![[huipil]](images/huazohuipil.jpeg "huipil")
SANTA MARÍA HUAZOLOTITLAN or Huazolo, as it commonly referred to, is
picturesque and notable for the production of elaborately embroidered
huipiles and carved and painted wooden masks and figurines, many of which
are still used in the traditional dances of the region. The town is also
known for its delicious sweet egg bread, much prized throughout the region.
Huazatlan, which means Place of the Wild Turkeys, from huexlotl - turkey
and titlán - place of, is one of our favorite indigenous towns to visit,
and readers who have attended fiestas in past years report that they were
made to feel like honored guests. There will be the lively calenda and
convite processions, the bull riding rodeo called jaripeo and their amazing,
colorful traditional dances. Traditional dances are far more than a public
amusement, they have a profoundly magical and religious meaning. Indeed the
dances go on for hours, starting at dawn on the first days of the fiesta.
The Chareos Dance dominates the August Fiesta. It represents a battle
between Moors or "Pilates", and the Christians, led by James the Apostle,
whose costume incorporates a white hobby horse, accompanied by the child
Jesus and two pages.
![[huazolodancers]](images/huazolodancers-1.jpeg "huazolodancers")
The opposing teams of dancers, led by their red or white flags, stage a
mock battle with their colorful feather and ribbon bedecked costumes and
machetes. Drums and flutes are the only instruments that accompany the
dancers.
You might also see the Turtle Dance, from the neighboring municipality of José Maria Morelos, where a majority is of African descent. The dance depicts the abuse and exploitation of black slaves during the Colonial Period. Central characters include Don Pancho, a trusted a trusted lackey who ill-treats his fellow slaves and La Minga, his wife, who is a flighty coquette constantly flirting with the other men, to Pancho's exasperating rage.
The Dance of the Little Masks is thought to date back to the French invasion. After the French defeat, the Indians celebrated by staging a grotesque caricature of the dandified foreigners, ridiculing the way they danced, their behavior and appearance.
The people of Huazolo are warm and friendly to outsiders. They are proud of their culture and crafts and pleased to share this with others.
Experience these societies now, because the onslaught of modernity will
inevitably prevail and these treasures will be lost for ever.