This past Monday, the sun paused for its moment of solstice before changing direction to move northward.
From the Latin, solstitium, the apparent standing still of the sun, the Winter Solstice is a turning point, the reassurance many of us seek midwinter – especially this one – that the light is coming. And, ancient rituals can help us keep the faith, not necessarily in a god or religious doctrine, that good times are on the horizon.
The legacy of pre-Columbian civilizations lives on in rituals and ceremonies that include “La Danza de Los Voladores,” recognized by UNESCO over a decade ago as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its origins are attributed to the Totonacapan region of Veracruz which in 2009 boasted 38 of the 56 volador poles officially recorded in Mexico. First written about in 1612 by Franciscan chronicler, Fray Juan de Torquemadam, the ritual is a powerful testimony to the tenacity of indigenous groups in adapting their customs and practices to the new order imposed by the Spanish and also in ensuring they are passed down through the generations
A handful of onlookers on the malecón in Ajijic paused to watch, some of them recording on phones, as the voladores, in traditional costume, walk in a solemn time-honored procession to a 30-meter-high pole between the trees. One by one, four men mount the pole and once they reach the summit, now closer to the sun god, they are in position, each representing the cardinal points as well as the elements. All is quiet except for the haunting melody that begins when the leader, the “caporal” hoists himself to perch atop a tiny wooden platform – the “tecomate.” Bending, balancing, jumping from foot to foot, he beats on a tiny drum and plays a flute, turning to face north, south, east, and west while the pole below him sways precariously in the breeze. No safety net. No harness.
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