EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



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del Rescate ("Our Lord of the Redemption"). 

 It is distinguished from all other local fiestas, 

 and its importance indicated, by the fact that 

 only it is referred to as la funcion, "the func- 

 tion," with the accent on "the." According to 

 tradition the fiesta is relatively recent, having 

 begun shortly after the turn of the present cen- 

 tury. During a particularly virulent period of 

 smallpox the sacristan, Guadalupe Estrada, was 

 looking through a storeroom in the old convent 

 when he stumbled upon the dust-covered picture. 

 Guadalupe admired it and made a vow to make 

 a small fiesta in its honor if the townspeople 

 were saved from die epidemic. Shortly there- 

 after the intensity of the disease began to wane 

 and presently the village was free from the 

 scourge." 



With some difficulty Guadalupe persuaded 

 the priest, Padre Mariano Vargas, that the Res- 

 cate painting was responsible for the miracle, 

 and that a fiesta should be offered in its honor. 

 Boxes for contributions were distributed among 

 interested persons of neighboring villages, the 

 church was decorated, and a small fiesta was 

 held. The second year more boxes were distri- 

 buted, programs were printed, and the fiesta 

 enjoyed increased attendance. By the fourth 

 year it had begun to achieve considerable fame, 

 as the powers of the Rescate were recognized. 

 Priests from other places were invited, while 

 the local priest, seeing a potential source of in- 

 come of great value, paid for the first castillo, 

 or fireworks pole, the surest way in rural Mex- 

 ico to draw a good crowd to a fiesta. Thus, lit- 

 tle by little the fiesta took its place as one of 

 the most important of the State, sharing honors 

 with that of Patzcuaro on December 8, and that 

 of the now lava-buried town of San Juan Paran- 

 garicutiro on September 14. With the persecu- 

 tion of the Church in the late 1920's and the 

 hiding of the priest, the fiesta took on a more 

 commercial cast which remains to this day. Now, 

 the municipal government handles most of the 

 details, while the priest limits himself to purely 

 Church affairs. Likewise, for most visitors, the 

 entertainment and commerce are of more in- 

 terest than the religious aspects, though during 

 most of the days involved the church is well 

 filled and many come to crawl on their knees 



6 The painting properly is an Ecce Homo. Apparently it 

 has been called Rescate ("Redemption") only since the time 

 of the smallpox epidemic. 



through the churchyard in payment of a vow. 



The manner in which the date of the fiesta 

 was decided is uncertain. It is a "movable 

 date," falling during the week preceding the 

 beginning of Lent, with Tuesday 8 days before 

 Ash Wednesday as the most important day. 

 When viewed from the wider perspective of 

 Catholic festive functions it is seen that it takes 

 the place of the Carnival which formerly was 

 observed in Tzintzuntzan, but which has gradual- 

 ly been abandoned. 



Communal and individual plans for the fiesta 

 begin a month or more in advance. Family 

 budgets, for once, are carefully studied, and it 

 is decided how much money can be spent on 

 new clothing and other finery. Potters plan their 

 production so that they will have a great surplus 

 for sale, and fishermen put their nets and equip- 

 ment in top condition in the hope that good 

 luck will greet their efforts during the few days 

 immediately preceding the fiesta. The munici- 

 pal president calls a meeting of his fellow 

 officers and other important men of the com- 

 munity, as well as the officers of the Indigenous 

 Community, to plan the number of days the 

 fiesta will last, what will be the order of enter- 

 tainment, how many bands shall be hired, and 

 what the total cost will be. Temporary licenses 

 granted to outside merchants take care of most 

 expenses except that of the music, which oc- 

 cupies a peculiar position of importance in all 

 of the Tarascan area. Here, rivalry between 

 towns is evidenced in the desire to have a bigger 

 and more famous band than any other village 

 or, lacking a good local band, in hiring for one's 

 fiesta the finest music available. Some of the 

 sierra towns are said to have four or more 

 bands at a single fiesta, all competing for popu- 

 lar acclaim, and the band which comes away 

 victorious can charge a correspondingly higher 

 fee for its next engagement. For the Rescate 

 fiesta of 1945, the band of Pascual, caretaker of 

 the school, was quickly eliminated. Probably 

 no musicians ever practiced more diligently or 

 made less progress than these men, and never 

 during the course of our many months of study 

 were they asked to play in another town, until 

 the final month, when their surprise was equaled 

 only by that of the townspeople. 



Following custom, it was decided that the 

 officers of the Indigenous Community would 



