The culture of Morelos is the product of cultural syncretism. The traditions of the indigenous cultures were mixed with the customs and practices of the Spanish conquerors, which generated new expressions.
Handicrafts, textiles, goldsmithing, oral tradition and especially shamanistic rituals influenced by Catholic beliefs are famous practices in this state of Mexico located in the central area.
It is possible to appreciate a large sample of dance and dances. These have great color in their costumes and the movements of the body allude to nature.
You may also be interested in the history of Morelos or its traditions.
The 4 main cultural manifestations of Morelos
1- Traditions
One of the most important traditions in the state of Morelos is the Reto al Tepozteco. It is a theatrical performance about the conversion to Christianity of the last member of the tlatoani. Mr. Tepozteco is baptized by Fray Domingo de la Anunciación.
Between the indigenous and the friar there is the challenge of launching their gods from on high to see which one has greater resistance.
In the challenge, the metal image of Jesus Christ survives without damage; on the contrary, the image of the god Ometochtli, made in stone, is broken into several pieces.
2- Dances
The Tecuanes is the name of a recognized dance and is performed using masks that give life to wild animals, mainly the tiger.
During the performance the tiger chases and eats a deer. The scene takes place in the streets of various towns in Morelos.
3- Beliefs
In the state of Morelos, the legend of Tepexinola is very popular, which tells about how Popocatepetl, an Aztec warrior, seduced his daughter and she fled with her son, grandson from the Nevado de Toluca.
The snowy man cursed his daughter by announcing that if she ever turned her gaze to the snowy one, she would be turned into stone, and so it happened: both she and her son turned her into stone.
Dozens of legends like this have been passed down orally between generations. Also noteworthy is the one referred to the chaneques or water guardians, those in charge of providing water from the springs.
There are also many legends about the trees of Ahuehuete. It is said that these announce the existence of water and summon the populations to a meeting to prepare the different crops.
4- Parties
In the 67 localities of the state of Morelos 176 parties are held. Among the most popular is the Tlatenango fair, held in Cuernavaca.
Also noteworthy are the New Year's Eve party, Xochitepec and the Fiesta de los Reyes. In all of them there is an exhibition of handicrafts, gastronomy of the region and traditional games.
The Jiutepec carnival is also very famous. On that festival there is a fair, rides, crafts and the representation of widows, who are men dressed as women who cry for the death of bad humor, in a kind of cult of good spirits.
Chinelos are present in many of these festivals. In the Nahuatl language this word means "person who wears old clothes."
There are three styles of chinelos originating from the municipalities of Tlayacapan, Tepoztlán and Yautepec. The latter are the most popular.
References
- Lomnitz-Adler, C. (1992). Exits from the labyrinth: Culture and ideology in the Mexican national space. Univ of California Press.
- Wahrhaftig, A. (2006, March). Pictorial state of the culture representations in Tepoztlan, Morelos. In Meeting of the Latin America Studies Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March (pp. 15-18).
- MEXICO, FON Certain Mexican villages have laid permanent claim to anthropologists' imagination, most notably Tepoztlan in Morelos, Zinacantan in Chiapas, and Tzintzuntzan in Michoacan. In Power and Persuasion. Fiestas and Social Control in Rural Mexico (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988. Pp. 212. Bibliography. Map. Illus.), Stanley Brandes has written another study of the latter. Never.
- Lorey, DE (1997). The Revolutionary Festival in Mexico: November 20 celebrations in the 1920s and 1930s. The Americas, 54 (1), 39-82.
- Martin, J. (1995). From revolution to modernization: Discursive disruption in state / peasant relations in Morelos, Mexico. Radical Society, 25 (3-4).