One of the tradition of the P’urhépecha is to perform a folkloric dance while made up like wrinkled old white men. When the conquistadors came to town, this was one of the ways that the P’urhépecha expressed their frustration. They thought (think) that it was very funny how the white people aged. Their hair turned gray, they got all wrinkly and saggy and they stooped over. This dance is typically performed by young men as it is a very athletic and aggressive routine. They wear a serape and a wooden carved mask carved and painted to resemble ancient old white men. The young men protect their faces with cloth so the mask won’t scratch and tear their face off.
I happened upon a great demonstration of this dance in the main square of Patzcuaro. There was a band playing traditional music while six dancers with wooden sandals danced on a sheet of plywood. This amounted to an early version of tap dancing as the wooden shoes crashed and stomped against the plywood. The vision of the old men stomping about so aggressively was a paradoxical treat. They were drawing a large crowd and we all enjoyed the show.
Dance on over to WORLD NEIGHBOR now!!
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