Ajijic fires up for Mardi Gras romp
The denizens of Ajijic will celebrate Carnaval in their own inimitable way, with traditional antics starting on Saturday, March 5 and climaxing with a lively Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday, March 8.
Ajijic’s outlandish masked Sayacos will fire up light-hearted mayhem during the traditional Mardi Gras festivities.
{reg}The build-up for each event starts with the madcap Toro de Once parades led by Los Sayacos, the outrageously costumed masked dancers made up of male pairs dressed up as bearded gents and busty broads. The cavalcade starts around 11 a.m., usually running along Calle Galeana and Guadalupe Victoria toward the central plaza, looping through the main streets and ending at the bullring where the Sayacos gather for a last interlude of hilarious hell-raising.
The Sayacos and Sayacas drive the lively Carnaval spirit as they romp through the town, dancing to the furious beat traditional tunes like the Jarabe Tapatio (Mexican hat dance) or La Jota. They generate laughter and mayhem as they charge down the streets pelting on-lookers with fistfuls of flour or confetti stashed in woven shoulder bags and over-sized purses.
Afterwards revelers wind their way back to the plaza for the Recibimiento, a courtesy reception in honor of the ranchers who are providing livestock for the afternoon’s Toros. The welcome party involves live music for dancing and free-flowing booze, held as a prelude to a private comida hosted by the Ajijic Charro Association.
Sayaco roots
According to local lore, the roots of the Sayacos date back to the pre-Hispanic era. It is said that a pair of colorfully outfitted masked dancers played an important role in the ancient rituals practiced to garner favor from the deities ruling over the four elements – earth, air, water and fire.
Sayacos are also linked to the legendary Xicantzy, a female village elder and direct descendent of the area’s ancestral tribal ruler who was distinguished for wearing extravagant clothing and lots of glittery jewelry. Some oral histories identify her as a great healer who applied her expertise in natural remedies to treat the mentally deranged.
As one story goes, Xicantzy and a pair of Sayacos stood at the gateway to the village to greet the first Spaniards who arrived as on the scene around 1531 as conquerors and Christian missionaries.
An alternate version purports that Xicantzy was prone to occasional fits of madness that drove her to chase down male inhabitants and douse them with her powdery cosmetics if they refused her amorous advances. The Sayacos and Sayacas subsequently arose as impersonators of her bizarre behavior. Their outlandish costumes, lively dances and confetti and flour pitching practices represent rejection of the Spanish overthrow of the native culture and ridicule of society’s rich and powerful.
The typical male costume features a dark wooden mask with bushy eyebrows and ample facial hair, an oversized suit jacket, baggy pants, short riding boots and a well-worn hat. Sayacas wear papier mache masks painted with rosy cheeks, bright red lips and heavily arched eyebrows, a bright skirt and blouse combo or outdated party dress filled out front and rear balloons, gaudy costume jewelry, outmoded high heel shoes and an unkempt wig held down by a kerchief or fancy hat.{/reg]
