Rituality of Queretaro's Semi-desert

 

Oscar Ulloa Calzada

 

The semi desert of the state of Queretaro, central Mexico, is an arid land but with valuable traditions. In this region inhabited by the ethnic group Otomí (or, Hñahñu)- who has reproduced for centuries, traditions attached to the Mesoamerican throb and syncretism rooted after the Spanish conquest- there is a sacred valley where ancestral traditions converge with an ecological landscape that gives itself to a different everyday life to the rest of Mexico. The approach to analyse and live this reality is the rituality of the indigenous thought.

 

During each year, in the day of San Miguel Archangel, there is a special celebration where the Saint is venerated, specifically on 27th september. The entire municipality of Toliman closes a series of ritual cycles with the lifting of the Chimal, which takes place in the indigenous town of San Miguel.

 

The Chimal is an offering that acts as an intermediary between people and the deity, where the population give thanks for favours made during the year. It is a symbolic instrument that connects the sacredness of San Miguel Archangel to the profane reality of the local indigenous society. In its structure, the Chimal has two tree trunks that measure approximately 25 metres, parallel to one another. In the middle is a mesh woven with a plant called sotol or "cucharilla". Above this mesh smaller offerings are tied, for example fruits, images of Saints, flowers, tortillas and shiny paper. The height of Chimal is a representation that this offering will reach to heaven to deliver community prayers, primarily good crops and health.

 

Besides cosmogony representing Chimal today, in the past it was considered as an entity who lived in the sacred territory of semi desert and fought against the Spaniards. For that reason the word "Chimal" stems from "Chimalli", the meaning of which is "shield used by warriors".

 

Chimal representation in Queretaro, is a part of the great diversity in Mexico that has been forgotten by its people and communities over the centuries. Unlike other population sectors of the country, indigenous people are carriers of another way of seeing the world, are witnesses and guardians of a different time, of territorial and ritual organization, distant of most Mexicans.

The indigenous cultures of Mexico are now forgotten sectors and even denied, however, it is necessary to recognise their contribution to the diversified culture that exists today in Mexico. It is their right; the right to be indigenous and reproduce their traditions over time.