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Chiapa de corzo festival

the Fiesta de Los Parachicos is held every January, often described as the best mestizo festival in southeastern Mexico. Its rich customs and colorful traditions are the result of a blending of three different cultures: Maya, European and African, the latter from the slaves who came to the area in the 16th and 17th centuries. The festival is held to honor Chiapa de Corzo's three patron saints: the Lord of Esquipulas, St. Antonio Abad and St. Sebastian the Martyr, on the 15th, 17th and 20th of January respectively.

In our foot steps; from San Cristobal Del las casas, take the colectivo M$40 to Santa Fe on highway 190D and then the bus  to Chiapas de corzo M$7

Santo Domingo Church


Playing drums and reed flutes


Their masks are made with cedar or guanacaste (endemic tree, whose wood is used to make furniture), they are carved to resemble a Spaniard, and then lacquered with oil obtained from an insect called aje (Cocus axin). Their wigs, adorned with flowers and ribbons, are made with ixtle (a rough fiber derived from agave plants). They also wear brightly-colored wool or cotton ponchos over their sequin and spangle-embroidered leggings. Shaking their rattles and dancing wildly, parachicos appear on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd of January, when they tour the neighborhoods of Chiapa de Corzo. They are accompanied by a "boss" who wears a different mask to separate him from the others.






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