10 - Tlacaxipehualiztli

Tlacaxipehualiztli marks the transition between the masculine principle of Ometecuhtli, of heat, drought, war, and hunting, which are the principle activities of Tonalco, and the time of the green earth, of rain, crops, and farming, which compose the feminine principle of Omecihuatl. Xipe Totec, the Flayed Lord, is honored. Xipe wears the skin of a flayed man. The dead, golden skin He wears represents the dry golden grass which covers the body` of Tlaltecuhtli, Our Mother the Earth, while His living body refers to the living Earth beneath, filled with seeds and ready to turn the earth verdant and green again. His regalia of skin also represents the husk of an ear of maize, and His living body beneath is the ripened corn. The husk must be removed to reveal the corn, and to give sustenance to men. The primary metaphor of Tlacaxipehualiztli is that of flaying, by which the body of the Earth is flayed of Her dead Winter covering to reveal Her living heart beneath, and by which we flay ourselves, in order to reveal truth, and return to the Earth the abundance She has bestowed upon us.

The Ceremonies of Tlacaxipehualiztli

If possible, the participants fast and pray overnight before the ceremony. Their prayer in the dark emulates the seed that grows where the light does not reach, but which trusts that it will be born with the dawn. The next day, a person is dressed in white feathers or papers. He stands in the center of the ceremony, where he performs a dance with a person with the regalia of an eagle and another with the regalia of a jaguar. The dance represents war, the combat between life and death from which the corn emerges triumphant. At the end, the person dressed in white peels a corn cob, a symbol of transformation and renewal, and places it on the altar. Then a game is organized in which this person chases and snatches the tilmas or capes which the attendees wear, simulating the stripping of the corn cob. Those who are left without a tilma must offer something at the altar, such as a song. In exchange, they receive tortillas or cookies in the shape of Xipe and distribute them among the attendees, who consume them. In so doing, they become one with Xipe, who is Spring and Maize, and He is transformed into their very flesh.

10 - Tlacaxipehualiztli - el Desollamiento

2 al 21 de abril de 2023

En Tlacaxipehualiztli tiene lugar la transición del principio masculino de Ometecuhtli, del calor, la sequedad, la guerra y la caza, actividades de Tonalco, y el tiempo del verdor, la lluvia, el crecimiento del campo, la agricultura y otras actividades que componen el principio femenino de Omecíhuatl. Se venera a Xipe Tótec, el Señor Desollado, quien lleva puesta la piel de un muerto, símbolo de la hierba seca que cubre el cuerpo de nuestra madre Tlaltecuhtli, es venerado. Su carne es la Tierra misma, llena de semillas y presta a volver a florecer. Su atuendo de piel también es la hoja del maíz; Su cuerpo es entonces la mazorca. Así como el maíz debe perder su hoja para develar su carne, Xipe nos alimenta a través de Su sacrificio. La metáfora principal de Tlacaxipehualiztli es que el desollamiento, a través del cual el cuerpo de la Tierra pierde la piel invernal y seca para entregar Su carne, y gracias al cual nos abrimos y mostramos la verdad, regresando a la Tierra todo lo que nos ha dado. 

Ceremonias de Tlacaxipehualiztli

Si es posible, se ayuna y se ora durante la noche. El rezo en la oscuridad emula a la semilla, que crece donde no llega la luz, sin embargo, confía en que ésta llegará al amanecer. Una persona es ataviada con plumas o papeles blancos. Se posiciona en el centro de la ceremonia, donde escenifica una danza con una persona con atributos de águila y una con atributos de jaguar. La danza representa la guerra, el combate entre la vida y la muerte del cual el maíz sale triunfante. Al terminar, la persona ataviada pela una mazorca, símbolo de la transformación y la renovación, y la coloca sobre el altar. 

Después se organiza un juego en el que esta persona persigue y arrebata sus capas a los asistentes, simulando el desnudamiento de la mazorca de maíz. Quienes quedan sin manta deben ofrendar algo al altar, como un canto. A cambio, reciben tortillas o galletas con la forma de Xipe y las reparten entre los asistentes. Al consumir Su carne, los celebrantes se vuelven uno con Él.