The dance of the Tlacololeros. A Mexican dance.

By Oscar Cortes Palma

In the center of the state of Guerrero, in the municipalities of Eduardo Neri, Leonardo Bravo, Chilpancingo Chilapa, Mochitlán, Tixtla, Tecoanapa and Zitlala it is danced the dance of the Tlacololeros.

Near those towns that dance of Tlacololeros,  the dance of Capoteros is dancing in the municipality of Quechultenango. Capoteros Tlacololeros dances are very similar, we can say that are identical and differ only in name.


Another dance similar to Tlacololeros are Tecuanes dances.

Tlacololeros and Tecuanes gracefully represents a hunting Tekuani (Nahuatl word for the Tiger, Jaguar or Wolf).


Some of the characters Tlacololeros dances are:
1. Maizo Salvador
2. Tlacololero Tapachero
3. Tecorralero Teyolero
4. Green Chile Jitomatero
5. Dry Lightning Ventarron
6. Colmenero Frijolero
7. Xocoyotillo Maravilla (hunting dog)
8. Tecuani (Tigre)

In the dance of the Tlacololeros to growers and natural phenomena related to planting, for example, is represented some of the characters involved are the "The Maizo", who is the character most senior in dance and is what gives the orders his assistant called "Savior" who transmitted the orders to the other characters. Whose names are:

1. "Tlacololero". He sows in the hillsides or represents that land on the slopes called "tlacolol".
2. "Tapachero". It is the top seed after the land.
3. "Tecorralero". It is responsible for making the stone corrals.
4. "Teyolero". It is who snuggles stone for the Tecorralero build the tecorral.
5. "The Jitomatero". It is the sower of tomato, or represents the plant.
6. "The Green Chile". It is the sower of green chile, or represents the plant.
7. "The Gale". It represents the wind that brings rain.
8. "El Rayo Seco". It represents the lightning that precedes the rain.
9. "The Colmenero". He is collecting honey from the hives.
10. "The Frijolero" It is the sower of beans or represents the plant.
11. "Wonder". This character represents the hunting dog that accompanies the "Tlacololero" to keep track of the Jaguar.
12. "The Tecuani". Tiger is the Jaguar or damaging crops farmers.

All these characters dance so that there is good harvest, as we can see we have the land, represented by "Tlacololero" have land workers represented by the "Tecorralero" and "Tapachero" we have natural phenomena that attract the rain as "the gale" or "Lightning Dry", we have the plant such as "The Frijolero" "The Jitomatero", "El Chile Verde", ie everything is almost perfect for a good seed, just missing the character main "Water".

And just as we need the main character we can spare two characters, one is the hunting dog and another is the central character of the dance, I mean the "Tecuani" (Tiger or Jaguar).

So it's not unreasonable to believe that the Jaguar of Tlacololeros, if this dance is of Mesoamerican origin, representing rain, because if the Jaguar is no rain, their participation in this dance so unclear, and the Jaguars do not harm the crops eat meat. Jaguar is the herbivore is not carnivorous.

So if we know that the Dance of the Tlacololeros is to ask for a good harvest, but what role does the "Tecuani" or Jaguar in this dance?

Apparently, researchers on this topic not yet have a convincing answer, I suggest one, that in the event that the dance is pre-Hispanic tlacololeros take into account what the legend says about the relationship Zitlala "SACRIFICE "JAGUAR NAGUAL" = RAINS = good harvests. " Because, if we find that the character representing a rain dance to ask for good harvest, and noticed the Jaguar appears to have no role in sowing, then why not believe that the Jaguar is the representative of lack "the rain "in the Dance of the Tlacololeros? because just as the rains are the essential part for the good seed, also the Jaguar is the essential character of the Dance of the Tlacololeros.

Well this theory is in the event that the dance of the pre-Hispanic tlacololeros is because until now the oldest references of this dance takes us back to 1898, when tlacololeros and danced in the parade of 16 September Tixtla , Guerrero. According to a Mexican newspaper of the time called El Faro, dated September 15, 1898, which is located in the National Digital Newspaper UNAM.


