Original Villages | Coyoacán: San Mateo Churubusco's Christmas Posada

Celebrating the Birth of Jesus, the Son of God, Replaces an Indigenous Celebration of the Birth of the God Huitzilopochtli

The celebration of Christmas in Mexico is different from that of other festivals on the Catholic Christian calendar. It is focused within the privacy of the family rather than in the communal space of the parish church or the public space of the neighborhood streets. The central celebratory event is a family cena (dinner) held late on the evening of Noche Buena (literally, Good Night), Christmas Eve, before going to Mass. (Think Thanksgiving dinner in the United States.)

Posadas: Recreating Mary´s and Joseph´s Search for an Inn in Bethlehem

There is, however, a wonderful tradition that takes place in semi-public space, the individual streets of neighborhoods. It is the tradition of posadas (literally, "inns"). Las posadas were evidently created in the mid-16th century by Augustinian friars who came to Nueva España to instruct indigenous peoples in the Catholic Christian faith. Held each of the nine nights prior to Christmas, from December 16th thru the 24th (the nine nights representing the nine months of Mary's pregnancy), each night's posada is hosted by families living in a different street. And they are held outside, in the street (think block party).

They are called posada (inn) because the celebration centers on a re-creation of the arrival of the pregnant Mary and her husband, Joseph, in the town of Bethlehem in response to the census called by Caesar Augustus. They search for an inn in which to stay. In the re-enactment of their quest, children dressed as Mary and Joseph, or statues of the saints, with Mary riding a donkey, approach a series of three homes in the street holding the night's posada.

The pregnant Virgin Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem.
Statues in Church of San Mateo Churubusco, Coyoacán.
St. Matthew stands behind them.

The members of the parish accompanying the Holy Couple sing a petition to the residents of each home on behalf of the Couple, pleading that they be given shelter. At the first two homes, from behind closed doors, the residents reject the plea and the procession has to move on. At the third home, in response to the request, the resident family opens its doors and receives the Couple and those with them. The rosary may be recited. Then, the party begins!

Replacing One Miraculous Birth of a God With Another

The Augustinians had a very clear purpose in creating las posadas. They were a specific tactic in the strategy of Spanish monks that has come to be called the Spiritual Conquest, the conversion of the indigenous peoples to Catholic Christianity. As it happened, in the Azteca/Mexica religion, in the month of Panquetzaliztli, the birthday of Huitzilopochtli, god of the sun and war and their primary god, was celebrated on the equivalent of December 18. (Panquetzaliztli possibly corresponded to December 6 to 25 on the Gregorian calendar; there are scholarly differences of opinion on the precise relation between the two calendars.)

Huitzilopochtli, like Jesus the Christ Child, was also begotten by a miraculous conception, via a ball of eagle feathers entering the womb of the Mother Goddess, Coatlicue. The eagle is both the messenger and symbol of the Sun god, Tonatiuh. The coincidence of the two sacred and miraculous birthdays is tied, of course, to the Winter Solstice, marking the beginning of the northward return of the sun from its southernmost position in the Northern Hemisphere.

A recent Facebook post, by Guardianes Del Patrimonio Xochimilco, on the significance of the winter solstice confirms this coincidence of the birthdays of the two gods:

"From the start of the ‘Spiritual Conquest’ of these lands, the Spanish Friars took note of the celebration of the birth of a ‘god’ at the end of December. The original peoples named this god Xiuhpiltontli, ‘niñito turquesa’ | Turquoise Baby Boy’ (in the Nahuatl language, turquoise is a symbol of preciousness).

Xiuhpiltontli is linked with the birth of Huitzilopochtli (hummingbird of the left/south), as both are a symbolic representation of the Sun. Between the 20th and 24th of December, (seen from Xochimilco) the Sun rises behind Popocatéptl ("Smoking Mountain" volcano)—seems to stand still, and appears much smaller than it does during the rest of the year. 

