Many people whove never been to the gulf coast or even to mexico will light up in recognition at the mention of the voladores. From its origins on the gulf coast of mexico, the ritual spread throughout mesoamerica. One of the men plays music with a flute and a small drum. As many authors ancient and modern have noted, agricultural pole rituals and.
Suzanne barbezat is a freelance writer specializing in mexican travel, culture, and food. It takes real dedication and they only ask for small donations, or sell their little flutes or drums after their performance. In modern times, they wear costumes consisting of a. The ritual ceremony of the voladores flying men is a fertility dance performed by several ethnic groups in mexico and central america, especially the totonac. Equitable california 2010, and as research that merges scientific methods and.
The ritual consists of dance and the climbing of a 30meter pole from which four of the five participants then launch themselves tied with ropes to descend to the ground. The tradition dates back to ancient times and has been passed down through the generations. The ritual ceremony of the voladores of papantla was recognized as intangible cultural. Pdf agricultural pole rituals and rulership in late formative. The ritual begins with five men circling a tall pole. Ritual ceremony of the voladores intangible heritage culture. The survival of this ancient ceremony from aztec times into todays space age is. It is believed to have originated with the nahua, huastec and otomi peoples in central mexico, and. The following is from the tree of life, a documentary film by bruce pacho lane. Papantla is a place that has transcended time where the sky and the land converse. Even though the ritual initially became a practice which was performed at the beginning of every spring hoping for good fertility, the ritual in present times varies according to the region in which is it practiced.
Ask anyone whos been to papantla what most impressed them, and theyll probably say, the voladores. The city was founded in the th century by the totonacs and has dominated the totonacapan region of the state since then. There are several performances per day, and the suggested donation runs from 20 to 50 pesos higher for foreigners. Five men representing the five elements of the indigenous world climb to the top of a pole, one of them stays, playing a flute and dancing while 4 others descend the pole with a rope tied to one of their feet. The voladores, fliers, sometimes called hombres pajaro, birdmen, launch themselves from the top of a pole of up to 150 feet in height, and slowly descend circling the pole. They perform regularly throughout mexico, central and south america. The voladores, fliers, sometimes called hombres pajaro. Now mainly a tourist attraction, this traditional ritual was representative of the four seasons. Five men representing the five elements of the indigenous world climb to the top of a pole, one of them stays, playing a flute and dancing while 4 others descend the pole with a rope tied to one of their. Jun 28, 2016 even though the ritual initially became a practice which was performed at the beginning of every spring hoping for good fertility, the ritual in present times varies according to the region in which is it practiced.