The dance of the macaws is one of those artistic manifestations of Guatemala that have transcended the time line, refusing to cross the threshold of modernity. Like the dance, music or painting that we can find in the great Mayan constructions, they are an example of this love for the millenary.
In the pre-Columbian period, Verapaz was part of the territory constituted by the Mayan civilization, keeping at bay from Spanish persecution. It is known that despite the great resistance, the Mayans could not cope with the missionary work that continuously arrived from the ships and from the Antilles, thus filling the entire Alta Verapaz with black slaves, who later moved to lands in the interior..
In the 19th century it would become one of the provinces in charge of supplying coffee to the entire region, becoming the most important to date. Not because of this fact, oral traditions cease to be fulfilled, surviving to this day the controversial Dance of the Guacamayas.
The dance of the macaws, as it is traditionally known in the country, is a ritualistic representation that is broken up to this day by the oral tradition of the oldest people, who in contact with the marimba and the tun, manage to evoke a tradition unique in the world, being the banner of the pre-Hispanic and colonial culture of Guatemala.
Originally from the province of Verapaz, the dance theatrically narrates the loss of a Mayan hunter who, in the dark and intricate jungles, kidnaps a princess and falls to the mercy of the God of the Ravines or Hills, who helped him find his I walk sending him a flock of macaws to guide him back home.
It should be noted that the Macaw is the earthly representation of the Sun God in ancient times. That is why this tradition continues to be one of the most important in Guatemala; for its mystical weight in orality.
This tradition takes place on April 30. Participants wear scarlet robes, like those of macaws, adorned with yellow plumage and patches, and a heavy mask with a hooked beak to further resemble the animal, not forgetting some crowns that rise above in the shape of flares.
In addition to the wild clothing, there are the roles of the hunter, his wife, and the daughter who is called Princess.
Within the tradition, the sacrifice of a rooster is stipulated, whose blood is watered on the macaw masks to feed it, or as it is said, to wake them up before the ritual in order not to disturb the gods. Later b'oj is ingested, an old drink, very typical of the high regions of Verapaz.
After midnight, the dancers begin the pilgrimage to what they call El Calvario, a sacred place full of pinnacles and altars where they will dance non-stop for the next few hours with the intention of appeasing the desire of the gods and embody the journey of that Mayan hunter within the jungle, of whom the highest ones took pity on his soul.
Then they continue the journey in a long procession to the town's cathedral, where with the first light of dawn they will call out to the rest of the town between trumpets and tunes. The old musical forms remain in structure, without having evolved in their rhythm and preparation. In addition to the festivals in these regions, the tun, or wooden drum, continues to be used in other festivals.
The rockets and fireworks, with a great pyrotechnic paraphernalia, will be added in the following hours until the dancers start the march towards the place where the Virgin of Santa Elena rests. At this point, tradition indicates that the Macaws must distribute the meat in revenge of the hunter's girl already dead according to the story.
The dance of the Guacamayas, or the Maa'muun, is one of the first theatrical manifestations in America before the Spanish conquest. It is characterized by its showy ceremony that combines music, theater and the ancient rites of the nation as far as there are records.
Today, the Maa'Muun Cultural Committee ensures the conservation, as well as the promotion in the mass media of this ancient ballet. This organism is constituted by a group of foundations so that the municipality of Verapaz preserves this dance as cultural heritage of the same and of the nation, thus increasing the necessary cultural values so that the tradition does not stop being carried out year after year.