Sun rising at winter solstice over volcano Popocatepetl

In Xochimilco, there are no coincidences. From time immemorial, there has been a search for answers, communal creativity, devotional dynamism and cultural resistance … there is cultural fusion." Translated from a recent Facebook post on Guardianes Del Patrimonio Xochimilco

So the Augustinians created Las Posadas to replace the celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli with that of the Birth of Jesus, the Son of God. (Wikipedia)

Searching for a Posada in Mexico City

When we lived in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, we were invited every December to posadas in various neighborhoods. Our beloved Spanish teacher, Alejandra, always invited us to the one in her family's street. When we moved to Mexico City, as with other traditions, we wondered whether we would find posadas. In our modern Colonia Parque San Andrés, which has no Catholic parish church, there are no fiestas, let alone the more modest posadas. 

Now that Mexico City Ambles is focused on original indigenous villages in the City and their fiestas, we wondered whether this December we might find a posada to enjoy, photograph (a challenge since they take place after dark) and share. Our ever-informative Facebook page,  Fiestas Mágicas de los Pueblos y Barrios Originarios del Valle de México, Magical Fiestas of the Original Villages and Neighborhoods of the Valley of Mexico, posted videos of multiple posadas that had happened in Xochimilco each previous night, or sometimes live, as they were happening. But there were no prior announcements of where and at what time they were being held, so, short of wandering around the center of Xochimilco in the twilight, there was no way we could find one. 

Then on the Thursday, December 23, the eighth day of posadas, there appeared on the Facebook page of our neighboring barrio of San Mateo Churubusco an announcement of a posada that very evening. Evidently, it was part of a series of nine held by the parish, but we had somehow missed announcements of the previous ones. We could easily attend, and next to the last day that it would be possible this year!

We are also struck by the coincidence ("In [the indigenous cosmovision], there are no coincidences"!) that San Mateo Churubusco and its sister barrio, San Diego Churubusco, were the indigenous village of Huitzilopochco, so named by the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan when they took control of the towns around Lake Texcoco from the Tepanecs of Azcapotzalco in 1428.

The causeway the Mexicas built south, across the lake, had one terminus at this village and Huitzilopochtli is a god of the south (perhaps, because He was born with the newborn sun), so it seems likely they chose to dedicate this southern village to their chief god. The churches of San Mateo and Our Lady of the Angels in San Diego were built atop Mexica temples, one or both likely dedicated to Huitzilopochtli. So this posada will take place at a sacred site of the very god which such posadas were designed to replace!

Plaque on wall of a house on Calle Convento
recognizing the original name of the village, Huitzilopochco,
"The place of the hummingbirds of the south".
"Churubusco" was a Spanish replacement,
possibly to erase the name of the chief God of the Mexica.

Posada in la Calle Rafael Oliva, San Mateo Churubusco

The Facebook announcement gave the name of the street, la calle Rafael Oliva, where the posada would be held. It is a block west of the church, less than a ten-minute walk from our apartment. However, it did not give the time. So we posted a message on the page asking the time, and the administrator soon replied. It would begin at 5 PM, with a procession starting from the atrio (atrium) of the church. So shortly before the designated hour, we left our apartment and walked the five short blocks to the church.

Waiting

Chapel of San Mateo, St. Matthew
Archeologist think that a Mexica temple to Huitzilopochtli
may have stood here previously.

We well know that "on Mexican time" is different from "on norteamericano (North American, i.e., U.S.) time". But nearly ten years of living in Mexico have not changed the habits of many decades of functioning as a norteamericano. So we arrive at the church a few minutes before 5 PM. The gate to the atrio is locked. No one is visible inside. So we sit down on a curb across the narrow back street that the church faces and wait. Within a few minutes a woman appears from the church, walks to the gate and opens it. We approach her and ask about the posada. "Sí", "Yes," it is going to happen. 

So we enter the atrio. The pavement is strewn with torn pieces of colored paper. It has the look of a party space the morning after the party. Apparently, a posada had been held in the atrio the night before. With nothing else to do while waiting, we enter the church, which we have visited several times before. 

Chancel of the sanctuary decorated for Christmas

A nacimiento (literally, "birth", i.e., a Nativity scene) is to the left.
A figure of the Infant Jesus is not placed in it until the Christmas Eve Mass.
To the right are Joseph and Mary, in front of St. Matthew.

Poinsettias are native to Mexico, where they are called nochebuenas,
(literally "good nights", i.e.,  "Christmas Eves").

