text & photos by Richard Morgan Szybist

Traditional Mayan music and dance have a complementary relationship. The evolution of dance, however, has followed a somewhat different trajectory than that of music. In the case of music, change has been, most notably, along the lines of an enrichment and sophistication of the inventory of instruments in use since the arrival of the Spaniards. In the case of dance, change has been more of a conscious reshaping of the expression of spiritual beliefs, and the substitution of pre-Columbian themes with Christian ones and the large-scale introduction of European dance costumes support these new themes of performances.

Dancers at Corpus Christi celebration,
church plaza of St. Francis de Assisi.
Panajachel, June 2004.

The most significant agents of change during the Spanish colonial period were missionaries who introduced Moorish dances to the Mayas and invented topical dances, sometimes imbedded with moral implications. The dance costumes were commonly of silk and velvet and decorated with colorful braid. Their general style was that of 16th century European finery. Masks were often made of faces with Western characteristics and painted white or red, frequently sporting golden hair made of wood shavings. Colorful costumes were also devised to depict Mayan nobility and warriors. Among the most prevalent of the post-Conquest dances were the bailes (dances) de la conquista (the Conquest), del torito (the Bull) and Los Mexicanos.

Among the pre-Conquest dance themes that have survived are the Deer Dance and the Snake Dance. The Deer Dance embodies a theme which transcends regional distinctions within the Americas. The Deer Dance essentially symbolizes the relationship of man and the deer and, sometimes, more broadly, the struggle between mankind and animals. In its classic Mayan form, the Deer Dance is preceded by extensive preparations that include the careful selection of participants and the enactment of preliminary rituals accompanied by music and prayer. Costumed participants are dressed to represent a broad range of animals besides the deer, including the monkey, tapir and various wild cats native to Mesoamerica.

While dance groups described as folklorico commonly perform sophisticated, stylized dances with traditional Mayan themes of the pre-Conquest and colonial periods, the form of dancing most commonly practiced by contemporary Mayas during local ferias is much more basic and, indeed, little more than street prancing during parades and the shuffling and bumping around to the sound of the marimba or the combined music of the drum, flute and chirimía in plazas.

Although the choreographed presentations by folkloric groups is in large part invented, these groups serve at least two valuable purposes on behalf of Mayan culture; they investigate and portray surviving elements of ancient ritual dancing with the goal of “rescuing” and preserving Mayan tradition, and they empower Mayan culture by presenting it’s character in a way that visually honors traditional beliefs.

Dancers participating in the 2004 opening
day parade of the annual feria in San Juan
La Laguna, honoring St. John the Baptist,
the town’s patron.

One Lake Atitlán group, Grupo de Proyeccion Folclórica Rilaj Maam Xocomil performs dances that depict the ancient beliefs and traditions of the Atitlán Tz’utujiles and Kaqchikeles as well as the Mayas of the departament of Cobán, tailoring the musical accompaniments of the dances with the musical instruments most common to these distinct regions.

This group, founded by Ruth Urrutia de Orellana of Panajachel, has trained hundreds of students in stylized Mayan dance. The “stage” team of this group has performed throughout Guatemala and in South America and Europe. Folkloric groups like those of Ruth Urrutia provide a constructive counterbalance to the influences of modern “pop world culture” which tend to diminish interest in the past and devalue tradition. Their role is to educate as well as to entertain. The dynamics of their recruitment and training help to pass on an appreciation for the past from generation to generation. •

El Grupo Folclórico Rilaj Maam Xocomil is a small private organization that looks for opportunities to perform at public and private gatherings. Its director, Ruth Urrutia, can be contacted at 762-1202. As this group lacks institutional financial support, it depends on patrons to cover the essential expenses of its performances.