"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand in the Battlefield" Buddha
The path at the bottom of the hill opened up into a flat field, which was dry as a bone, but still had furrows. Across the field was the Calaway, the ceremonial centre, surrounded by a small smattering of adobe houses. Most of the Wira don't actually live in the valley, but in ranches way up in the mountains where they cultivate corn and beans. We did not head in the direction of the ceremonial centre that I could see in the distance but turned towards the closest compound of adobe houses off to the left of the trail.
Masauke was looking for Julio, the First Singer of the Rain, one of the meri'kame, or shaman/medicine man, who had stayed at the healing centre for a few days just before Masauke and Jessie had gone off on the pilgrimage. He asked Sebastian, Julio's eight year old grandson who had accompanied his grandfather when he had come to Wiricuta to conduct a ceremony for a group of Mexica pilgrims from California, if Julio was there or in the ceremony. Sebastian led us to an adobe room that functioned as a kitchen where his grandmother and a younger woman with a baby were preparing food. Julio we were told was still in the ceremony.
We headed across the field, first to the compound of one of Masauke's other compadre's to greet everyone who had not seen Masauke in almost 2 years and Linda in much longer, and then to the nearby compound where we would be staying. Each of the adobe houses in the second compound belonged to one of Otimio's children. Otimio had been one of Masauke's teachers. He had died just before the pilgrimage was supposed to have begun. In fact, the pilgrimage had been postponed because of Otimio's death, and of his 7 wives, only one had survived him. Both Matsua, the Captain of the pilgrimage and Jesus, Masauke's compadre, were sons of Otimio.
The compound was bustling with people, dogs and turkeys. Masauke greeted Otimio's widow, whose response was the most ancient of greetings, almost godlike, in which the Grandmother blessed herself, similar to doing the sign of the cross before us. She adopted a very humble posture and in her native tongue she addressed Masauke ... 'Masauke',she said, taking his hand and kissing it. Masauke would later tell me that her greeting cum blessing was by far the least deserving honour that he felt entitled to. It was however, a greeting in which she represented her recently deceased husband, for as Masauke says, he is sure that Otimio discussed with her his true heart.
We left our overnight packs in the compadre's one room house and walked across the dry furrowed field and through the gate into the Calaway compound. The ceremony, which had started 3 days before, was still going on inside the building on the far left side from where we sat on a log with our backs to the wall of one of the adobe buildings facing the Calaway. Across from us there were 3 temples, the temple of the Sun, the temple of the Deer and the temple of the Wind. There were people scattered around circular ground in front of the Calaway. There were children of all ages, grandmothers, women nursing babies beneath their beautifully designed blouses, men, youth. The community was sitting on steps,logs, protruding roots, or tiny wooden stools, waiting for the moment when the pilgrims would next come dancing out of the Calaway.
We sat for over an hour before the next round of dancing began. I occupied myself playing hide and seek with a group of young girls. I would hide my face behind my headdress and then peak out at them. They were having a great time. None of them would come very close but they would each look over in turn to see if I was hiding or not. My game with the kids was to continue over a period of at least 3 hours. Masauke later told me that the children were fascinated with the game, not only because I looked very different than the adults they were used to seeing, but also because it was very rare for them to have an adult playing with them and especially to keep playing with them for so long.
To be continued... stay tuned to this same bat channel ...oops, i mean blog entry!
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