The Vaquerias Maya dance in the fiesta in Yucatan Mexico

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 I live 90 km south of Merida Yucatan Mexico, near a trio of pueblos: Chumayel, Teabo, and Mayapan.  All 3 are only about 8km apart and many families from one, have family in the others.  Each has about 3,000 residents.  It's a wonderful, happy, friendly, peaceful, content, hard-working community that I've been blessed to become a part of.  

Right now, and starting on April 29, 2023, there is a celebration going on in Teabo and Chumayel.  When it is over there, it will start for 7 more days in Mayapan.   It is not because of Cinco de Mayo (May 5th Independence Day) but coincidentally coincides with it.

Each pueblo in Yucatan has a patron saint, and this is the week in the pueblos to honor the saint.  In Mayapan it is Santo Cristo del Amor.

In another video I posted and another blog post, I mentioned the slaughter of the pigs that most families have been raising for the past 3 months to share this week during the fiesta.  That too is a family affair that concludes with the deep fat frying of the Chicharra (pig skins).

The first day of the celebration begins with a parade.  I found it amusing that it seemed to be so long, to allow adults and children to be in the parade and then to step out and watch the parade.  Participants and observers.    The first two nights are called the "vaquerias" and have the Yucatan traditional dance, an orchestra performs and the people wear traditional costumes that date back 100's of years.   The Maya ladies wear their Terno dress that is more glamorous than the traditional huipil (prounounced ipee).  The men wear their fine white filipina pants and shirt and hat.

It is the pueblo version of Dancing with the Stars and each couple has a number on the back for the judges to vote on the best dancers.   It goes on late and brought me so much joy to watch.  Not just to see the people to be having fun, but to know that I was witnessing something that is done exactly the same way it has been done for hundreds of years.




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