page_title: Tlayacapan
section_title: Carnival and the Chinelos
hierarchical_section_title: Tlayacapan / Culture / Carnival and the Chinelos
caption_attribution_description: Español: Traje folklórico de Chinelos del estado de Morelos
context_page_description: Tlayacapan is a town and a municipality located in the northeast part of Morelos state in central Mexico. It is located 60 km east from the state capital of Cuernavaca and about 1.5 hours south of Mexico City. It is a rural area, whose way of life has not changed much over the 20th century, with 90% of its population still partially or fully dependent on agriculture. The town has old mansions, houses with red tile roofs and streets paved with stones. Many ravines crisscross the area and are crossed by numerous stone bridges.
  The main landmark is the former monastery of San Juan Bautista, which towers over all the other structures. It was built beginning the 1530s, along with 26 chapels scattered around the original town as part of the “spiritual conquest” of the area. Today, this monastery is part of the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, which was made a World Heritage Site in 1994. Culturally, the town is famous for two things: being the origin of the Chinelos dance and the home of the Banda Tlayacapan band, the most important culturally in the state and nationally recognized.
context_section_description: Carnival and the dance of the Chinelos are intertwined in the municipality. Each year since the colonial period, Tlayacapan has had a Carnival just before Lent. The dance originated here as part of Carnival. The name Chinelo comes from the Nahuatl word zineloquie, which means “disguised”. During colonial times Spanish overlords were often cruel and oppressive to the mestizo and indigenous populations. During Carnival, masks were permitted and the dancers gradually took on an appearance designed to make fun of the Spanish. The gown mimics the nightgowns of Spanish colonial women, with white cotton gloves also serving to imitate these women. The ornate hat encrusted with fake jewels and large feathers mimics those worn by both sexes. The mask not only served to hide identity, but also they are made with wire mesh, painted pink, with heavy eyebrows and long pointed beards to mimic the abundant facial hair of Europeans. According to tradition, the hat was created by someone named Candido Rojas, the wire mesh masks by someone with the last name of Tlacomulco and the gown decorated with stripes and colored yoke by someone only known as “Barrabas”. The dancers march through the streets, striking poses and making jumping movements, often inviting onlookers to join in. They are accompanied by local bands, playing traditional music and even sons and other musical compositions created just for them. This Chinelo tradition was copied and modified by many other towns in Morelos, starting with Tepoztlán, which has its own colors and style of hat. There are also Chinelo dancers in the southern boroughs of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco in nearby Mexico City. However, the dance is now a symbol of the state of Morelos.
  Featuring the Chinelos dancing and marching through the streets, the Carnival tradition here is centuries old and held the days just before Ash Wednesday. By the time of the Mexican Revolution, the tradition had waned but it has made a comeback since the 1920s. Like with other versions of Carnival, the event is held for several days before Ash Wednesday but reaches its peak the night before on Tuesday. The annual celebration took root here during the colonial period in the mestizo and indigenous neighborhoods of the town, especially those who maintained strong indigenous traditions. One of these was the “nemontemi” or the five days at the end of the Aztec calendar, which occurred in early February, around the same time as the beginning of Lent. This event also marks the beginning of the dry season, when there is no agricultural work. Work moves to the management of stored grain and crafts.
  On the day before Ash Wednesday, festivities begin at 10 in the morning with music and dance as well as fireworks. These wind through the streets on their way to the main square. The party continues in the square with music and food and rides and other attractions. However, the real festivities begin at sundown and continue until the stroke of midnight of Wednesday. Throughout the day and night, Chinelos can be seen dancing through the crowds. At its height, there are about 15,000 people crowded into the town center.
caption: Two Chinelos
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