April 5, 2010
palm sunday, originally uploaded by jenniferlarson.
Palm Sunday procession in Cuetzalan. The procession started in one church and wound through the rainy cobblestone streets to the cathedral. This statue of Jesus on a donkey was carried by men the whole way. Jesus is wearing plastic sheeting and poncho to keep dry.
April 5, 2010
voladores, originally uploaded by jenniferlarson.
Today we traveled to the mountain town of Cuetzalan, where we spent much of our time. We stayed in the Hotel Taselotzen, a hotel run by a collective of women from five indigenous communities. They money they make from the hotel goes back toward their communities.
One thing Cuetzalan is known for is its voladores (flyers). Five or more dancers climb up a wooden pole almost as tall as the cathedral. They get back to the ground by “flying” upsidedown by ropes, rotating around the pole, slowly lowering them to the ground. (I’ll post a video.) This voladore stays at the top while the other dancers fly down, helping to rotate their ropes. Then he slid down on a rope.
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