Chinelos

Chinelos are a kind of traditional costumed dancer which is popular in the Mexican state of Morelos, parts of the State of Mexico and the Federal District of Mexico City, especially the boroughs of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco. The tradition arose from the blending of indigenous and Catholic traditions, most notably Carnival, with its permission to be masked and to mock. Chinelos mock Europeans and European mannerisms from the colonial period up to the end of the 19th century. The Chinelos tradition is strongest in Morelos, especially around Carnival, but Chinelos now appear at other festivities such as Independence Day celebrations, private parties and more.

The word “chinelos” is derived from the Nahuatl word “zineloquie” which means “disguised.” The dance is one of many to develop after the Spanish conquest as native traditions and rites blended into Christian festivals. One of these is Carnival, with its traditions of wearing masks, role reversal, anonymity and behaviors not normally tolerated. This dance developed as a mockery of the Europeans with their fine clothing, beards, fair skin and mannerisms. The modern Chinelos costume began to take shape from between the mid 19th century to the early 20th. The elaborate dress, gloved hands, uptilted beard and arrogant stance also makes fun of the salon dancing of the upper classes during the period of the French intervention as well as Porfirio Díaz’s attempts to “Europeanize” Mexico at the end of the 19th century. The dance developed in the state of Morelos, part of the State of Mexico, part of the Federal District of Mexico City (generally in the south) and even as far as the municipality of Taxco in Guerrero . They are the best known Carnival dancers in Mexico with Morelos having the most groups.

The dance became most developed in the state of Morelos, which in the 19th century was home to a number of sugar cane haciendas which made great fortunes for their owners, but left workers impoverished. Four large municipalities in the state, whose histories extend back to the pre-Hispanic period, are famous for their Chinelos: Tlayacapan, Tepoztlán and Yautepec and Jiutepec. The town of Tlayacapan is probably where the modern format for Chinelo dancing originated. The Chinelos here still perform in the former monastery’s extra large atrium during Carnival.

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Wikipedia