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Walking along the Malecón, in Puerto Vallarta, there is no shortage of free entertainment.
Bartenders and waitresses, line dance on the sidewalk to entice you to enter.
Renaissance figures mysteriously float over the sidewalk.
Shiny Mexican outlaws decorate the benches.
Statues pour water.
They are all there to entertain you and make a quick peso!
As we strolled along the boardwalk, at the noon hour, I noticed a tall pole in the distance. There was movement at the top and as we neared, I realized that there were five men perched atop this pole. Searching my memory, I realized that I had seen this before somewhere else in Mexico.
These were the Mexican pole flyers (or birdmen, as they are sometimes known) who perform Voladores de Papantla, the Ritual of the Voladores.
Persuading my children that we should wait, we found a shady spot under a palm tree and watched the brightly dressed men prepare for their ceremony.
The dance of the flyers is a Mesoamerican ceremony in which five participants climb to the top of a thirty foot pole. Suspended by ropes wound around the top of the pole, four of the flyers, representing the four directions and the elements of air, water, earth and fire, fall backward off of the pole and then fly through the air upside down, sometimes in elegant birdlike poses, as they are rotated thirteen times and lowered to the ground. The fifth dancer, playing a drum and a flute, remains at the top.
According to legend, this ceremony was created to ask the gods to stop droughts in ancient times, but is now a recognized historical and cultural dance that is kept alive by communities to honor the historical traditions and rituals of ancient cultures. Voladores de Papantla ceremony was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009, in order to help the ritual survive and thrive in the modern world and may be seen in various areas throughout the country.
A school for flyer children was established in Takilhsukut Park on Tecolutla, Mexico, where formal instruction is given on ceremony. Flyers must spend ten to twelve years in preparation before participation in an event and women are prohibited from performing. Sometimes a dangerous event, there are many deaths each year due to poorly knotted ropes and other types of improper preparations.
We were all mesmerized as we watched the colorful flyers wind their way down to the beach below, wondering aloud how they were able to stand after the continuous spinning!
The large crowd that had gathered, rightly erupted into applause for the performers at the end of their performance. Truly an unforgettable experience!
Needless to say…the hat that was passed, gathered many a peso!
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Los Voladores
- The pole is on the beach adjacent to the Malecón, directly opposite Senor Frogs nightclub & the flyers perform throughout the day.
- Tip generously!!!