Pascola dancer

Description

Full body male figure that fully represents the clothing of the Pascola dancer (old man of the party). The word denotes both the ritual dance and the character who participates in it. It is characterized by the use of the informer mask and by its behavior in the civil or religious ceremonies in which it participates.

The informer is the mythological character who owns the arts of the Pascola dancer. In some myths he appears as a goat, a cave dweller, who attracts those who come to the mountains through dreams (Olavarría, 2003). Both the character and the dance come from the different peoples of the Cahita culture. The use of coyolis on his waist and tenábaris on his legs are of pre-Hispanic origin (Castro, 2011). But with colonization, dance adopts non-indigenous elements, such as musical instruments: harp, guitar and violin, which accompany the dancer.

The dancer is dressed in a checkered blanket around the waist and thighs, and is bare-chested. He ties his hair in the form of a tachyria or "light" which signifies his relationship with the sun father. His wooden mask bears a cross on his forehead as a symbol of Christianization. While the Pascola rests he places the mask next to his head, but when he dances he covers his face with it or places it on the back of his skull.

He dances hitting the ground with his bare feet, while moving the senazo rhythmically. His festive character is accompanied by jokes with sexual themes or double meanings, he makes fun of people as well as himself to break with order, which is recovered at the end of the party. A religious festival is not considered as such if the Pascolas and the Venado do not participate. During the communal festivities, a reed arbor is built, where the dancers carry out their activities (Moctezuma, 2007).