DANCE BOOK Tecuanes

Information obtained from the book Dance of the Tecuanes.
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The Zapatistas and the dance of Jaguars (tecuanes)

By Oscar Cortes Palma


In employer fairs -located more than 45 villages in the states of Mexico, Morelos and Guerrero, a variant Tecuan dance, I have called "Dance of the Tecuanes Coatetelco type" is performed, the following have named it He said by Fernando Horcasitas who investigated Tecuan dance of this town. In this variant of the dance of the same model Tecuanes choreography, costumes, characters, dialogues and musical instruments used.

 Noticing these similarities, I knew that this dance was invented by someone or some place and a certain date, and after being invented, some people spread and unveiled in widely separated places. It is then, when other people learned this dance, adopted and added to its traditional festivals and continued to perform year after year without substantially changing the drama dance they had learned.

But now the question who invented the dance type Coatetelco Tecuan and those who reported arises?

To answer this, I visited many villages where dance this dance drama, and interviewed seniors to know the old. They told me and danced the dance of the Tecuanes since they were escuintles, brats, more or less by 1950 To check this assertion, inquired in books and other written sources. I knew that in the 1970s, the anthropologist Fernando Horcasitas had investigated the distribution of Dance Tecuan, and comparing his research with which I made in recent years, I could see that match. That is, in more than 40 years-from 1970 to the year 2014 the map of the distribution of Dance Tecuan had almost no alterations, which indicates that this dance, in recent decades, has not released quickly since there have been few towns that have adopted and few towns have ceased to dance. An example of the villages have stopped dancing it is Jolalpan, Puebla, there until the 1950s danced the Tecuanes enlivened by the music of Felix pitero times, but now no longer dance.

And about the spread of traditional dances I will mention as an example, the dance of the Chinelos, which apparently arose in the last decades of the nineteenth century, and in less than 140 years, has become popular far coexisting with dance Tecuanes by what I think in a few years will have overtaken this dance in distribution. That is, the dance of the Chinelos is fashionable, as was likely, at some time in history, dance Tecuan.

To continue investigating in written and oral sources I found a manuscript written in mixed with Spanish that translated into Spanish Fernando Horcasitas late 1970s Nahuatl And I also knew that dance Tecuan existed in Coatetelco in 1910, as well registers the manuscript Tecuanes dance, writing mixed with Spanish, Adam Elfego published in the Annals of the National Museum of Archaeology and History of that year Nahuatl, and Elfego Adam not only recorded a manuscript of the dialogue of dance the Tecuanes but also records another manuscript dialogues Dance Cowboys same village Coatetelco in 1910.

Besides the above manuscripts, another research published by Antonieta Espejo who interviewed in 1955, Don Efrén Ariza Jimenez, born in 1891, who mentioned that Tecuan dance and danced in Acatlán de Osorio for the year 1888. It should be clarified that it is different from other dance Coatetelco Tecuan variant type, but it is interesting to mention this fact because the oral sources that place nestled in the Mixteca, say dance Tecuan type Acatlán de Osorio came from a village Nahuatl affiliation.

Also by oral sources, we know that Tecuan dance and danced before the Mexican Revolution in Axochiapan, as we said Arturo Chinese Mozo, who mentioned to us that his father, Victor Mozo Jacinto, danced this dance. Another oral source that I have comes from Tetelpa, there responsible for this dance Don Florentino Sorela Severiano- said he learned dance Tecuan -Lidio Sorela- his father who learned it from his grandfather -Ramon Sorela-, who already the rehearsing since before the year 1895, for this reason they celebrated the centenary dance Tecuan of Tetelpa in the year 1995. With this information we can realize that dance Tecuan and danced in the early twentieth century, in places away from each other, as are the towns of Coatetelco and Tetelpa, a distance of Acatlán de Osorio at about 200 kilometers; and the three towns mentioned far Axochiapan in the town of about 100 kilometers.

