The Sayacas of Carnaval
Many of the mundane world's events pale as the Technicolor madcap festivities and excesses of Carnaval
(Mardi Gras) culminate Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. In the old days Mardi Gras was the
last great hurrah before the hard and colorless days of Lent.
Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans and Vera Cruz are famous for their extravagant annual pre-Lent events which
were patterned after the elaborate costumes and masked balls in Venice. In spite of those opulent celebrations,
I prefer the homespun hilarity and madcap mischief of the traditional sayacas in Ajijic's Mardi
Gras parade.
Some things, like Ajijic's sayacas, are better experienced than explained. The slapstick fun
of a north of the border mock wedding with the men portraying the bride and her attendants, while the
women served as the preacher and groomsmen is the mindset and tone of the sayaca tradition. Once
folks experience the pure joy and mischief of the dancing, flour and confetti-throwing sayacas,
explanations no longer matter.
Sayacas, the masked men and boys costumed as ever-gracious, well-endowed women wear everything
from elegant gowns to tawdry sundresses over a few well-placed balloons to fill out the spaces in the
clothes. Accessorized with make-up or masks, wigs, hats, gloves, and handbags, the outfits are more
silly than stunning — especially when paired with large scuffed work boots.
Preceding them in the parade is a band of young boys in the 8 to 12-year-old range. Their job is to
taunt the sayacas and then run (but not too far) to avoid being showered with fistfuls of flour.
It's easy to imagine today's sayacas a few years ago when they were the boys who were thrilled to be
threatened.
The tradition of sayacas seems to be strangely linked to Ajijic and based on long ago legendary (real?)
residents. An old medicine woman/healer called Cicani or Cicantzi cared for a man and a woman suffering
from mental disorders. Her oddly attired wards trailed along, performing crazed pirouettes, when the
medicine woman went out to welcome the first Franciscan missionaries. The villagers taunted the pair,
calling them sayacas or zayacas — a name which seems to have evolved from the Spanish word
for slip or elaborate dress.
Don't miss the opportunity to experience, enjoy and understand this old Ajijic custom which was revived
about 10 years ago. This year's Carnaval (Mardi Gras) parade will dance along Constitution beginning
at about 11 a.m. on February 21. The parade route takes the clowns, dancers, bands, stilt walkers and
float-studded riot of color and joy to Six Corners and then returns via Calle Hidalgo to the plaza where
the delightfully zany celebration continues well into the afternoon.