Ajijic has no historical records tracing the true origins of La Sayaca, the masked dancers who have played a key role in Carnaval celebrations for countless generations.
Local lore suggests the tradition arose from native rituals practiced during the pre-Hispanic era, linking the Sayaca to the legendary village matriarch Xicantzi, a direct descendent of the area’s ancestral tribal ruler.
One line of oral history identifies Xicantzi as a shamanistic healer who treated the mentally deranged with natural remedies. She stood out as an imposing figure with her use of extravagant clothing and glittery jewelry. It is said that she and a pair of male ritual dancers made up the welcome party that greeted the first Spaniards who arrived in the region around 1531 as conquerors and Christian missionaries.
Complementing that interpretation is the notion that the Sayaca symbolizes rejection of the Spanish overthrow of the native culture and ridicule of society’s rich and powerful.
An alternate legend holds that Xicantzi was prone to fits of madness that drove her to chase down male inhabitants for amorous pursuits. She punished those who refused her advances by dousing them with her powdery cosmetics. The custom of male dancers dressing up to impersonate Sayaca and Sayaco charatcters subsequently emerged to represent those bizarre encounters.
Whatever truth may lie behind these myths, the peculiar Sayaca tradition persists, lending humor and lively sport to various Ajijic festivities.
The traditional Sayaca mask is fashioned from papier maché built over a clay mold, with a painted finish showing distinctive facial features such as arched eyebrows, rosy cheeks, and full, ruby-colored lips. The female costume consists of a loudly colored full skirt and blouse, or an outdated one-piece party dress, commonly filled out front and rear with fully inflated balloons. The look is completed with fashion accessories such as gaudy costume jewelry, a pair of outmoded high heel shoes and an unkempt wig held down by a kerchief or fancy hat.
The Sayaco counterpart uses a carved wood mask painted in dark tones and adorned with twine to form bushy eyebrows and long-flowing facial hair. His outfit includes an oversized suit jacket, baggy pants, short riding boots and a tattered broad-brimmed hat.