day they blessed the tree, then felled it and carried it back to their village, never allowing it to touch the ground. Only when they decided upon the perfect location for their ritual, did they set the tree down.

The men stripped the tree of its leaves and branches, dug a hole to stand it upright, then blessed the site with ritual offerings. The men adorned their bodies with feathers so that they would appear like birds to Xipe Totec, in hope of attracting the god's attention to their important request. With vines wrapped around their waists, they secured themselves to the pole and made their plea through their flight and the haunting sound of the flute and drum.

In Mesoamerican times the ritual of the Volador was performed throughout much of Mexico and extended as far south as Nicaragua. It was performed once every 52 years at the change of the century, and the brotherhood of the Voladores was passed from father to son.

At the time of the Conquest, the church fought strongly against what it considered heathen practices, and indigenous worship and rituals were silenced or held in secret. Later, the Catholic Church combined native beliefs with religious dogma, creating a syncretization of faith. The flight of the Volador was considered an interesting game by Colonial New Spain, and special plazas were constructed where the Voladores performed for a curious public. Over time the ritual slowly died out, until finally the Totonaca and a few Otomi were the only groups performing this ancient practice.

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The Voladores were among the first cultivators of vanilla, and many of them continue to grow it today. Not all of the early growers were Voladores, though the Voladores comprised an elite segment of the Totonaca society. Vanilla continues to have a sacred place in the lives of the Totonaca in the same way as the flight of the Volador, and the two have remained integrally connected.

The Voladores are a source of great pride to everyone in Totonocapan - the region of the Totonaca. In Papantla, the hub of the vanilla industry, there is even a large stone Volador that looks down on the city from one of the highest points in town. Created by world class artist, Teodoro Cano - who is part Totonaca -- the Volador is a moving testimony to the Totonaca ancestors who founded Papantla in the 1200s, as well as to those who continue to maintain the rich cultural legacy in this region of tropical Mexico.

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yes, I turned it back, because it has only 13 post, I don´t see why turning it around that soon.

Lets turn it when it has more post, sale?

lets see the first, first.

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Punta Mita Villa 24

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But good enough because of the images that are great, but the lyrics are different and the singer is not so good, enjoy:

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from the city of the gods - teotihuacan - I can show you what I have seen with my eyes from the summit of the temple of the moon: believe me they were ghosts...

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The collection  of videos presented here is simply amazing. Truly Mexico is a unique cultural destination to explore....

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Sure Teresa…I will plan to visit Mexico soon… Presently I am planning to visit Chile for adventure. I have heard that it is the best place to experience fly fishing. Have you ever done fly fishing??? While looking for the tours on net I had come across this interesting tour: http://www.ekoventure.com/trips/south_america-chile-porto_raul_marin_balmaceda-fly_fishing-boat_charters-exploration-active_sport-fundo-los-leones-15286 How do you find it??? Any suggestions welcome…..

This post was modified from its original form on 25 Jun, 2:40

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