Tulum, Q.R. — Dancers to a once-popular tourist attraction in Tulum’s archaeological zone have called it quits. After nearly three decades, the Papantla flyers announced they have left due to a lack of tourist interest.
Juan Garcia, a long time member of the Voladores de Papantla, said they made the decision due to low tourist numbers. He said the decline in tourism has meant a decline in income, forcing them to have to cover their own expenses.
“There aren’t enough people coming to see us anymore. Without an audience, we have to cover expenses like lodging, food and transportation ourselves,” he said.
The Voladores de Papantla of Tulum made their last performances in mid-March.
“There aren’t many people coming to see the show so what are we doing here? We’re leaving because frankly, it’s in our best interest,” he explained.
According to Garcia, the group had been performing in the Tulum archaeological zone for approximately 30 years, and although it is only a hobby for him, he noted the loss of culture.
“I have a job. This is just a hobby, nothing more,” he said. “Our ancestors taught us to continue our culture. We continue to move forward and teach young people, children, to continue our culture, our tradition,” he added.
He acknowledged that the lack of tourism in Tulum has directly impacted the flying show’s continuity, which started when the craft market was created around 30 years ago.
“It’s a shame that such an ancient tradition is no longer here in Tulum. But as for tourism, well, there’s nothing. Not just here, but around here, in the town of Tulum there’s nothing.
“What can be done in this case? Well, we have to withdraw, look for other areas and other sources of income,” he said.
According to the INAH (National Institute of Anthropology and History), the voladores is a fertility dance.
“The ritual ceremony of the voladores is a fertility dance performed by various ethnic groups in Mexico and Central America, such as the Totonacs, Teeneks, Nahuas, Ñañhus, and Mayans.
“However, it is in the Totonacapan region of the state of Veracruz where its representative and emblematic value is most evident, associated with a historical community existence and linked by its geographical location to the pre-Hispanic city of El Tajín.
“Its purpose is to express respect for nature and the spiritual universe, as well as harmony with both. During the ceremony, four young men climb a mast 18 to 40 meters high.
“Seated on the platform at the top of the mast, a fifth man, the caporal, plays melodies on a flute and drum in honor of the sun, as well as the four winds and cardinal points. After this act of invocation, the dancers throw themselves into the void from the platform to which they are tied by long ropes, spinning to imitate the flight of birds as the rope unravels, and gradually descending to the ground.
“Each variant of the ritual dance of the voladores represents a means of reviving the myth of the universe, so that this ceremony expresses the community’s worldview and values, promotes communication with the gods, and invokes prosperity.
“For the performers of this dance and all those who share in the spirituality of the ritual as spectators, the voladores ceremony is a source of pride in their cultural heritage and identity, while also inspiring a sense of respect for both.”
