Chila Feista

The fiesta dates back to 1953, when the image of St. Isidore was delivered to the town as their new patron saint. May 15 is the actual saint's day for St. Isidore, San Isidro Labrador, the pious Spanish peasant who is patron saint of numerous agricultural towns. But, May is not a time of great prosperity in the area, the rains are starting and the fields must be prepared.

Chila or Bajos de Chila, as it is officially known (bajos means lowlands; much of the town is actually below sea level), is surrounded by rich agricultural lands and boasts abundant sources of fresh water and the best palapa builders in the region.

Chila gets its name from a famous curandera, or native healer, named Lucila, who once lived in the town. When People were sick they'd say "Vamos a Chila" - Let's go see Chila", a nickname for Lucila.

You can spend an afternoon at the jaripeo, the bull-riding rodeo, stroll the carnival midway, sample local delicacies or browse through the numerous stalls set up by itinerant merchants.

There are dances, sports and cultural events, and on Thursday, 14, Valentine's Day, the castillo, an amazing fireworks display, preceded by the mayhem of the running of the toritos.

Of special interest at the Chila Fair are the cock fights and the Pelota Mixteca (Mixtec Ball) tournament. Cock fighting is one of the popular spectacles of fiesta days and, although it's not for everybody, if you'd like to experience this aspect of local culture, the Chila Fair is an excellent opportunity.

Not only is the Chila tournament the area's most prestigious, attracting famed chicken raisers from well beyond the region and state, but the Chila Palenque, (arena, cock pit?) offers a family atmosphere rare in this normally macho domain.

Pelota Mixteca traces its roots back to the ceremonial ball playing that existed among all the pre-Colombian cultures. The game is played with a large 2-lb natural-rubber ball. Teams of five to seven players pound the ball back and forth using elaborately decorated gloves that weigh between 7 and 12 lbs. The ball can only bounce once. The winning team must take five sets of three games, each game consisting of four points. The grueling matches can last for as long as four hours.

If you miss this tournament, you can normally see teams competing Sundays at the Chila Sports Complex.

Chila is very visitor friendly, it provides good security and lots of buses and taxis to ferry fiesta-goers the 10-minutes to and from Puerto. The Fiesta organizers have paid me the honor of asking me to host and translate the festivities on Valentine's night. I hope that doesn't deter you from attending. I hope to see you there.