Abstract

MORENO CARVALLO, José Manuel. With the Divine Face do not play: personification of a saint in the dance of Santiagos of Texcoco and Teotihuacan. Trace (Méx. DF) [online]. 2023, n.84, pp.9-30.  Epub Dec 11, 2023. ISSN 2007-2392.  https://doi.org/10.22134/trace.84.2024.856.

This paper deals with the Divine Face, a ritual object used in the dance of Santiagos in the regions of Texcoco and Teotihuacan, central Mexico, which the villagers consider as a saint or living image. Due to this characteristic, the dancer who carries the image, which represents a combination between Jesus Christ and Santiago Apostle, has to comply with a series of requirements since at the moment he uses it «he lends his body to the saint». This means that it is not only the dancer who dances and participates in the feast, but also the image. Contrary to this idea, specialists have approached the Santiagos as a kind of dance-theater where only human forces participate. The discussion presented here is a reflection on the links between fiction and daily life that are established in a dance where people become saints.

Keywords : Santiagos; Divine Face; Texcoco; dance; personification.

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