11/02/2025
The Matachines dance tradition in Alcalde, New Mexico, is part of a broader cultural phenomenon in the American Southwest and Mexico, with deep historical and religious significance.
🎭 The Matachines Dance in Alcalde
* Feast Day Performance: The community of Alcalde, located north of Española, typically performs the Matachines dance as part of its feast day celebration on December 27th (the Feast of St. John the Evangelist).
* Context: Along with the Matachines dance, Alcalde is also known for performing the ancient poetic drama, "Los Comanches," on the same day, making its celebration a particularly rich display of traditional New Mexican Hispanic culture.
* The "Loa": While the search results don't explicitly name a specific poetic "Loa" (a short dramatic prologue or interlude) performed before or within the Matachines dance in Alcalde, it's important to note the dance itself is a type of ritual drama (a danza-drama). The broader Matachines tradition often involves dialogue or a dramatic structure that tells a story, which can sometimes incorporate a spoken piece like a loa. Alcalde's tradition, as one of the most enduring, likely maintains all the traditional elements.
📜 Origins and Meaning of the Matachines Dance
The Matachines dance in New Mexico, including Alcalde, is a blend of European and indigenous traditions:
* European Roots: It is believed to have ties to the Moorish-Christian conflict in Medieval Spain, specifically the morisca or Moreska, a pantomime of combat. The Spanish brought it to the New World as a vehicle for evangelization of Native Americans. The name "Matachines" itself has contested Spanish, Italian, or Arabic origins.
* New World Interpretation: In New Mexico and Mexico, the dance adapted to tell the story of the first Christian conversions among the Aztec. It portrays the triumph of Christianity and a "spiritual marriage" between the old and new faiths.
* Main Characters (Symbolism Varies by Location):
* The Monarca (or Montezuma): The leader, representing the Aztec king, whose conversion is the central dramatic event.
* La Malinche (or the Virgin): A young girl who represents purity and is key in guiding the Monarca to Christianity.
* The Toro (or Bull): A figure of evil, sin, or pre-Columbian religion, whose ritual "death" signifies the triumph of the new faith.
* El Abuelo (or Elder): A comical or serious character who acts as the caretaker and instructor, often representing ancestral spirits.
* Matachines (or Danzantes): The main chorus of dancers, typically twelve, who dance in two lines.
📍 Matachines in New Mexico
The Matachines is the only ritual drama performed by both Pueblo Indian and Hispano communities in the Upper Rio Grande Valley.
* The tradition in New Mexico has been performed for centuries and remains vibrant in many communities, though the exact dance steps, music, and specific symbolism can vary from village to village and pueblo to pueblo.
* The dancers perform for a deep religious purpose (promesa or promise) to venerate a saint or the Holy Trinity, often dancing for many years as a personal commitment.
Here's more information about the other drama performed in Alcalde, Los Comanches, and the details of the Matachines costumes and music.
Absolutely! The celebration in Alcalde is unique because it features two major dramatic traditions: the Matachines dance and the ancient poetic drama, Los Comanches.
🎭 Los Comanches Drama in Alcalde
Los Comanches is a historical poetic drama that the villagers of Alcalde perform annually on December 27th.
* Origin: The play, written around 1780, is a cherished remnant of 18th-century Spanish colonial tradition in New Mexico. Alcalde is notable for being one of the last New Mexico villages to perform this original 18th-century poetic drama.
* Plot: The drama re-enacts the Spanish army's defeat of the legendary Comanche chief, Cuerno Verde (Green Horn). This performance is based on the true events surrounding a 1779 battle led by Spanish Governor Juan Bautista de Anza.
* Performance: The play is performed on horseback, with performers galloping around the plaza, reciting the ancient lines in Spanish. The characters include:
* Don Carlos: The Spanish leader who defeats Cuerno Verde.
* Cuerno Verde: The powerful Comanche chief.
* Other Comanches and Spanish soldiers.
* Significance: It serves as a historical and cultural artifact, commemorating the period of conflict and the eventual establishment of peace between the Spanish and Comanche peoples, though it depicts a period of violence.
💃 Matachines Costume and Music
The Matachines dance is characterized by its visually rich costumes and unique musical accompaniment, both of which reflect the blend of European and indigenous influences.
🎶 Music
* Instrumentation: The music is traditionally played on Spanish instruments, primarily the violin and guitar.
* Nature: The music consists of a series of intricate "sones" (dance tunes) that are often unwritten and passed down orally for centuries.
* Tempo and Mood: The music varies from fast-paced, up-tempo pieces to slower melodies like the "Cuadrilla de la Malinche," which coincides with the more solemn, ritualistic aspects of the drama.
👘 Costumes (Matachines Danzantes)
The dancers' attire is highly symbolic, though specific details (like colors) can vary between communities like Alcalde and Bernalillo.
* Headdress (Cupil / Corona): The main dancers (Danzantes) wear a tall, decorated headdress called a cupil or, in the case of the Monarca, a corona (crown), which is often decorated with ribbons and flowers. This item is sometimes said to resemble a bishop's miter.
* Veil (Mascada): The dancers wear a scarf or veil (mascada or fringed and jeweled scarves) to conceal their faces. This anonymity is a central part of the dancer's promesa (personal promise to God/a saint), emphasizing that the focus is on the devotion and the ritual itself, not the individual.
* Hand Props:
* Palma: In the left hand, they carry a fan-like wand or palma (sometimes called a trident), a stylized symbol of power or the Holy Trinity.
* Rattle: In the right hand, they carry a gourd or wooden rattle (sonaja or matraca) which keeps the rhythm and contributes to the overall sound of the performance.
New Mexico History/Albuquerque Reminiscing ©️
