The Flyer Pole as a Cosmic Axis and Space Time Marker in the Totonac Sierra of Papantla

Mesoamerican studies have noted the acute conception of the relationship between space and time, so the objective of this article is to examine the role that the flying pole used in the Dance of the Flyers plays as cosmic axis (axis mundi) and container of mythical time. The pole manipulates the arr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Villani, Luisa
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Anales de Antropología
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/85378
Acceso en línea:https://www.revistas.unam.mx/index.php/antropologia/article/view/85378
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Chakganá
Danza de los Voladores
Axis mundi
Pescador
Dance of the flyers
Chakgana
Fisherman
Descripción
Sumario:Mesoamerican studies have noted the acute conception of the relationship between space and time, so the objective of this article is to examine the role that the flying pole used in the Dance of the Flyers plays as cosmic axis (axis mundi) and container of mythical time. The pole manipulates the arrival of the hurricane because it determines the space where this meteorological agent will arrive. The hurricane acts as an intermediate term between eras, consisting of two faces represented by the Caporal and the Chakganá (in the municipalities of Coxquihui and Zozocolco where this dance variant occurred more or less 40 years ago), who are the makers of the movement that renews the world. This article exists within the framework of Mesoamerican Studies based on the writings of Alfredo Lopez Austin. Building on his concept of cosmovision in the study of Mesoamerican peoples, it focuses particularly on his explanation regarding the spiral movements that represent time descending from the four corners of the world and returning to the center– the point of convergence of mythical times. The originality of this work lies in the research on this specific variant of dance, which I have known thanks to interviews to ex-dancers and ex-musicians and in comparing these two figures, the Caporal and the Chakganá, and their double function: calling the wind to bring rain while tempering the storm and recreating the present world.