Once again, back in Teotitlan del Valle for the danza de la pluma. I am struck by all the different threads and spheres of activity that are a part of the whole. One of the most important aspects is the role of the subalternos or caras negras, who are Jorge Jimenez Mendoza and Pedro Hernandez Lazo for this group of dancers. I managed to catch one of them with a penacho, headdress, which is not his normal head wear.
They have various duties, most importantly to see to the needs of the dancers. One takes care of Monctezuma, Malinche and Doña Marina and the other, the rest of the dancers. That is Monctezuma's penacho. You can tell by the colors and design.
Their duties include tending injuries, providing water, doing repairs and acting as a bridge between audience and the dancers.
They are often very funny as they engage with people. And they can really dance!
More importantly, they represent the two sides of the dialogue, the indigenous and the Spanish and they perform the last dance of the whole performance. It is a little mini battle. Guess who wins?
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