The other day I received an invitation to hike in the hills above Ajijic. Our guide was to be long-distance walker Cam Honan. “We’re heading for a place everyone calls ‘The Indian Ceremonial Grounds,’” said Honan. “Every so often a large number of indigenous people gather together up there for something called La Danza del Sol. It’s a beautiful, wide open space with good vibrations and a magnificent view of Lake Chapala.”
As we started our hike, I couldn’t help but reflect on how lucky are the people who live along Chapala’s northern shore. They don’t have to drive 50 kilometers to the nearest mountain – all they have to do is walk out the door, stroll up the street and step into any one of dozens of narrow trails.
It’s amazing. One minute you’re on a city street and then, suddenly you are engulfed by high walls of luxuriant green vegetation. You feel like you’re in some exotic jungle, thousands of miles from civilization. “Here the only way to go is up,” says Cam Honan, “and you can’t get lost. Whenever you’re tired of hiking, you just head downhill and there’s the lake, waiting for you.”
The trail we followed begins off Calle Hermenegildo Galeana and heads for a so-called waterfall called El Tepalo, where I keep hoping to glimpse some water someday. If you are even slightly interested in the fascinating web of trails above the lake, you probably already have a copy of Gerry Green’s handy, lightweight booklet, “Walks & Trails around Ajijic,” which is available at Bugambilias Bookstore and Superlake. Says Green about El Tepala: “This is a perfect spot for a relaxing picnic with a great view down the ravine,” but adds, “only in summer, after severe rains, will there be water falling.”
Well, the day I went on this hike, the rainy season was at its height, but not a drop of water did we find. Instead we found Jim Boles, with whom I had just exchanged emails about a very strange-looking flower we had each bumped into on recent hikes (belonging to the milkvine plant, we discovered.) Honan, who gambols up and down these paths every day, later remarked how unusual it is to see people on these trails. I think the readers of the Reporter could take a tip from Boles: “I’m from Dallas, Texas. I never hiked at all before coming here – especially up and down steep hills. Now I’m here all the time.”
A mere 1.3 kilometers west of El Tepalo, as the Grosbeak flies, we came to Danza del Sol. One minute you’re on a narrow trail beneath a canopy of creeping vines and suddenly you step into a wide, flat, grassy meadow that takes your breath away. In the middle of it, there’s a lone tree festooned with long red, white, blue, green and yellow strips of cloth. The tree is surrounded by a very large circle of stones and nearby, there are two buildings which serve for sheltering and feeding the many indigenous people who come here from far and wide. Just outside the circle are two igloo-shaped frameworks made of thin branches. With the help of blankets, these are transformed into temazcales or sweat lodges.
Said Honan: “Back in 2002 or 2003, I saw a ceremony performed here. A group of men, shirtless, attached cords to bones which were literally sewn inside part of their chest. The cords were attached to this tree and all the men walked around it. There was music playing in the background. Then the music stopped and they all pulled back simultaneously ... and out came the bones.”
That description certainly got my attention and, back at home, I started to search for information about La Danza del Sol. I learned that the piercing ceremony is ancient and, according to Wikipedia, its purpose is to offer personal sacrifice as a prayer for the benefit of one’s family and community. The ritual became well-known thanks to the 1970 movie “A Man Called Horse” with Richard Harris, which, I read, is actually based on the real-life experience of the famous Spanish wanderer Cabeza de Vaca. Of course, I made a point to get myself a copy of “A Man Called Horse” and was truly amazed that such a fine film could have come out of Hollywood in 1970, not to mention the fact that it’s a Western in which the Sioux speak Sioux the whole time!
Digging a bit more, I found a great eye-witness account about Danza del Sol by lakesider Sheila Forst Ruof. In 1998, she says she heard about an indigenous ceremony that was to take place up in the hills and she made arrangements to go there on horseback. At Danza del Sol, she met an American Indian, Jon WhiteCloud who had studied with the Lakota and who explained many of the rituals which took place. Her account is fascinating:
“The drum beat methodically, representing Grandfather’s Heart. Its rhythm changed little, but the vocal chant varied with each dance. Prayers of thanks were raised to Grandfather, to Mother Earth, to the Sun, to other spirits. As a chant to the hawk spirit began, two black hawks suddenly swooped over the circle, as if on cue, and bird cries rose from the singers ...”
You can read the rest of this article by Googling the phrases “Sheila Forst” and “Dance of the Sun.”
Birder John Keeling gives a personal perspective: “I stumbled upon the main ceremony in 2001 ... and also a ceremony that included an indigenous wedding some two or three years ago. They purposely do not publicize the event. If, however, you stumble upon it, they are gracious and they allow you to observe.”
How to get there
Head north on Hermenegildo Galeana. Get onto La Capilla Trail and you’ll find the trailhead for the El Tepalo trail at N20 18 19.3 W103 15 36.5. The Danza del Sol ceremonial grounds are at N20 18 41.3 W103 16 20.2. For the complete route, Google the word Wikiloc and the phrase “Danza del Sol.” Enjoy your hike!