Lacking oldest written sources, only one copy of a newspaper article that mentions the existence of a similar dance called Dance of the Tlacololeros in Tixtla in 1898, I have no choice but to look at the written sources and oral with whom do I have and find some data that give me a clue to the origin of dance Coatetelco Tecuan type. So, when analyzing the dialogues of the characters, I find that in the dance of the Tecuanes, monetary denominations called "real" and "pages" coins that were used since colonial times and began to fall into disuse mentioned From the 1870s, when they were replaced by coins called "checks" based on the decimal system. Another point are the weapons of two characters dance, consisting of arrows and spears, weapons that began falling into disuse since the 1820s There is also another character named "Yerbero" depicting a witch, individuals they began to lose its influence in the imagination of communities from the early twentieth century. A third fact is that the dialogues of the characters dance are in Nahuatl language with a few words in Spanish, on this I have knowledge about the year 1700 onwards, were made from Amecameca to Axochiapan, through Tepalcingo, plays driven by the Augustinian friars, on the "Passion of Christ" in the Nahuatl language. Therefore, if the dance Tecuanes Coatetelco type Nahuatl language is mixed with a few words in Spanish, it is likely that arose or at the end of the colonial era when the teaching of Castilian or after the independence of Mexico was promoted when the government of the newly created country of Mexico urged the natives to begin to speak the Spanish language to integrate into national society

A fourth data provides us the plot of the dance, which recounts comically hunting of a Jaguar that threatens to eat the cattle of a farmer so that orders his assistant to hire hunters. Based on this information immediately I place the birth of dance Tecuan type Coatetelco the landowner period, which ended in 1910, but its antiquity goes back to the year 1700 when they began to proliferate farms and ranches in the New Spain. A fifth fact is the existence of another dance in the region called "cowboys" whose plot involves a wealthy farmer orders his workers to a bull bullfighting, in other words jeans dance is very similar to dance Tecuan Coatetelco type, only the Nahuatl language was modified by the Spanish, and the jaguar was replaced by the bull, in the same way the costumes were made spanish and the names of the characters. A sixth fact is the existence of at least eight other dances consisting hunting jaguar in the same region so I think that some of them are "reinventions" or copies adapted from the others, because some retain more primitive elements and others are more modern elements. A seventh thing is the presence in the dance of the Tecuanes Coatetelco type two characters called medical surgeons, which draws attention because the surgery arose in Mexico in 1770, but despite this, it was not until 100 years later, the late nineteenth century when doctors began to distribute in the villages. An eighth data are the costumes of the dancers-the landowner and his foreman consisting charro suits and hats with sweat pants similar to those used by the farmers of the early nineteenth century; also the wardrobe doctors in white coats consisting characteristics of physicians from the ninth century XIX.Un fact is that the doctors of the dances of the state of Mexico, Morelos and Guerrero simulate injecting the injured hunters by Tecuani this also it draws attention because the injections began to be used from the mid-nineteenth century.

Based on these nine points, I conclude that:

1.-The dance of the type Coatetelco Tecuanes, with most of the elements as we know it today, came between the years of 1840-1880.

2. Dance of the Tecuanes massively distributed in the region of 1850-1950.
3. Dance Cowboys states of Morelos and Guerrero, are adapted Tecuan dance, and dance jeans emerged between the years of 1840 to 1880 and danced in many villages where also dancing the dance of the Tecuanes.

4. Dance of the Tecuanes Coatetelco type, was probably spread by tent theaters and circuses, those who came forward in many places between 1850 and 1910. Many residents of these communities liked and started copy and use in their supervisory fairs. Then shared the dance Tecuanes in employer fairs dispersing other towns.

5. In the late nineteenth century with the arrival of the railroad, the dance of the Tecuanes experienced a great dispersion.

6. Both Tecuanes Coatetelco dance dance guy like jeans were promoted or at least were not prohibited by the landowners. As this dance dramatized make them "look good" because in both a character representing the rich landowner who pays very well to catch the Tecuan or Jaguar in the dance of the Tecuanes or to goad the bull in the dance of the participating Cowboys.

7. Dance Tecuan Coatetelco type is obviously a reinvention or adaptation of another oldest Indian dance that dance could be Tlacololeros, the Tlaminques dance, or dance of Chilolos Juxtlahuaca or some other dance primitive extinct. In other words, the dance of the Tecuanes Coatetelco type has prehispanic elements and also has elements of the era landowner.

So I think that this dance is a "reinvention" of a dance of Mesoamerican origin, as well seem to prove the participation of costumed native animals such as Tecuani (jaguar), deer and vulture. This is interesting because there are other native dances that use the same characters, such as deer dance by the Yaqui and Mayo Indians dancing; buzzards and dance, which is danced in Axochiapan and in the state of Guerrero.

