Center for Global Justice Trip
Visit to Cieneguilla and Temascal
Sat, Oct 31, 8:30am–6pm
Departs from CGJ at 8:30am
Calzada de la Luz 42
Tickets 500 pesos

Info: lydia@globaljusticecenter.org , 150-0025

Take a personal journey with temascal
By Lydia Carey

The Center for Global Justice would like to invite you to visit the community of Cieneguilla, in the Municipio de Tierra Blanco. This unique community is one of the few indigenous areas in the state of Guanajuato where ancient traditions and language continue to flourish.

Cieneguilla, where the traditional and modern live side by side, was formed from 19 individual groups consisting mostly of Chichimeca and Otomí Indians.

For the past four years, the Center for Global Justice has been working alongside this community in conjunction with Yolanda Millan, a local community organizer. Mujeres Productores, an artisan marketing cooperative formed by a group of 15 women from the area, draw on their traditional artistic heritage to create baskets and woven goods with skills that have been passed down to them from their ancestors and are now are used to supplement their regular income.

Cieneguilla’s intricate system of organization is a vestige of the community’s indigenous heritage and the survival of their spiritual and collective traditions. They meet regularly to discuss concerns and make decisions through a democratic and collaborative process. The community is resplendent with both Catholic and native religious customs, which are observed communally with fiestas and celebrations of all kinds.

One of the traditional spiritual ceremonies of the community of Cieneguilla is the temascal or “sweat lodge”. This temascal is an extraordinary experience; it is steeped in tradition and will offer the visitor a window into the rich history of this unique community.

The visit will begin with a reception and presentation by community members of the ritual’s history and significance. After the reception, a light breakfast will be served, followed by a tour of the medicinal plants garden. The temascal will begin with a purification ceremony and, over a two-hour period, the heat and purification processes. After the temascal, women of the community will offer massages to the visiting guests for a small contribution. Finally, guests and community members will share a comida of local foods.

As a visitor, you will leave with a deeper understanding of the community and its traditions, while also undergoing an unforgettable personal journey. Please join us on this trek through one of the most interesting and pristine communities in the area.

The cost of this trip covers transportation, the temascal, translation and all meals. We leave from the Center for Global Justice at 8:30am on Saturday, October 31, and return around 6pm. The trip from San Miguel to Cieneguilla is 1-1/2 hours, and the transportation will be provided by a passenger van. For information or to buy tickets contact: Lydia@globaljusticecenter.org  or call 150-0025. Trip limit is 17.