Back to the Real World

We are adding some video clips showing excerpts from our trips as time & travels permit. The first is from the Tarahumara Easter celebration we visit annually. Not many people have the chance to see a Tarahumara Easter celebration in a little community off the beaten path. We have been going there for years on horseback, on foot, and by truck - if the water level in the river is low enough! This celebration is not performed as a tourist event - instead it is a real part of life here. The weather is usually warm to hot, the climate dusty, and the feeling of being here cannot be described easily. As outsiders, we are definitely in the minority.

Tarahumara Easter:

From late afternoon Friday until mid-morning Saturday normal life is interrupted. The old church is prepared with an offering. Woven sotól "flowers" line the entrance and are attached to the crosses on the roof. A hushed and quiet mood prevails. Tarahumara women in their colorful dresses gather around the church and within the community.  Intermittent drumming is heard. Then over the following 18 hours, painted devils run amuck taunting everyone & assaulting the church. A straw-man Judas is paraded around while the church guardians periodically bring out their saints for a procession. The saints mourn and pray while the devils sing and dance. Symbolic, but physically real, wrestling takes place between good & evil and those who lose hit the ground hard. This goes on all night and much of the time photography is impossible. The next morning, the devils enter the church to begin the cleansing ceremony marking their return to society. The bells ring signaling the triumph of good over evil and Judas is abruptly burned. The entire event is fueled by faith, stamina, and tesgüino, a locally-fermented corn brew. Early on, look for the burro bringing in some large jugs to kick off the party.

Technical Details: All video clips contain the same content but are encoded differently. The Windows Media format for the PC requires Microsoft's Windows Media player (a free download if you do not have it). QuickTime formats require Apple's player - also a free download. The H.264 QuickTime format requires the version-7 player. The small size video clips are 320 x 240 pixels, the large 720 x 480. Choose one based upon the file size, the speed of your internet connection, and your patience - broadband is highly recommended as the movie files are large. Left-clicking a title starts the clip streaming to your player. Slow connections will cause the player to pause during playback streaming. By right-clicking a title, you can download the file to your local disk using the "Save As.." option. All of this is an experiment so drop us a note afterward and tell us your impressions.

All material is copyright 2000-2008 by Barranca de Urique, S.A. de C. V. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
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Updated 06/01/2008