The wise gentlemen of the town say that, to work the fields, one must ask permission from Mother Earth, the God of Rain and the God of the Mountains so that during the work day nothing bad happens and there is a lot of rain and fertility, so the harvest is abundant.
To prepare the ground, they carry out the ritual for slashing, grazing and burning. This ritual takes place in the month of January, which is the season of the year that people start preparing the land to be cultivated.
During this ritual, they present candles, incense, pozol (a soup) and brandy, and it lasts for two days. The first day is the preparation, or eve, of the ritual and the second day is the performance of the ritual. The entire town participates, from children and youth to adults.
This event is led by the Tatuch who has the knowledge, honor and authority to live together with God, Man and Nature, according to the deep-rooted cultural tradition of our ancestors.
During the ritual, they dance and sing with traditional music such as the huapango, the zapateado and the malentzin. They also drink brandy while the tatuch performs the ritual for Mother Earth. When it ends, everyone gets together for a feast prepared by the women of the community.
The stew, traditionally, is prepared with free-range chicken and vegetables that are typical to the region accompanied by pozol or cocoa. After the banquet, they return to their homes and conclude the offering to Mother Earth.
The next day, some go to the mountains to prepare the land and others go to watch, while others wait for the month of March and April to prepare the land, depending on the height or size of the grasses or trees where they work.
If it’s a high forest, you start as soon as possible so that it burns well, but if it’s a small forest, it’s done last so that the weeds do not grow before sowing. After the land is ready, the weeds are burned to stimulate seed growth.
Before sowing, they do the sowing ritual that takes place on May 2nd and 3rd, where they present all the seeds to be sown. As always, the second of May is the eve and preparation of the things to use and the third of May is the great day of the offering. They begin at dawn by singing the mañanitas by the local musicians, which done in the church.
After the morning, the Tatuches make offerings to the God, to Mother Earth, to the God of Rain and to the God of the Mountains. They present twelve candles, six liters of brandy and the incense burner.
While the ritual is taking place, the women prepare the stew in the kitchen that will be enjoyed at the end of the ritual. This is with the help of children, youth and adults as well as senior members of the community.
The children participate by plucking the chickens, adding the firewood, bringing the banana leaves among other tasks. The young people carry the water, carry the firewood, cut the banana leaves, smoke it and wash it. The adults in the company of the senior members, respectfully carry out all the chores in the kitchen and in the ritual, while the Tatuches perform their role.
When they finish in the church, they go into the cave to ask the God of Rain and the God of the Mountains for abundant rain and a good harvest. There as well, they present twelve candles, six candles, five liters of brandy, a bottle of white pozol and cocoa, chicken broth and the incense burner.
The chicken is buried as an offering to Mother Earth and the God of the Mountains and must be prepared from two chicks of both sexes and cooked by two children of opposite sexes, according to the Tatuches and the senior members of the community.
While the Tatuch performs the ritual in the cave, the musicians play the zapateado and the guapango, sing and drink brandy. After the ritual is over, the tatuch offers Mother Earth some the brandy and the pozol. Finally, they dance, sing, drink the rest of the brandy and return to the community.
When they arrive in the community, the women serve the food and everyone eats happily. Then they return to their homes to rest and wait for the first rains to plant. When it finally rains, they sow together with their children or their wives and take care of the crops until the harvest.
The harvest occurs in the months of September, October, November and December. But, the first fruits begin to appear at the end of August, for which the scoop must be made before harvest.
The scoop is a presentation of the first fruits of the field in order to thank Mother Earth for having given them fertility, water and harvest. It takes place at the end of September with the participation of the entire community where they bring watermelon, melon, yucca, chili, sweet potato, yam, corn and tomato.
With some of these fruits, snacks are prepared to be able to taste them during the ritual, such as atole and the sweet corn tamale. But first, thanks are given to the God of everything and the God of the Mountains, the God of Rain and Mother Earth.
The ritual, as always, is in led by the Tatuches and is carried out in the church beginning at dawn with the burning of the candle, the offering and thanksgiving, while in the kitchen, the women prepare the food for the conclusion of the festivity.
Some kill the chicken, grind the corn, make atol, torte, pluck, season the meat, prepare the stew and carry the water. While doing all this, they laugh and talk to each other.
When the Tatuches finish with the ritual, singing, dancing, drinking a little brandy, they serve food, eat, drink, and then return home happily.
This concludes the three important rituals for work in the field in relation to God, Man and Nature. According to the traditions of our peoples that have prevailed from generation to generation to date.
Written by: Ernesto Martínez Jiménez – CRIPX Communicator