The Virgin, little devils and the Holy Spirit

When the Spaniards conquered ancient Mexico the land was peopled by speakers of many languages. The predominant language here in Michoacán was what we now call purhépecha. A friend from the Colegio took us to Ocumicho, a hill town above the valley of Zamora where most residents speak Purhépecha and/or Spanish.

Walking to the huatapera

The modest square at the centre of Ocumicho has the usual architectural features: a colonial church with a modern tower added, and a modest one-story town hall. To the left, a few metres slightly downhill is another space, the huatapera. The early evangelizers of Michoacán built hospitals as well as churches. The huatapera was originally a combination of chapel, hospital and communal centre. The Ocumicho community centre includes an open-air kitchen a meeting hall and a chapel. This place of worship has distinctly Catholic features, but no priest officiates here: the community runs all the services.

The courtyard of the huatapera

Interior of the chapel

The interior of the chapel would strike a good Anglican as very unorthodox. Colourful decorations hang from the ceiling. The altar is entirely hidden behind a mass of flowers and the figure behind the altar is the Virgin Mary wearing a necklace of US $1 and $5 bills. The crucified Christ has to be content with a secondary position on a side wall. He too wears a dollar necklace. Wooden benches along the side walls allow lots of open space for ceremonial activities.

When we arrived, a group of women in splendidly embroidered dresses were busy cooking. We were offered a bowl of beans to which we added chopped onion, tomatoes, chile and coriander. Quite delicious (áshpi in Purhépecha). The women invited us back at 6pm to see the Virgin being processed out of the church.

We returned promptly at 6pm to find that things had not yet started. A bit later a man rang the church bells, not to summon worshippers to church, but to the Huatapera. A customary rocket seconded the summons with a loud bang. After a while mothers began to arrive with young girls dressed in white carrying bunches of flowers. Older women also joined the group but no adult men.  When the chapel was pretty much full four men joined the throng. Meanwhile, a group of women lined up holding offerings: oil and vinegar, a chalice and other things. The younger women, in their traditional dress, wore high heels that would not be out of place in London or New York.

The chapel façade

The procession of the Virgin begins

As a female voice inside the chapel led the prayers, the young girls carried the flowers to the altar. Once the flowers were all in place, the girls led a procession outside, followed by a banner and then the Virgin carried by four young women and the rest of the gathering. The procession was short, accompanied by prayers.

The Virgin

 

The procession returns to the chapel

Octavio with one of his works ready for firing

Ocumicho is known internationally for its diablos (devils), colourful ceramic figures. We visited the workshop of Octavio Esteban Reyes. He showed us his range of merchandise: devil figures and masks, ceramic cars driven by devils, in contrast a tree of life with a nativity scene. Outside the kiln was heating up and pieces waited to be fired in the kiln for painting. Octavio learned his craft from his father, and other members of his family are involved in the devil-making business.

Diablitos

 

The kiln

The Holy Spirit emerges from the church

The weekend of 19 and 20 May was Espíritu Santo (Holy Spirit: or Whitsun in the UK). Since this is the name or the parish church at the end of our street there were celebrations. During the week the bells summoning parishioners to mass were followed by ear-shattering rockets. Saturday evening after the last mass there was a procession. The priest brought out the Santísimo (Most Holy: the monstrance) from the altar and placed it on the back of a pick-up truck where a young woman held it steady.

The procession

The procession round the neighbourhood was accompanied by chants such as alábale (praise him), occasional shouts of ¡Viva Cristo Rey! ("Long live Christ the King") or ¡Viva la comunidad de Las Fuentes! ("Long live the community of Las Fuentes"). At the rear, one man carried a large bundle of rockets, another a portable wooden frame for launching them. Periodic booms punctuated our procession. Along our route many houses were decorated with balloons: these were burst as the procession passed, either by a young woman from the church who carried a pin, or by the residents. When the procession reached one of the several plazas in Las Fuentes, where a temporary altar was set up, the priest carried the Santísimo to display it to the assembled parishioners. More cries of ¡Viva Cristo Rey!, and a salvo of rockets.

Eventually, the procession returned to the church where a night-long vigil was held. At about 7am we heard the strains of a mariachi playing Las mañanitas (a traditional celebratory song) to mark the end of the vigil. Throughout Sunday more or less continuous masses were held, accompanied by much ringing of bells and more rocket salvos.

Tamales for sale

Cakes and jellies

Meanwhile, the large plaza was filled with food stalls and fairground rides. The equipment of a band was set up on the concrete platform at the far end of the plaza. By evening, masses competed with the smells of food, the lights and music of the fairground rides, and the plaza started to fill with people. In a taped off area that a British health and safety officer would consider far too small, the fireworks specialists started to construct el castillo ("the castle), with which all big celebrations must end in Mexico. We picked up some tamales (steamed maize dough filled with meat and a sauce) and two good slices of cake to eat at home before returning to the plaza.

Construction of the castillo

By now the place was crammed. The band was battling bravely against the music and racket of the fairground rides behind it. Everywhere people were eating, chatting strolling around (very slowly because of the crowds). At about 10:30 the band had yet more competition: the first fireworks of the castillo were lit. The castillo is a structure some 40 feet tall on which are strung a variety of fireworks. These are set off in sequence from bottom to top. On the lower levels large Catherine wheels fizzed, whirled and let off loud noises. The penultimate level was the real showstopper: a large white firework dove (representing the Holy Spirit) that turned counter-clockwise high above the crowd. Then followed the whizzes and bangs of the top level.

The band played on until midnight. We left for bed.