Milwaukee Public Museum: Middle America
PEOPLES OF THE MEXICAN SIERRA & GULF COAST
Tarascans
Descendants of one of the civilized Indian nations of Mexico, the Tarascans are giving up the mixed Indian-Spanish Colonial culture imposed after the Conquest. Tarascans have been active in modern political movements.
Their economy is moving toward national rather than local markets. For centuries each community has specialized in certain products which are exchanged through weekly markets in the towns and by traveling traders. One famous Tarascan craft is lacquer-work, particularly beautifully painted trays. Now, many crafts are produced in small factories. The owners of these businesses may become wealthy and politically powerful.
Wheat and other European crops, as well as the native corn, beans, squash, and chili, are grown by the Tarascans. Whenever agricultural activity slackens, as after harvests, towns celebrate festivals honoring Catholic saints. Markets are held during the fiestas, and thousands of Indians from many villages may flock to the event. Amusing dances such as that of the costumed Viejitos ('Little Old Men"), couples' dances, and games including exciting ball games enliven the fiestas.
Totonac
Vanilla is a specialty of the Totonacs. This export crop is rotated with the corn, beans, and squash that feed the family. Their habitat varies widely from the high mesa of Sierra de Puebla to the humid jungle of the Gulf Coast. Before the Spanish Conquest, the Totonacs had cities and a state system of communal lands producing several crops for trade with neighboring nations. When the Spanish took the communal lands, the Indian families became more self-sufficient, but gaining only a little cash from their large contribution to the vanilla trade, which is handled by non-Indian middlemen.
"Slash-and-burn" describes Totonac agriculture. The jungle must be slashed down and the cut vegetation burned off before fields can be planted. After a few years the fields lose fertility and new ones are cleared; the jungle reclaims the abandoned land.
In ancient times the jungle provided material such as brilliant quetzal feathers for gorgeous Totonac dance costumes. The present-day Indians use equally bright but less exotic mate-rial. Their most spectacular dance is that of the Voladores ("Flyers"). Four men, symbolizing the four directions, dance around a tall pole, then climb to its top and leap off head first. Ropes tied around their waists break their fall. The four men spin around the pole thirteen times each, the total of fifty-two turns symbolizing the Indian "century" of fifty-two years. Sun, the fall of rain, and the cycle of years form the meaning of this dance.
Charro Sombrero
Charro, meaning "loud" or "flashy" describes the reaction of people of sophisticated taste to the rancheros. These rural, Indian-Spanish ranchers enjoy spending money on their chief amusement, horseback riding. They adorn their horses' harnesses with silver and themselves with richly embroidered and appliqued clothing. The costume is based on that worn by the peasants of Salamanca.
China Poblana
The China Poblana is the national folk costume worn on gala occasions by city women of all ages and social classes. "China" means "maid servant" and "poblana" suggests the city of Puebla as the place of the costume's origin.
Legends tell of a Chinese princess introducing the style as early as 1684. While en route by sea to Acapulco, she was captured by English pirates and sold to an honorable and wealthy resident of Puebla who freed her. Becoming a devout Christian, she led an exemplary life. Maid servants imitated her dress and virtuous life. When she dies, she received great honors and is affectionately known as La China.
Milwaukee Public Museum: Middle America
PEOPLES OF THE MEXICAN SIERRA & GULF COAST
Tarascans
Descendants of one of the civilized Indian nations of Mexico, the Tarascans are giving up the mixed Indian-Spanish Colonial culture imposed after the Conquest. Tarascans have been active in modern political movements.
Their economy is moving toward national rather than local markets. For centuries each community has specialized in certain products which are exchanged through weekly markets in the towns and by traveling traders. One famous Tarascan craft is lacquer-work, particularly beautifully painted trays. Now, many crafts are produced in small factories. The owners of these businesses may become wealthy and politically powerful.
Wheat and other European crops, as well as the native corn, beans, squash, and chili, are grown by the Tarascans. Whenever agricultural activity slackens, as after harvests, towns celebrate festivals honoring Catholic saints. Markets are held during the fiestas, and thousands of Indians from many villages may flock to the event. Amusing dances such as that of the costumed Viejitos ('Little Old Men"), couples' dances, and games including exciting ball games enliven the fiestas.
Totonac
Vanilla is a specialty of the Totonacs. This export crop is rotated with the corn, beans, and squash that feed the family. Their habitat varies widely from the high mesa of Sierra de Puebla to the humid jungle of the Gulf Coast. Before the Spanish Conquest, the Totonacs had cities and a state system of communal lands producing several crops for trade with neighboring nations. When the Spanish took the communal lands, the Indian families became more self-sufficient, but gaining only a little cash from their large contribution to the vanilla trade, which is handled by non-Indian middlemen.
"Slash-and-burn" describes Totonac agriculture. The jungle must be slashed down and the cut vegetation burned off before fields can be planted. After a few years the fields lose fertility and new ones are cleared; the jungle reclaims the abandoned land.
In ancient times the jungle provided material such as brilliant quetzal feathers for gorgeous Totonac dance costumes. The present-day Indians use equally bright but less exotic mate-rial. Their most spectacular dance is that of the Voladores ("Flyers"). Four men, symbolizing the four directions, dance around a tall pole, then climb to its top and leap off head first. Ropes tied around their waists break their fall. The four men spin around the pole thirteen times each, the total of fifty-two turns symbolizing the Indian "century" of fifty-two years. Sun, the fall of rain, and the cycle of years form the meaning of this dance.
Charro Sombrero
Charro, meaning "loud" or "flashy" describes the reaction of people of sophisticated taste to the rancheros. These rural, Indian-Spanish ranchers enjoy spending money on their chief amusement, horseback riding. They adorn their horses' harnesses with silver and themselves with richly embroidered and appliqued clothing. The costume is based on that worn by the peasants of Salamanca.
China Poblana
The China Poblana is the national folk costume worn on gala occasions by city women of all ages and social classes. "China" means "maid servant" and "poblana" suggests the city of Puebla as the place of the costume's origin.
Legends tell of a Chinese princess introducing the style as early as 1684. While en route by sea to Acapulco, she was captured by English pirates and sold to an honorable and wealthy resident of Puebla who freed her. Becoming a devout Christian, she led an exemplary life. Maid servants imitated her dress and virtuous life. When she dies, she received great honors and is affectionately known as La China.