Another feature are the names of some of the sounds of dance Tecuan that are related to native animals such as the "Son of the Iguana" is danced imitating the steps of a iguana.Además in dance there is another type Tecuan Coatetelco character, I think is of Mesoamerican origin, "Laughing" (also called Gervasio, Gervaise or Varañado), and is characterized by emitting guttural cries and mocking and act as a wild crazy. The "Laughing" is a character who wears a hand holds a long stick, and is much like the characters in a state of Guerrero dance, dance called "Huesquixtles" meaning in Spanish dance of the "laughing" . Also in dance Tecuan hunters archers, spearmen, herbalists and trappers, weapons not unaware Mesoamerican people involved.

Another feature of the Tecuanes Coatetelco type is that they are a funny, very funny and cheerful dramatized dance. Although not mention any god or saint, or mention Christian values. The relationship with the Christian religion is given in Tecuan dance that is instrumental in the festivities of the patron saint of the community by showing reverence.

In conclusion dance Tecuan Coatetelco type with the characteristics with which we know it today, it came in the second half of the nineteenth century. This information shows that the traditions of the people are not static, they are in constant motion and change over the years, for example, in dance Tecuan can find four types or variants. One of these variants, is danced in fourteen villages in the south west of the state of Mexico and even now is known as the "dance of the wolves", although older people still remember that before he was called Tecuanis dance. Something similar happened about 150 years ago when the dance Tecuanes currently dancing emerged.

With this information, but I find about the origin of the dance type Tecuan Coatetelco me more questions arise due to the existence of at least eight dances similar in the same region which are: 1.Danza of tlacololeros, 2.Danza the tlaminques, 3.Danza of Tejorones, 4.Danza of Chilolos Juxtlahuaca, 5.Danza Tiger Cuitzeo, 6.Danza of maizos, 7.Danza of wolves, 8.Danza type of Tecuan Acatlan Osorio, 9. Multiple local variants Tecuan dance and 10. Dances hunt Jaguar unclassified. All these dances are further evidence of the creativity of the indigenous people and the traditionalists Mexicans.

Information obtained from the book Dance of the Tecuanes (jaguars).

Cel: (045) 735 190 67 62

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Tecuanes - Jaguars. TERRITORY OF TRADITIONAL DANCES OF Tecuanes (Jaguars)

By Oscar Cortes Palma

 Approximately 150 towns that dance disguised as jaguars in Mexico, 135 villages are located in this region: "The Suriana region." On the border between the states of Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, Mexico and Oaxaca.

Tecuanes dances (Nahuatl word meaning jaguars, tigers, wolves, wild animals) and other variants include a region comprising about 10, 000 square kilometers and includes the border villages located between the states of Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero and Puebla.

In the state of Morelos, this dance is danced in 13poblados:

1. Alpuyeca, Xochitepec

2. Axochiapan

3. Atlacahualoya, Axochiapan

4. Coatetelco, Miacatlán

5. The Fig Tree, Jojutla

6. Ocotepec, Cuernavaca

7. Tenextepango, Villa de Ayala

8. Tetecala

9. Tepalcingo

10. Tetelpa, Zacatepec

11. Xoxocotla, Puente de Ixtla

12. Tlatenchi, Jojutla

13. Telixtac, Axochiapan

Previously it was danced in other villages more like Tepoztlan, Tehuixtla and Temixco, but stopped danced in the course of the twentieth century.

Tecuan dance is also danced in the villages near Morelospertenecientesal state Guerrero.Hasta now 46 towns have registered but may be a little longer, and are located in northern and mountain region of Guerrero:

1. Acapetlahuaya, Canute

2. Apaxtla Castrejon

3. Apetlanca, Cuetzala Progress

4. 

5. Ahuehuepan, Teloloapan

6. Alpoyeca

7. Atlixtac

8. Tlaquiltepec

9. Cacalutla

10. Coyuca de Catalan,

11. Coatepec Costales, Teloloapan

12. 

13. Progress Cuetzala

14. Cutzamala de Pinzon

15. Chaucingo

16. Chilacachapa

17. Huitzuco de los Figueroa

18. Huamuxtitlán

19. Huehuetepec

20. San Andrés Huixtac

21. Mezcala, Eduardo Neri

22. 

