Matachini, la milicia de la Virgen entre los yaquis

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the study of the matachines dance, a figure organized in a similar way to a militia that plays an important role in Yaqui rituals, but has been little mentioned in colonial sources on the history of northern New Spain. The text analyzes its European origin and how it was introduced into the Yaqui culture. It also examines its transition from the burlesque performance to its solemn display, the exclusivity of the music used in the presentation, and the Yaquis perspective about it. The article is based on the study of documentary, bibliographic, and iconographic sources and on data collected through field work in the Yaqui region of the state of Sonora, Mexico.