Every year the city of Guaymas celebrates one of their proudest events on July 13, when the local militia vanquished a fleet of French pirates from the bay. The Battle of Guaymas is celebrated with numerous events, and one of the most spectacular takes place on the malecón, where folklorico dancers put on a free performance. I had to see it, so I contacted my friend Alejandra, who's usually up for an adventure, and we made our plans.
We got there early enough to watch another local folklorico group, Mazzocoba, doing dances from Northern Mexico in outfits that reminded me of the play "Oklahoma." I took photos, well aware that the flying skirts and whirling bodies would yield little more than interesting blurs.
Then we were treated to some old rock and roll by a well-seasoned 70s group called La Ruqueada, which roughly translates to "geezer." They did some Spanish songs including one of my new favorites, "Si No Te Hubieras Ido (If you had not gone away), and offered several golden oldie US favorites including a Creedence Clearwater medley I couldn't resist singing along with.
While we were wandering the area waiting for more dancing to start, we found members of Tradición Mestiza from Hermosillo backstage putting the finishing touches to their costumes and milling about waiting for the geezers to finish. I wanted photos of them in their splendiferous outfits, and Ale asked them to stand under the light.
These folks are trained in the art of being photographed. In a heartbeat they had formed tiers, arranged themselves by height with the Aztecs in their four-foot feathered headdresses at the back, flashing their most beguiling smiles... when I had all the shots I wanted, they gathered me into their group and began taking photos of me with various dancers. I guess as the token gringa I was an oddity.
I couldn't ask for a more agreeable companion for cultural expeditions like this: besides being wonderful company, she has a wealth of knowledge about various regions of Mexico and their history, music and dance. We watched Aztec spiritual dances, followed by regional dances from Campeche, Sinaloa, Campeche, Vera Cruz, Guerrero and others. Most entertaining was the frolicking of the Chihuahua dances, which reminded me again of "Oklahoma." These young people are majoring in dance at the University of Hermosillo, bound for a life of professional performing and touring. I wish them buena
suerte y felicidad.
