If you’ve never seen the daring Los Voladores de Papantla (the Papantla Flyers) in action, then head over to the Chapala malecon, where this ancient Mesoamerican ceremony is performed several times each day.
Especially native to the Totonac people in the eastern state of Veracruz, this ritual expresses respect for and harmony with the natural and spiritual worlds. During the ceremony, four young men climb a wooden pole eighteen to 40 meters high, while a fifth man stands on a platform atop the pole, takes up his flute and small drum and plays songs dedicated to the sun, the four winds and each of the cardinal directions. After this invocation, the others fling themselves off the platform “into the void.”
Tied to the platform with long ropes, they hang from it as it spins, twirling to mimic the motions of flight and gradually lowering themselves to the ground.
The Chapala Papantla Flyers say they perform approximately every hour from midday to around dusk, most days a week. They also sell toy drums, flutes, poles, bracelets and other curiosities to augment their earnings, which largely come from donations from the public following their performances.