23. Ixcatepec, Arcelia,

24. Malinaltepec

25. Mexiquiapan

26. Ozomatlán, Huitzuco

27. Oxtotitlan

28. Rio Florido, Coyuca de Catalán

29. Pachivia

30. Potoichan, Copanatoyac

31. Poliutla, Tlapehuala

32. Tecoyo, Alcozauca de Guerrero

33. Teloloapan

34. Tlapa

35. ,

36. 

37. Temalacatzingo, Olinalá

38. Tototepec

39. 

40. Tlatzala, Tlapa

41. Tenamazapa

42. 

43. Tomatal, Iguala

44. Tuxpan, Iguala

45. Xalpatlahuac

46. ​​Zapotitlan

And also dances in Puebla villages bordering the states of Morelos and Guerrero:

The dances of the Tecuanes also danced in the villages of the State of Mexico near Morelos and Guerrero, in these villages also known as dance of wolves.

And also dances in the towns of Puebla bordering the states of Morelos and Guerrero:

1. Acatlán de Osorio

2. Ahuehuetitla

3. Boqueron, Acatlán de Osorio

4. Chietla

5. Chinantla

6. Chiautla de Tapia

7. Huehuetlán El Chico

8. warrior Ixcamilpa

9.-La Galarza, Izúcar de Matamoros

10. Escape Lagunillas

11. Tlaxcuapan, Tecuautitlan

12. Yeloixtlahuaca

13. Tzicatlán

Information obtained from the book Dance of the Tecuanes (jaguars).

Cel: (045) 735 190 67 62

Email: cami17_4@hotmail.com

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You can buy this book in the libraries of ENAH-México city; Cuernavaca, in the Alley of the Book of Cuernavaca, so you can buy at Axochiapan, for shipping by mail contact:

Cel: 735 190 67 62

Email: cami17_4@hotmail.com; axochiapancultural@hotmail.com

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Ayotzinapa: Where people dance and live-jaguar

 By Oscar Cortes Palma

Normal Raul Isidro Burgos Rural School, better known as Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School is located in the town of Ayotzinapa, in the town of Tixtla (Guerrero, Mexico).

In the municipality of Tixtla is very popular dance called: Tlacololeros, traditional dance that is hunting a dancer dressed Tecuani (jaguar or tiger) you are eating the crops of the villagers.

The location of the normal Ayotzinapa is in Chilpancingo-Chilapa Km. National Road 14. And in both villages.

In Chilpancingo and Chilapa, places close to Ayotzinapa, traditionally danced the dance of the tlacololeros (where a dancer dressed Tecuani or participates Jaguar)

Nearby, a few kilometers north of Ayotzinapa in Acatlan Zitlala and there are also dances on Tecuanes in these villages is traditionally bout Tecuanes (tigers or JAGUARES) for rain to God Tlaloc.

Many more kilometers to the north are more than 90 villages located between the borders of the states of Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla and Mexico, where people dance the dances of the Tecuanes.

Similarly, Southern Ayotzinapa people also dress up Tecuanes (Jaguars), for example in the festivities called "fighting tigers" in Chilpancingo Chilapa, and many more villages.

And many more kilometers south of Ayotzinapa in Tecpan de Galeana is traditionally danced the dance of the tiger, but in those villages will no longer says Tecuane the Jaguar, there is told tiger or Jaguar; likewise in the neighboring villages between the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, DANCE OF THE TIGER AND TLAMINQUES, which by its nature is similar to the dance of the Tecuanes, dancing although these villages is no longer called "Tecuane" the jaguar, but is usually called TIGER.

Also for this region, jaguar masks are made and many more artistic events related to Jaguar. Animal surianas symbol of these lands.

For all the foregoing that the Ayotzinapa village is located in the territory where people dance and live-jaguar.

JAGUAR, the emblematic animal called Tecuane (Nahuatl word that literally means person or animal that eats, but his usual practical significance is Jaguar, tiger, beast, wolf, bear, animal carnivore, wild animal, etc.

The jaguar is a symbol of art, including traditional dances Suriana that characterizes this region of the world.

To conclude this paper I have to mention that one year of the slaughter of Ayotzinapa, for the present and for the future of Mexico, it is necessary to make a renewal, a revolution in our minds, to restructure Mexico's political and economic system that all lights being ineffective, fickle, impractical, outdated and unable to cope with energy, enthusiasm, intelligence, and commitment with which adversity has to deal the people of Mexico.