After the church dance, the boys came outside, still in their costumes

Boys in traditional costume — Boys in costumes

Before the parade begins, it is customary for a traditional dance to be performed inside the church. The dancers are boys, their heads crowned with large hats adorned with swaying feathers, their bodies wrapped in glittering costumes. The feathers may be meant to compete in flamboyance, or perhaps they carry a ritual meaning from ancient times. To an onlooker, though, they simply raise concern for the strain on the boys’ necks. Festivals, it seems, are a world where tradition outweighs physical comfort.

When the dance ends, the boys step outside in the same elaborate costumes, with no time to change, for now they must join the parade. In Mexico’s festivities, continuity appears to be essential—one ritual flows seamlessly into the next. Adults carry flowers, children march forward with their oversized hats swaying like plumage. Watching those feathered hats, one might mistake the scene for a procession of peacocks or even imagine a gathering of ornithologists. In truth, it is only an extraordinary moment woven into the ordinary fabric of daily life in the small town of Zaachila.

Zaachila on Google Map

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