Beyond all beliefs and stories, what surprised me the most was the blending of Christian culture with the culture of the Aztecs and indigenous peoples. During the parade, heading towards the Church with the statue of Saint Sebastian, two participants, one middle-aged and the other slightly younger, told me the story, or rather the legend, of the Parachicos. According to it, as many Chiapans believe, the local shaman supposedly healed a boy, for whom his mother, Doña María de Angulo, sought help. There are several versions of this event. Chiapans seem not to question where the statue of Saint Sebastian comes from and why many of them still believe in healers, shamans, and fortune-tellers on par with Christian saints.

It seems amusing that they gather every year at the Fiesta Grande (from Spanish: Big Party or Event) and some do not fully know why. Perhaps, as I wrote earlier, Mexicans like to find reasons to drink and party. Perhaps, also, because of the mixing of different beliefs, it's so difficult to unequivocally define the history of the Parachicos.

Parachicos Chiapa de Corzo

Let's start with what Parachicos actually are. They wear wooden masks, usually with features of European descent, such as fair skin, facial hair, and sometimes blue eyes, contrasting with the features of indigenous inhabitants. They also wear round head coverings, colorful ribbons, striped serapes, embroidered shawls, typically over a black or dark shirt and pants. They play on tin rattles called 'chinchines'. Below is a photo of the first ones encountered.

Several versions of the Parachicos history

The most common story heard is that a rich lady (likely known as Doña María de Angulo) arrived in Chiapa de Corzo during colonial times. It is said that she was a beautiful, Catholic Spaniard living in the city of Antigua Guatemala. She was supposedly seeking the well-known local healer who could help her son (there are two versions: some say he was a victim of a strange illness, while others say he couldn't walk).

Soon after, in the years 1767-’68, a locust plague struck the city, destroying crops of corn, wheat, beans, and legumes. This weakened the inhabitants' resistance and contributed to the outbreak of an epidemic in 1770, causing the death of several hundred people. This likely explains the presence of the statue of Saint Sebastian, the patron saint protecting against epidemics and infectious diseases. They may also believe that thanks to his influence, Doña María de Angulo visited the city again. She was said to have arrived with mules loaded with domestic animals and food, thereby saving the people from starvation. In the afternoons, her servants and locals were said to dance for the amusement of children, disguising themselves with masks featuring European features so as not to frighten her son with their appearance. Hence, the name 'para el chico' likely originated from this. The second version of the legend says that the boy was indeed supposed to die, and the Parachicos danced wearing masks to make his last moments more enjoyable.

During the period spanning from late January to early February, Fiesta Grande lasts for several days. Women are dressed in colorful, elaborately embroidered Chiapanek outfits, while men - as Parachicos - dance cheerfully. Another notable tradition during Fiesta Grande is, that we can encounter the male participants dressed in women's clothing, painted and groomed, in their best efforts to resemble María de Angulo. 

La Chunta

On some evenings, men and children don women's clothing, paint their faces, and style their hair, identifying themselves as La Chunta. This group represents María de Angulo, the benefactor of this area or her faithful servants. That's the one story, the other one is...

Chuntás, as they are called, are men belonging to the Soctón or Chiapaneca ethnic groups, who, by dressing as women, do not celebrate merely in a humorous manner. Their aim is rather to avoid submission to the colonizers. By disguising themselves as women, they leave the city limits, pretending to perform daily duties, to meet with other indigenous inhabitants and organize resistance against the Spaniards, refusing to be enslaved.

The small Mexican town attracts everyone, from tourists from all over the world to Mexicans themselves. It is here that the annual festival called Fiesta Grande takes place. The festival is full of Parachicos, dancing with their rattles, beautiful women in elaborately decorated dresses, men dressed as women, and... delicious local delicacies.

The central figures of this colorful event are precisely the dancers dressed in characteristic wooden masks, who fill the streets of the city dancing with their rattles. But what are Parachicos really, and where did their fascinating tradition come from?