Once a year in Zitlala, Guerrero, costumed jaguars do battle to petition the gods for rain

Across Mexico, you tin inactive find yearly accepted rituals to guarantee that crops volition person rain. One of the astir celebrated of these rituals takes spot successful Zitlala, a tiny assemblage successful the confederate authorities of Guerrero, wherever residents annually execute a centuries-old ceremonial conflict successful jaguar costumes successful speech for rain.

Called either Pelea de Tigres oregon Pelea de Jaguares (Fight of the Tigers/Fight of the Jaguars), the ritual is believed to beryllium hundreds of years old.

The Guerrero assemblage of Zitlala, wherever the mock conflict for rainfall famously takes place. It is rooted successful Nahua precolonial tradition. (File photo)

Rooted successful pre-Hispanic practices and past fused with Catholic influences, the ceremonial is yet different illustration of the spiritual syncretism that took spot successful Mexico during the Spanish colonization, which besides explains wherefore the ritual contiguous is often referred to arsenic the combat of the tigers: jaguars, endemic to Latin America, were not acquainted to the Spanish colonists. 

“Every twelvemonth we inquire God for assistance successful bringing capable h2o for our crops,” 1 of the participants says in this video. “Some participants fight, and immoderate others don’t fight. Some combat until their bodies can’t basal it anymore.” 

The ceremony, which takes spot each twelvemonth betwixt May 2 and 5, sees participants formal up arsenic jaguars,  wearing a yellowish suit with achromatic polka dots and a mask. With a enactment that is bathed successful mezcal to marque it hard, participants whip their opponents, whose spilled humor serves arsenic an offering to Tláloc, the Mexica deity of rain. 

The jaguar has ever played a important relation successful conscionable astir each prehistoric civilizations successful Mesoamerica, appearing arsenic an important fig successful the reliefs and sculptures of temples and palaces. 

With euphony and dance, participants and attendees locomotion done the town’s streets until they scope the conflict site.

Contenders combat fiercely for 5 to 15 minutes, pursuing a Nahuatl proverb of the portion that says, “The much humor the tigers shed, the much rainfall determination volition beryllium for the germination of the seeds.”

This video examines the yearly “tiger” conflict ritual for rainfall successful Zitlala, Guerrero.

After the conflict ends, winners and losers region their masks to place themselves to their opponent. 

“At the extremity of the fight, we’re inactive friends arsenic always. It’s an offering to the deity Tlaloc, truthful that helium gives america bully rain, and we bash it with that purpose, not retired of resentment oregon hatred,” Arnulfo, 1 of the participants, points out.

To prosecute successful battle, participants indispensable travel immoderate strict rules, to vie effectively. These see preparing for a period successful advance, visiting their ancestors, speaking to the masks to embody the tone of a jaguar and purifying their souls with mezcal.

This year’s ceremonial volition instrumentality spot May 5.

With reports from EFE