Leaving the sanctuary, we sit down on a long concrete bench lining the north side of the atrio. It is still warm from the rays of the afternoon sun that is dropping behind the houses to the west. We wait.

Arrivals

Soon, a man and a woman, apparently husband and wife, and three youngsters enter from the gateway at the side of the atrio, on calle Heroes de 47, Heroes of 1847, the main street through the barrio (for an explanation of the name, see our post about San Mateo's sister barrio, San Diego Churubusco, Thrice Strategic Over 400 Years). Each carries a traditional Mexican broom made of long twigs, and they begin methodically sweeping up the torn paper into piles. This takes some time. 

When the gentleman is near us, we introduce ourselves as a neighbor from Parque San Andrés interested in traditional fiestas. He takes us by surprise when he says that he recognizes us from the fiesta for El Señor de los Milagros (the Lord of Miracles), in Coyoacán's Colonia Ajusco, held just last month, at which San Mateo was represented. We comment that we had shared our photo of San Mateo from that day on the parish Facebook page. Amiably, he says that he has seen it.   

While the family cleans the atrio, other families begin to arrive. While the adults sit on the long bench and wait, the kids engage in the inevitable running games around the large atrio.

This little boy delights in running the length of the concrete bench
 that starts against the wall of the church
and extends along the north side of the atrio. 

Isaac

Seeing that we are taking pictures of him, the boy runs along the bench to us
and greets us. Asked his name, he says he is Isaac (EE-sahk). And he is three years old.
His parents are sitting not far away, watching the interchange.
He asks if we will play with him.
We have to say we would like to, but are now too old to run around.
We add that we are enjoying watching him have fun. 

Another friendly boy

Isaac´s sister (left) and a friend.

The Procession 

By 6 PM, the atrio is cleaned of all the previous night´s detritus. The sun has set and the light is fading. About then, the cohetero arrives and sets off a couple of cohetes (rocket-style firecrackers) to announce the coming procession. But there is no sign of a procession. The people sitting and standing around the atrio wait without any sign of impatience. 

Then, suddenly, about 6:20, a woman ringing a small bell comes out of the church. Behind her, two men carry the anda (platform) bearing the statues of Mary on the donkey and Joseph. Following them are a small group of women holding lighted candles and chanting a prayer they are reading from small booklets made of newsprint. One woman is carrying a statue or doll representing Niño Jesús, the Child Jesus.

The procession gets underway.
The woman at the right is holding a Niño Jesús, Child Jesus

The procession leaves the atrio of the church,
exiting into calle Heroes de 47, and turns west.
It is now dark.

A short block farther on,
the procession turns north into la calle Rafael Oliva, the site of tonight's posada

As per tradition, the procession stops at a house to petition room
for Mary and Joseph to stay.
From behind closed doors, the family rejects the request.

Mary and Joseph, and the procession
move on toward a second home.

In front of the second house, the request for hospitality is made again,
Again, the family inside rejects the petition.

Finally, the procession arrives at a third home
and repeats its plea on behalf of the Holy Couple.

This time the doors of the home are opened, and Mary and Joseph are invited to enter,
along with participants in the procession.

Mary and Joseph find a place to rest.

The Child Jesus is also given a place of honor.
in the family's nacimiento.

In the street, the cohetero announces the success of the search.

The Party

Quickly, tables are set up in the street
and hot ponche, fruit punch, is served.  

A gas grill is also set up and small tortillas are fried. 

The fried mini-tortillas are covered with a bean paste, shredded cheese and lettuce.
In this form, they are called sopes.

Piñatas

While the ponche and sopes are being served, a small group of men prepare to hang a piñata above the street. 

A rope, one end already tied to the second story of the host house,
is tossed to a young man in the second story of the house across the street.
He will manipulate the height and movement of the piñata.

A piñata is hung from the suspended rope.

Traditional seven-pointed star pinata

The attack on the piñata is seen as representing the struggle of humans against temptation. The seven points of the tradtional star-shaped pinata represent the Seven Deadly Sins. The pot represents the devil, and the fruit and candy inside are the temptations of evil. The person with the stick is usually blindfolded to represent faith and spun around in order to recreate the disorientation that temptation creates, but that is not done here in San Mateo.

The onlookers sing a chant about the effort. When the piñata breaks, the treats inside become the rewards for keeping the faith.

