THE FIESTA GRANDE

Located on the banks of the Grijalva river in Chiapas, Mexico, Chiapa de Corzo is the oldest colonial town in the state and hosts the Fiesta Grande (Grand Festival) or the Fiesta de los Parachicos celebration every year.

Text and photos by David Díaz Gómez

Chiapa de Corzo was founded in 1528 by conquistador Diego de Mazariegos. Its rich customs and colorful traditions are the result of a blending of three different cultures: Maya, European and African, the latter from the slaves who came to the area in the 16th and 17th centuries. One such tradition is the Fiesta de Los Parachicos, held every January, often described as the best mestizo festival in southeastern Mexico

    The festival is held to honor Chiapa de Corzo's three patron saints: the Lord of Esquipulas, St. Antonio Abad and St. Sebastian the Martyr, on the 15th, 17th and 20th of January respectively. To get the party going, on the night of the 14th gangs of chuntas, or men dressed as women, roam the streets and shake rattles. Fully made-up, they wear long skirts, flowery blouses and hats made with paper streamer-decorated baskets. Some ape carnival stereotypes or TV and film personalities. During their nighttime trip around town, the chuntas visit houses and churches where they worship images of the celebrated saints. Accompanying them are musicians playing drums and reed flutes, and sometimes even mariachis or wind bands. On January 19, municipal authorities award prizes to the best groups and costumes at a special event held in the main square.

    The true heart and soul of the festival are the parachicos with their lively costumes. Their masks are made with cedar or guanacaste (endemic tree, whose wood is used to make furniture), they are carved to resemble a Spaniard, and then lacquered with oil obtained from an insect called aje (Cocus axin). Their wigs, adorned with flowers and ribbons, are made with ixtle (a rough fiber derived from agave plants). They also wear brightly-colored wool or cotton ponchos over their sequin and spangle-embroidered leggings. Shaking their rattles and dancing wildly, parachicos appear on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd of January, when they tour the neighborhoods of Chiapa de Corzo. They are accompanied by a "boss" who wears a different mask to separate him from the others.

    Parachicos visit houses with images of one or more of the saints and pray before their altars, that are usually decorated with flowers. Some kneel while the "boss" strikes them with a whip in an act of ritual purification, while others dance to the sounds of drum and flute.

    Three committees, one for each saint, organize the entire festival: prayers, floral arrangements, masses and the "announcements." The latter include midnight marches with fireworks and music that is played by wind bands the night before each of the three saints' days. These processions always end in the early hours of the following morning when the marchers sing Las Manañitas (a song similar in meaning to "Happy Birthday") to the appropriate saint. The priest, who is in charge of carrying the saint's image, prepares a gigantic banquet—for as many as 2,000 people—consisting of pepita con tasajo (beef jerky in a pumpkinseed sauce).

    The entire festival comes to a climax with the "naval battle," a great show of light and color on the banks of the Grijalva river, and a parade of allegorical floats, held in memory of María de Angulo. This is when the women of Chiapa de Corzo dress in their traditional floral garb, which is embroidered with white, gold and silver-colored silk thread.