Later this month Tonala will host the famous “Dance of the Tastoanes,” an annual ritual commemorating an indigenous insurgence during the Spanish invasion of western Mexico.
The centuries-old religious tradition dates back to the arrival of the Spanish in the old kingdom of Tonallan. The Indian queen, Cihualpilli, received the Spanish troops with open arms and willingly converted to Catholicism.
But a group of Indians less enamored with the European invaders and their religion banded together and rebelled, putting up a heroic fight on Tonala’s Cerro de la Reina hill. As legend has it, when their rebellion was put down they were turned into grotesque monsters known as “tastoanes.”
On Wednesday, July 25, Tastoanes dressed in bright and outlandish costumes will perform a war dance on the streets of Tonala. Unique to the states of Jalisco and Zacatecas, the Tastoanes festivals feature dramatization and ritualistic dancing to symbolize the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil.The action revolves around the Saint James the Apostle, known in Spanish as Santo Santiago, brandishing his sword atop a handsome white stallion to defend the faith against the heathen Tastoanes.
Ceremonies will take place at 9 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Tonala’s Plaza Cihualpilli in front of the town hall, and at 10 a.m., midday and 4 p.m. at the Cerro de la Reina.
The festivities feature a procession of the bizarre but beautiful masks handmade from wood and adorned with clay and even horses’ teeth. Tastoan mask making has become one of Tonala’s emblematic art forms, with special prizes awarded each year for the best original creation and top entries conserved in the permanent collections of various local museums.
From Friday, July 13 until August, the Museo Tonallan hosts the “Mundo Tastoan” exhibition of Tastoan masks. The museum is at Ramon Corona 73, central Tonala. Telephone: (33)1200-3936; opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.