The cultural components of Sonora vary according to the traditions of its peoples. Among the main manifestations are indigenous languages, traditional dances and music, performed with instruments made by themselves.
Sonora is in the northwest of Mexico and has more than 2 million inhabitants, among which Guarijíos, Ópatas, Seris, Mayos, Yaquis, Papagos and Pimas stand out.
The state of Sonora has several cultural festivals that take place every year. For example, the Pitic festival takes place on November 12 and commemorates the first human settlement in the region, highlighting the national artistic endeavor.
There are also other cultural events such as the Guaymas carnival, held on June 1, and the Magdalena de Kino festivities, which are held on October 4.
The 3 main cultural components of Sonora
Many cultural manifestations disappeared after the expulsion of the Jesuits at the end of the 18th century.
However, they did not disappear without first creating a varied combination between indigenous practices, Catholic ceremonies and the cultural manifestations of modernity.
Many demonstrations persist today thanks to the new generations who are interested in maintaining these traditions.
1- Languages
There are more than 60,000 people in the region who speak at least one indigenous language; that is, 3% of the population.
The indigenous languages that predominate are Yaqui (26%), Mayo (46%), Nahuatl (3.8%) and Triqui (1.5%).
2- Dance
The Mayos and Yaquis are the peoples that have the most notorious festivities. One of these is the dance of the pascola; It is a recognized traditional dance for Northerners and is commonly performed at civic and religious festivals.
According to the myth, the pascolas were evil beings represented by elders and known as the children of the Devil, until God won them over in a game.
Another popular dance is the dance of the deer, a style of dance of pre-Hispanic origin that was used for centuries as a ritual for the request of rain. The deer is considered a pure and benevolent animal.
This dance was implemented by the Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century, who adapted it to the Catholic precepts of the time while carrying out the evangelizing work.
Both dances symbolize the duality between the magical world and humanity, that is why their clothes represent that conception.
The pascolas have a belt with twelve bells that symbolize the twelve apostles, and a mask with long beards and thick eyebrows with a cross painted on top.
Its legs have several lines in the shape of butterfly cocoons that represent rattlesnakes.
In the deer dance it is common to use the figure of a deer head on the face of the dancer.
3- Music
Norteño music includes several popular styles such as waltzes, polkas, mazurcas, rancheras, and corridos. Many northern groups in Sonora are culturally called the "taca-tacas."
The musical instruments used in these festivals are the violin, the reed flute, the harp, the accordion and the water drums.
The latter are made by the inhabitants themselves through a very simple process: they use a plant called guaje, which is cut in half and both parts are placed on a container of water.
References
- Braniff, Beatriz. (2009). The cultures of Sonora. Mexico. Mexican Archeology.
- Sonora (sf). Retrieved on October 9, 2017, from Wikipedia.
- Uribe, Susana. (1963). Mexican History. Mexico. The College of Mexico.
- Valadés, José C. (1967). History of the people of Mexico. Mexico, United Mexican Editors.
- Weigand, Phil C. (1993) Evolution of a pre-Hispanic civilization. College of Michoacán.