Friday, March 7, 2014

Journey to Ixcateopan


I heard about the sacred ceremony and celebration of the last Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc, that takes place  in the small village of Ixcateopan every year. According to the indigenous communities of Mexico this is home to an ossuary containing Cuauhtémoc's remains unearthed from under an alter, hidden from the public until 1949. Today the ceremony remains deeply rooted as one of  respect to a ruler and his people and as a symbol of hope, dignity and pride and resistance for the Mexicas of Mexico....video link!


 After reading some historical accounts  and visiting the museum of anthropology in Mexico City several times, it wasn't long before I realized that there was a magnificent, highly evolved culture and evolved peoples of the New World that were basically destroyed by the spanish conquistador Cortes in the 16th century. According to one elder I met, the death of Cuautemoc represents the death of a unique human race that existed for centuries prior to the conquest who were unadulterated by money or church while still being spiritually advanced directly connected with the divine laws of nature, mother Earth and the universe.

Photo Tenancingo photo by Juan Estevez

Our Journey to Ixcateopan started from picturesque Tenancingo about 1.5 hrs. south of Mexico City just below the foothills of Toluca Volcano.

My guides were Juan Estevez and Daniel Pedraza, both local certified guides and taxi drivers.  Daniel was driving his pickup truck today. We stopped at the edge of Tenancingo to supposedly accompany a rented tour bus of locals also attending the ceremony which is some 3 hours away in the mountains above the famous silver mining and of course picturesque town of Taxco.

Upon arrival of the bus I was surprised with the realization that our journey was actually a pilgrimage led by well respected Shaman Miguel Pavlon from nearby Tenango who owns a Temazcal just below the ancient ruins and pyramids of Teotenango. I had met Don Miguel on prior visits to Tenancingo through my friend Daniel, a paragliding pilot from the area. Yes, by the way this area produces some of the finest thermals during the winter months, and boasting several launch pads in the areas mountains.
Our last 30 km. leg into Ixcateopan included a relay run with most people in our group carrying the sacred staff belonging to Shaman Miguel as a symbolic gesture of sorts. It was great to see such enthusiasm amongst both the elders and children.

                                                The Museum of Santa María de la Asunción,  was the parish church for the community from the 16th century until 1949 when it was declared a national monument. Since the discovery of Cuauhtémoc’s tomb under the main altar, this building and its grounds have been converted from a religious sanctuary to a civil one. Most, but not all, of its Christian iconography has been taken out                                               
 The town was bustling with people, buses from afar with only one way in and one way out! The town square was the only place to make  an 8 point turn around., while the remaining streets eventually narrowed to walkways.  I was surprised to see so many buses had made it to the village considering there was quite a washout of the road back some 10 kms or so!


The air was filled with the smell of food, incense, and copal. The vendors were out selling local treats from other regions including jewellery, feathers, sacred objects, and talismans of all kinds.



The first thing we did was make our way towards the temple. Along the main road through town were many vendors, and people preparing their costumes, face paint and pruning the very elaborate feathered headdresses. Peoples backyards, the school gym, and many open areas were strewn with tents for the many visitors that will camp out during this 5 day event. I believe there is only one 10 room hotel here. Luckily, I'll be sleeping in the back of Daniel's pickup with a couple warm blankets a short distance away from the all night drum beating.

The temple was quite old with little light, but still a perfect backdrop for such an event. There were Azteca Danzas and drummers warming up or practicing their routines for the big night ahead. The air was tense with activity!



La Danza Azteca, "The Aztec Dance", is a visual representation of the culture and art of the native people of Mexico. It does not refer solely to the Aztec people, but is rather a mixture of the various tribes and cultures that comprise Mexico.

Danza Azteca is a blend of pre-Columbiana and Christian traditions and, in a real sense, is both a means of prayer and a search for integration and harmony in the world.

  
As part of my ongoing search and sharing of great sacred places, I will be hosting an annual pilgrimage/tour  for like minded adventurous types especially photographers for the array of incredible potential photographic subject matter. Interested parties would be wise to follow the developments of this tour as this blog will be my main venue to increasing your awareness of the workshop/tour. 


I will be adding more photo highlights of day tours to areas surrounding Tenancingo de Degollado, which is home base. Some of the surrounding places I have already blogged about in previous posts, and will certainly be adding more.




The history of Chuahtemoc and this temple is nothing short of spectacular.  Indigenous communities from all over Mexico participate in this ceremony. It was estimated some 5,000 dancers are attending the ceremony in this community of 2,000 residents which seemed to me an ongoing event with large groups of Aztecas danzas coming and going increasingly more as the afternoon wanes.


It was non stop drumming and dancing in the temple, outside the temple and also in the village square a few steps below the church. At times there were 10 drummers beating ferociously in a mysterious rhythm that always changed tempo but the danzas kept the pace ...many were barefoot on polished white marble slabbed surfaces, inside and out.


At times I was crouched low near this location in the temple while my own drums (ears) received  quite a  workout. Halfway through the night I remembered I put a set of complimentary (AC) earplugs in my backpack. They worked well..the spongy types that set deep inside. I heard nothing except when I went into the temple again later on, I felt my ribe cage and heart vibrating with intensity. At one point I was on top of an old concrete monument outside and felt it move underneath me including the grounds and all the concrete structures were moving in a unifying vibration. 

The sounds of the old church bells, still intact for the temple, the conch shells, whistles, drums and the many other musical instruments sounding the beats and rhythms all in unison yet strangely and uniquely distinct sounded more like a vibration or drone with variations created by the many sources that went through everything. My body felt the sounds more than my ears did, with the earplugs in place.