December 2019, Vol. 37, No. 11
The official publication of the Diocese of Austin
En Español: Páginas 23-26
Matachines groups honor Our Lady through dance By Enedelia J. Obregón | Senior Correspondent
While many of us are asleep in the wee hours of Dec. 12, there will be choirs singing and mariachis playing and singing Las Mañanitas (the traditional Mexican birthday song) in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. For many people of Mexican descent, this is an important feast day, third only to Christmas and Easter. It is celebrated equally by recent immigrants and those whose ancestors have been in the U.S. for many generations. There will also be matachines dancing in honor of the Virgen Morena (Mary). Matachines play an important in liturgical celebrations in many predominantly Latino parishes. There is debate as to the origins of matachines. Some argue it is rooted in a medieval dance re-enacting the battle between Catholic Spaniards and Muslim Moors, which the Spanish brought The Matachines El Señor de la Ascensión from Santa Cruz Parish in Buda practice their dance for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón)
to the Americas to help convert indigenous people. Others claim they derive from indigenous dances introduced to Europe when Hernán Cortés took indigenous slaves to Europe after his conquest of Mexico beginning in 1519. Dancing was an important part of indigenous worship. It was after the Virgin Mary appeared to an Aztec man named Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill in Tenochtitlán –– now Mexico City –– that Matachines became an integral part of this celebration to the brown-skinned Lady who spoke in Nahuatl. Among the Matachines will be Danza Azteca de Cristo Rey in Austin founded four years ago by Zita Vázquez along with her husband Santos Díaz and daughter Abigail Chávez. “This is a gift from God,” said Vázquez, who learned to dance while at San José Parish in Austin. “Just watching and listening I felt that I could also do this. I practiced all the time and I really enjoyed it.” She now plays the drum and teaches the steps to the group, which has between 25 and 30 dancers. As per tradition, they are mostly families who are related to one another. Parents, teenagers and elementary-school age students all participate. Before they dance, they pray the rosary together. Dressed in Aztec-style feathered headdresses and rattles
on their ankles and wrists, they dance to the beat of the drum, incorporating all the senses to elevate the prayers of the faithful to heaven. A conch shell is blown at the beginning of the dance to call the faithful together and at the end to dismiss them. The turns they make while dancing symbolize the wind, the steps on the floor symbolize the earth, the cross-steps symbolize water and the jumps symbolize fire. Copal –– an incense –– is burned in an urn and carried ahead of the dancers to purify them and send up their gifts to heaven. “It lifts up our prayers and purifies the space, opening that path for the Virgen,” she said. Right behind the copal urn comes the banner with the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe. “The dance is a prayer,” said Vázquez. “Every step we take is part of the prayer. It’s not just dancing.” For Vázquez, who grew up in the town of El Refugio in the Mexican state of San Luís Potosí, the Matachines are an important and unique cultural tradition that allows Mexicans to show their faith. “Many people don’t understand what we do because they lack knowledge,” she said. “We worship the true
Danza Azteca de Cristo Rey is one of the Matachines groups dancing in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe later this month. (Photo by Enedelia J. Obregón)
God, believe in Jesus Christ and the Trinity.” Teresa Nava has traveled from Round Rock to Cristo Rey every week since last year so her children Samara, 13, and Cristobal, 9, can practice every week. They practice year-round since they are called to dance on feast days throughout the year. “I didn’t push them to do this,” Nava said. “They saw their cousin do it and they wanted to do it, too.” Samara and Cristobal say they enjoy dancing and thinks it’s fun. Vázquez and Nava agree it is also important to teach children these cultural traditions. “It’s something very beautiful,” Vázquez said. At Santa Cruz Parish in Buda, the Matachines El Señor de la Ascensión are also preparing for the feast day. The group was founded by sistersin-law Brenda Montoya and Emily
See OLG on Page 3
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PAGE 15
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