The dancers wear scarlet and crimson costumes, on the back of which shimmers the glittering gold, green, and blue image of la Virgen. Those brilliant colors, under that amazing sky, is a stunning sight. They dance a silent drama to a steady drumbeat. A tiny girl, face veiled, is the focus of the dance. A huge portrait of la Virgen stands at the east end of the dance plaza, behind her the A of Tortugas Mountain, behind that the ragged chain of the Organs, and beyond that the infinite blue of the sky.
Few folks stand out as tourists.
These dances are not performances for outsiders, they are a form of worship for the community. Little publicity is given to these events, no effort is made to entice the presence of tourists, and no accomodation is made to cater to them. On the other hand, everyone is friendly and we feel perfectly welcome. In a short while, Cody, who's 7 and possesses a prodigious appetite, begins to whine that he's hungry. We shush him a few times, then Margaret relents and walks him home.