Editorial photo #10444014 Human Interest

Ritual Ceremony Of Voladores Of Mexico

A group of flyers from Papantla (a town belonging to the State of Veracruz, Mexico), get ready to dance on the air at the facilities of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex in Mexico City, as part of the 8th National Meeting of the Ritual Ceremony de Voladores, with the purpose of strengthening, protecting and disseminating this dance within the framework of the 14 years of the declaration of this tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The origins of the voladores ceremony date back to pre-Hispanic times. Although there is no exact date, it is known that upon the arrival of the conquerors, its main chroniclers considered this dance as a ''game'', perhaps because originally the attire used consisted of costumes made with real bird feathers that represented eagles, owls , crows, macaws, quetzals, larks, etc. (Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto)