La Mera Mera Oaxaca: carnaval...estilo valles centrales

Before moving to Oaxaca, all I knew about carnaval was some vague impressions about Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnaval in Brazil, not that I've ever attended either. And I don't know about the rest of Mexico, but in some communities in Oaxaca, carnaval is a very big deal. Most famous, perhaps, is the Carnaval Putleco which originates in the town of Putla Villa de Guerrero (in fact, it is in Oaxaca, despite its name, but very near to the border with Guerrero). While I had some hopes of here) to drive out all evil and in the run up to carnaval and lent (cuaresma). And then this all culminates in carnaval on the day before ash wednesday when there are through the streets many diablitos and other disguises, including a wedding couple (this seems a common element, and suggests to me that there was a more ancient fertility ritual that got folded into carnaval, since aside from general sense of great conviviality there's not much about carnaval that says WEDDING but what do I know...).

Diablo from Sta Maria Coyotepec

going to Putla for carnaval, this town is quite far from Oaxaca de Juárez and I decided it was a little too far/too much time for this year. But then I heard about a carnaval tradition in a town quite close to us-- San Martín Tilcajete, in fact a town we already knew and loved as it is renowned for its alebrijes. It turns out that for about a month before carnaval, diablitos run the streets of San Martín Tilcajete on each Sunday (see my post/photos

San Martín might be the most famous in the Valles Centrales region, due to the fact that they both paint themselves with motor oil / other oil & paint and wear carved wooden masks (town known for wood carving). But yesterday we got a chance to know some of the other towns' traditions for carnaval. The city of Oaxaca hosted a "muestra" - demonstration - of carnaval traditions from five communities in the valles centrales, including San Martín Tilcajete.

These are my fotos from yesterday. Don't worry, there will be more from San Martín Tilcajete since Thalia and I are going down there on carnval!

Here are some fotos of the participants getting ready, town listed in the caption. I spent the most time with Sto Jacinto Chilateca and Sta Maria Coyotepec because the others were late jajajajajajajajajajaja

la novia adjusting her mask; from San Jacinto Chilateca

joven from Sta Maria Coyotepec, lathering himself up with paint

putting on mask with horns. Tradition in Sta Maria Coyotepec seems to be wearing masks from woven palm products- baskets, hats, etc and then horns and long hair

Bodies of the diablitos from Sta Maria Coyotepec are painted black, brown, white or red and then sometimes daubed with white (or black) paint. Here an elder daubs the paint on these youths

After everyone was ready, there was lots of posing for fotógrafxs, dancing around and screaming/screeching all the while of course bandas playing!

two diablitos from Sto Jacinto Chilateca watch as their compas run around

masked disfrazados dance around; Sto Jacinto Coyotepec

Sta Maria Coyotepec; red & silver basket version of diablito

disfrazados from Sta Ana Zegache stroll in, all ready dressed up! This town includes men and women in their carnaval festivities

After a lot of dancing around the diablitos from Sta Maria Coyotepec need to adjust their masks

liiiiiiistttoooooo! aaaaaayyyyyyyiiiii!

this guy was actually a very elaborate ant-like creature, hard to capture on foto

actual procession... these ladies from Sto Jacinto Chilateca (one of the communities where only men dress up)


lots of bandas, por supuesto! how many Danielas taking the foto can you spot?

novios, Sta Ana Zegache. This comunidad has both men and women disfrazadxs

one of my favorite things in the bandas of Oaxaca is the guy whose whole job it is to carry the cymbal for the drummer. true love of music, right there.