Our last night in Cozumel a group of Maya celebrated and blessed the four cardinal directions with fire, dancing and drumming. In a modern touch, the backdrop was a projection of an image of flames.
We sat in total darkness, except for the light of the media screen flames.
Then the dancers lit a flame as a centerpoint to their movements.
The men circled the flame chanting.
One dancer represented a skeleton; life and death.
Another dancer represented the Maya priest.
His headdress was truly impressive, made from long feathers.
The woman dancer began the ceremony by lighting the fire and ended it with drumming. This Maya cultural performance was a fitting way to end our visit of Cozumel. The Maya people inhabited the island for 1000 years before the Spanish arrived. Their mestizo and fully indigenous descendants inhabit the island today.
Gracias for visiting Fake Flamenco! Olé!
A truly amazing show in the dark. It paid to have front row seats. It would be interesting to know the story of the dance
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Thanks for your comment, Dad. I’ll keep looking for more cultural information about it. Xo
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Any idea about the authenticity of the costumes or the ceremony? I ask because we recently saw an impressive show in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) only to learn afterwards that it was almost completely fabricated to meet tourists’ expectations. Turns out that the authentic Rapa Nui music was considered too “dark” for populate consumption.
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Thanks for your comment, Alison. The presenters were Maya and were speaking Maya. In that way it was authentic. It was an artful display of culture, whether ancient or modern I couldn’t say. The Maya cosmology regards the four cardinal direction as key. The outfits looked similar to engravings I’ve seen in museums. So, perhaps? -Rebecca
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A great performance to witness. You were lucky to have seen it. Wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Darlene! It was magical. -Rebecca
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that’s impressive! Bet you had fun!
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Thanks, we did! It’s like we were transported in time back 500 years earlier… : ) Rebecca
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¡Qué fotos más chulas!
¡Qué increíble acontecimiento! Nunca he oído hablar de eso. Gracias mostrando tus preciosas fotos.
¡Que disfrutes de una estupenda jornada!
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Muchas gracias por el cumplido! Era una experiencia unica que valoro mucho. -R
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