Giant turtle puppets and mojigangas

By Óscar Cortés Palma

 Once upon a time, a turtle was in love with a heron that always came down to Tochatlaco (rabbit's gully) by water.

This heron was called Mojiganga. Mojiganga was also in love with the turtle. Both asked the gods for help. And they transformed them in giant puppets. Yet another proof that the purposes of the gods are a mystery incomprehensible to the human being.

Then a little girl saw the puppets and shouted:
-Look, some giant dolls!-
-Yes daughter, who knows who they will be-.

They waited, and more people arrived. One of them said:

-They have to be taken to the jacalón, they are very beautiful, here they can be spoiled by the rain-.

Then, as they were being brought through the baker's street, passing a store, a musician asked them,

-Why are they carrying those little boys? They look heavy-.

-We take them to the jacalón because it's going to rain and they're going to spoil and they're very pretty-.

Then, to lighten their way, the band music began to play and those who were carrying the giant puppets began to dance. A crowd of onlookers swirled and a party was armed.

From that date, turtles surrounded by mojigangas are staged every year. This story told me Camilo Cortés back there at a time when there were no televisions.

All these dances, that of the turtle and the mojigangas are accompanied by the band known as band chilatera or band of fried chili because the musicians feed on that at parties.

The turtles and mojigangas play with the public while accompanying the procession or parade. With the mojigangas it is allowed to do social criticism, to parody people who hold political power, economic or fashionable characters and since you can not always copy the image of the represented, you are added posters to complete the central idea.

 These giant dolls travel the main streets of the population dancing, always followed by many children and adults.

Mojigangas and giant tortoises dance with great joy and play in towns located from Axochiapan, Morelos; up to two hundred kilometers to the south, in Huamuxtitlán, Petaquillas, El limón, and Islaltepec, Guerrero.

Huamuxtitlán migrants in Meriden, Connecticut, United States also dance the turtle and the mojiganga.

As an outcome, the word mojiganga refers to: a short, comic play, in which engus and extravagant figures participate. Today, a large number of mojigangas, men disguised as rogue, mocking and humorous women, these disinhibitions are allowed because they are holidays.

In the house of Zósimo Aragón, by the decade of 1940 's, the first turtles and mojigangas with carrizo framework and wire covered with fabric were elaborated, for this reason they do not weigh so much. In Axochiapan is staged during the country holidays.

Each turtle is loaded by a person who pretends to be riding on it but actually carries it. The turtle has a mechanism that causes it to take off its head and open its snout, with which they bite biting children and people who come to have fun.
Traductor de Google para empresas:Google Translator Toolkit.

Texto: Óscar Cortés Palma 
Correo:cami17_4@hotmail.com; oscarcortespalma@gmail.com;
Facebook.com/oscarcortespalma
Twitter: @oscarcortespalm