March 06, 2009, Readers’ Forum, Letters

The drumming got me first—elemental rhythms hammered hard and fast on oilcan drums by strong men swinging sticks. The beat dragged me toward the Jardín, toward the dancers swirling in color—men, women and little kids, all feathers and face paint and sweat.

As a new winter resident from the frozen North, on that first Friday in March 2006, I was seeing a spectacular event for the first time—the Fiesta del Señor de la Conquista. I stood on the sidelines with hundreds of others, hoping my cameras could catch the color of the costumes, the concentration on each face, the motion of the dance. Groups nearly overlapped around the streets bounding the Jardín, each group’s drummers in competition with the next.

Some dancers carried what I later learned were conchas, Spanish-inspired mandolins made from armadillo shells. If they were actually playing, their strumming was drowned out by the noise of the drums. At times a woman would blow a seashell trumpet, the blare cutting through the rhythmic din.

Some groups, wearing long robes and similar face paint and headdresses, performed with near-military precision, their moves seeming to reflect ancient traditions and lots of practice. Other dancers wore fantastic costumes, wild makeup and skulls or the heads of predatory birds mounted on golden helmets. No two dancers looked or moved exactly alike. Were these traditional costumes, I wondered, or ideas copied from popular culture or lurid dreams? Exciting, chaotic and confusing—traditions guided the dancing, but with no subtitles for the visitor.

An Atención article said these Chichimeca conchero dancers were here to celebrate a San Miguel anniversary dating back nearly 500 years. In the sixteenth century, hunter-gatherers who once roamed la gran Chichimeca, a huge swath of central Mexico, agreed to accept Christianity, finally ending their long, violent war against the Spanish.

That acceptance is known as la conquista, though conquest seems to be viewed here without the negative or military connotations it may hold in other areas, at least in part because church officials adjusted feast days to accommodate local beliefs and the harsh realities of agrarian life.

Late on the first Thursday afternoon in March (the fifth, this year), groups gather to pray before the figure of the Lord of the Conquest in the Parroquia, before the dancing and fireworks begin. They return the next morning to fill the streets around the Jardín with sound and motion.

I watched and photographed the dancers for two more years, but this year, I began to wonder how much I didn’t know. Marcela André López, an artist, master yoga teacher and gallery owner who blows the seashell trumpet with the Ramírez family, introduced me to Humberto Luna, an artisan and a son of the late Don Félix Luna Romero, an authority on San Miguel traditions. Like the Ramírez family, the Lunas can trace their ancestry back to the Chichimeca royal families who first adopted Christianity and helped found San Miguel in 1542.

Most of the dancers in my photos weren’t really concheros, they said. “Call them danzantes,” just dancers. Along with a few other groups, the Ramírez dancers are true concheros, guarding sacred relics and maintaining Chichimeca traditions. They lead the procession into the Jardín, then dance in a place of honor inside the Parroquia gate, said to be the site of a burial ground in ancient times.

Other dancers have adapted and modified features from other sources. The drums that first pulled me to the Jardín, for example, were almost certainly Aztec in origin. The fantastic makeup, feathers and costumes reflect tradition mixed with current fashion and showmanship (the skulls began to appear only 10 years ago). Their commitment to the spirit of the day may be deep, but their art incorporates as much invention as heritage.

Letters

Editor,

On behalf of the Madres and children of Casa Hogar Santa Julia, thanks to all who attended Joanna Priestly’s Animation Film Festival at the Biblioteca Pública Thursday, February 26. The proceeds, 1,125 pesos, will take care of the basic needs of one of these 40 children for one month, thereby alleviating some of the economic burden of the four Madres who care for them.

Special thanks to author/painter/filmmaker Jan Baross for suggesting that Joanna’s wonderful work be debuted in Mexico for this benefit. Special gratitude to José Luis and his team at the Biblioteca Pública for making all the arrangements. Deepest thanks to Joanna for sharing her art in this meaningful way.

It is becoming increasingly popular for commercial entities to market through social causes in San Miguel, and because there are lots of smart business folks in our fair city, there are an increasing number of questions about the transparency of this type of marketing. It’s a pleasure to say that all the proceeds of this event (after most reasonable costs to use the Biblioteca facilities) went directly to care for these deserving children.

Aplauso!

Robin Loving Rowland
Community Liaison
Casa Hogar Santa Julia

Editor,

On Friday, January 20, Barbara Porter opened her house for a festive luncheon and house tour to benefit Buen Pastor, a safe house for young girls and a shelter from abusive relationships for women and their young children. Buen Pastor is run by the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, located in the city of Guanajuato. This congregation receives very little government or church support and relies almost entirely on donations from the community to survive. It was our hope to rally our very generous foreign community here to help this wonderful organization purchase 30 much-needed bedcovers and fabric for curtains for the girls’ dormitories. We are happy to say that our 25 guests helped us exceed our expectations, donating approximately 11,000 pesos.

This, along with funds raised in the recent Super Bowl Pool, covered not only the dormitory needs but also a new freezer, school uniforms and some of the girls’ tuition. The last is a constant struggle for Madre Lourdes, Mother Superior at Buen Pastor, who spoke at the event.

Buen Pastor also gives young women from surrounding rural areas free housing so that they can attend university in Guanajuato. In addition, it houses a medical dispensary, a literacy center with computers and internet access, and a school for 50 young students. All these programs are run by six Madres, who also care for two more Sisters in their 80s. At age 65, Madre Lourdes is the youngest!

Thanks to everyone who made this event such a success. Thanks also to our new young friend Juanita Benedicto for introducing us to Buen Pastor and Madre Lourdes. And thank you and God bless you, Madre Lourdes and all the Sisters at Buen Pastor for your wonderful, selfless work.

John and Sharon Doherty