Lake Pátzcuaro
It's late January in the Mexican state of Michoacán. For many Americans, this means it is a dangerous area of drug cartels, not the location of a thousand year old civilization that coexisted with and was never conquered by the Aztecs. A civilization that communicated with and traded with every other pre-Columbian culture in the Americas. Let's leave the American obsession with crime for a moment and allow ourselves to step into a fascinating and ancient civilization right under our noses. Going to the map, the area of the Purépecha people corresponds roughly with the modern state of Michoacán, and is centered around Lake Pátzcuaro, a shallow lake that is sandwiched between numerous volcanoes of the western Sierra Madre mountains.
Every year in early February the Purépecha people celebrate their New Year . The celebration includes a ritual called the fire walk. On the night between February 1 to February 2, when the constellation Orion is at its highest point in the sky, the fire that has been guarded and kept burning during the previous year is transferred to the new guardians. The responsibility for guarding the fire is held by one of the 12 Purépecha villages and each year rotates among them. This year, the ceremony was held in Erongarícuaro. The fire ceremony was an important part of Purépecha culture for centuries, but was suppressed by the Spanish since the Conquest. On February 14, 1530, conquistador Nuño de Guzmán killed the last Purépecha ruler, Tangaxoan II, putting an end to the New Year fire tradition until modern times. Then, in 1983, some Purépecha community members decided to recover the tradition. Today this festival has become a powerful force in building the Purépecha community.
The Keepers of the Fire arrive
After four days of exhausting hikes over the mountains from one town to another, the Fire Keepers arrive in Erongaricuaro, the town chosen as guardians of the fire for the coming year.
The men who carry the fire.
As the procession arrives in town there is excitement among the townspeople....clapping, crying and applauding. The Firekeepers are tired, but spurred on by the enthusiasm of the townspeople.
An elder woman carries the symbolic image of the owl.
A man carries symbols tied to the pilgrimage.
Mother and daughter celebrate their reunion.
A woman proudly carries an incense burner. The fuel is from the copal tree, used for incense for millenia.
After arrival there are ceremonial speeches interrupted by groups of dancers and music. It's been a long day and everyone is hungry. Food is served in the central square and people rest from their long journey.
The next morning, there are sunrise ceremonies at the shore of Lake Pátzcuaro, open only to the indigenous leaders. It is considered too sacred for outsiders.
An adobe brick pyriamid has been constructed for the sacred ceremonies of transferring the fire.
Musicians of every age take turns playing on the main stage.
A young woman represents each comunity, often with an object that represents that community's art, handcraft or fruit.
Traditional clothing may include plants that are economically important to the town.
A traditional dance called Los Veijitos (the Old Men) represents the Spanish invaders by use of masks with light colored skin. A mystery is why women are represented by men who cover their faces and cross dress.
The traditional ball games are underway in the church yard.
The ancient traditional ball game, "Uárukua Ch'anakua" resembles field hockey in the United States, but has evidence of being 3500 years old . It is distinct from Mayan and Aztec ball games. It represents the struggle behind day and night, and is sometimes played with a flaming ball doused in gasoline at night.
Tata Mario, one of the founders of the modern recreation of the festival.
Don Mario, or Tata Mario in Purépecha parlance, helped to recover the New Year tradition with other community members in 1983, and has been doing the Fire Walk every year since then. This year he had not prepared for the walk and found it very taxing, but told me that he's very committed to repeating the fire walk as long as he can.
Processions resume and the town is filled with celebration
All of the participants march around the city, up and down the streets and around the town, celebrating that the fire is still present and the life of the people continues.
