In many towns of Mesoamerican origin, May is the most important month for festivities because it is the month that precedes the first rains, and ancient societies were agricultural in origin, so rain was important for the people and their crops.
The ancient Binnizá (people of the clouds) made offerings to the deities with festivities such as wax carving, calendas, candles and regadas de frutas, which alluded to themes of nature (rain, fishing and sowing).
Nowadays, these festivities have grown to occupy the whole month of May, as they are not only festivities in honour of the crosses, but festivities are also held to honour the place, occupation and even surnames with social status in the community.
All these festivities are governed by a group of people called “socios” who must fulfil all obligations assigned to them. These societies date back to at least the mid-19th century.
Some of them are very strict, with membership essentially passed down from parents to their children.
All are organised in the same way; membership includes both men and women and there is a duality of leadership.
The male component is headed by a board of directors consisting of a president, a secretary, a treasurer and five members,
Meanwhile, the female counterpart is headed by the “Guzana gola” (adult sage) and her assistants, who vary from two to five. Both the “Guzana gola” and the “Guzanas” (wise women) are older women who have the time to fulfil the responsibilities that the festivities impose on them.
“Regadas” or “tiradas de frutas” are a tradition that has been carried out year after year in Juchitán since ancient times and are part of the Zapotec tradition that takes place after the candle lighting dedicated to the deities. In the beginning, harvested fruits, bread, coffee and fish were watered, but over time this was changed to plastic products, food and basic shopping products.
For this reason, the music club of the Casa Comunitaria Nacanu’ Bií enthusiastically participated in the Recorrido Tradicional de regada de frutas in honour of Santa Cruz de la Capilla “Angélica Pipi”,which took place on Wednesday, 22 May 2024.
During these regadas, women and men walk through the streets of the city. Some go on foot, while others ride in floats or on horses. But there are those who ride on ox-drawn country carts, adorned with willows and flowers; these lead all regadas in Juchitán and represent the beginning of the festivity. On this occasion, a request was made to us so that the children of the Nacanu’ Bií music group could accompany the cart captains during the tour.
The tour began at the home of the cart captains, Mrs. Lissette Hernández Aragón, at her home located on calle 2 de abril, in the first section of the city, at 3:00 pm. Later, they walked through the main streets of the city and concluded at 7:30 pm in the chapel of the Holy Cross “Angélica Pipi”.
The Music Club had been rehearsing the musical pieces to be performed over the previous days. Thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of the members, together with the support of the parents, they put together a vibrant and memorable performance.
The repertoire included a variety of pieces that reflect both our local traditions and the musical diversity that characterises us, played on pre-Hispanic instruments such as tortoise shells and deer horns, the reed flute, goat skin and wooden drums, accompanied by regional instruments such as the snare drum, bass drum, cymbals and saxophone.
The 15 members of our workshops held in Colonia Lorenza Santiago, Colonia 5 de Septiembre and Casa Comunitaria Nacanu’ Bií, public spaces close to the Bií Hioxo wind farm participated, as well as 2 Xquenda volunteers who carried the characteristic banner during the tour and the 10 parents who provided support by taking care of the children.
This participation has had an impact on the community and has made more people interested in rescuing the pre-Hispanic music of the ancestors, as well as in participating in the activities organised by the Casa Comunitaria Nacanu’ Bií.
“Thank you very much for joining us, you made the tour so much more enjoyable. I’ve been told that this is the first time they have done this activity, they did very well. I am surprised because they are still young and they already play like experts” – Lizzeth Aragón
“I want to extend my congratulations to Daniel, Juan and the young people of the Community House, because this pre-Hispanic music project is very important for the Zapotec culture and to see that the Bií Hioxo Wind Farm is promoting it with the children is wonderful, many congratulations” – Jesús Ruíz Santiago, owner of the PEBH.
“I am very proud of my son, to see all that he has learned with you. He started playing the drum and now he plays the reed flute solo, thank you very much for the support you give us” – Guadalupe Regalado
This is how GPG Mexico, through its Bií Hioxo wind farm and the Nacanu’ Bií Community House, reinforces its commitment to preserve the Zapotec culture, respecting the local idiosyncrasy of Juchitán, Oaxaca.