Canción de la piñata, Piñata Song

Dale, dale, dale,

No pierdas el tino,

Porque si lo pierdes

Pierdes el camino.

Hit, hit, hit,

Don't lose your aim,

Because if you lose it,

You'll lose the way.

Dale, dale, dale,

No pierdas el tino,

Mide la distancia

Que hay en el camino...

Hit, hit, hit,

Don't lose your aim,

Measure the distance

That's on the way...

...Ya le diste uno, 

Ya le diste dos,

Ya le diste tres 

Y tu tiempo se acabó.

...You've hit it once, 

You've hit it twice,

You've hit it thrice, 

Now your time is up.

(Canción de la piñata, Piñata Song. From Mama Lisa's World)

A lady of the parish
helps the younger kids
prepare their attack on the piñata.

One after another, multiple piñatas are hung and attacked.
The young man in the upstairs window manipulates their height
according to the height of each child.

Even very young children are introduced to the traditional action.

Our friend, Isaac,
goes at it.

When a piñata is broken,
everyone scrambles for the goodies that fall from inside.

Like other components of fiestas such as fireworks and papel picado (cut paper designs), piñatas apparently originated in China. They are part of the New Year celebration held in late January or early February. The tradition was brought by travelers returning to Europe in the 14th century where it became associated with the Christian celebration of Lent, the forty days of fasting before Easter. In Spain, the first Sunday of Lent is known as "Piñata Sunday". The piñata tradition was brought to Nueva España by Augustinian monks, where they adapted it to Christmastime.

As it happened, and conveniently so for the Augustinians, there was already a similar tradition in Mesoamerica. As part of the celebration of the birthday of Huitzilopochtli, priests would decorate a clay pot with colorful feathers and hang it before a statue of the god. The pot was then hit with a club until it broke, and the treasures inside would fall to the feet of the idol as an offering. The Maya also had a similar tradition, which included blindfolding the participant who was trying to hit a suspended clay pot. (Wikipedia)

So here in San Mateo Churubusco, the ancient village that the Mexica called Huitzilopochco, this fusion of traditions is repeated once again tonight, this Christmas Season.

Traditions That Mark Cycles of Time and Faith

There are still more piñatas to be hung and attacked when our old body tells us it is time to return home. It is about 8 PM. We thank the gentleman whose family was cleaning the atrio for being able to share in the posada of San Mateo Churubusco, wish him and his family "Feliz Navidad y Buen Año Nuevo", "Happy Christmas and a Good New Year", and head back down la calle Rafael Oliva. 

Church of San Mateo Churubusco
Night of the Eighth Posada,
December 23, 2017

We pass the Church of San Mateo, its simple white walls now lit like a beacon in the dark. Just down the street, we pass our beloved Mercado Churubusco (Market). We are surprised it is still open. A few remaining merchants are closing their stalls, which they opened at 7 AM and will open again at 7 AM tomorrow. We cross calle Martires Irlandeses (Irish Martyrs; for an explanation of this anomalous name, again, see our post on San Diego Churubusco) and re-enter modern Parque San Ándres.

Along the way, we reflect on what we have just experienced, as we always do after visiting a fiesta in one of the original indigenous pueblos or barrios of Mexico City. We are particularly struck, this time, by how a Catholic Christian custom was used (this time, evidently created) by the monks from Spain to replace an existing indigenous religious one, but thereby also creating continuity between the two.  

Both represent the birth of a god, and with them, the birth of a faith in the character of the power that rules the universe and is the sovereign of the human life cycle. Both births are tied to the natural phenomenon of the Winter Solstice, that ending and beginning of the ageless cyle of the sun (as seen from the Northern Hemisphere) which we also use to mark the succession of our earthly years.

Another such year is ending, another year is about to begin. The cycle of the Earth's voyage around the sun, the cycle of life and of being human goes on. And, as evidenced by the posada of San Mateo Churubusco, so does the renewing of the human faith that the future offers hope.

Some of la gente, the people, of Barrio San Mateo Churubusco

Delegaciones of Mexico City
Coyoacán is the purple delegación in the center.

San Mateo Churubusco is small, green area just to right (east) of star.
Parque San Andrés is Mexico City Ambles' home base.