Outings: Tortugas

Our Lady in Red

For decades, Felipe Chávez has helped coordinate a traditional celebration nearly extinct in modern New Mexico. “Ours is one of few remaining that incorporates both Native American and Roman Catholic rituals,” he says of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebration to be held December 10–12 in the tiny village of Tortugas, near Las Cruces, where a December day’s temperatures can range from the high 20s to the low 60s. Unique among New Mexico pueblos, Tortugas was founded by members of tribes sheltered at missions in El Paso before 1850. For a century, their descendants have honored La Virgen, the patroness of Mexico, who is said to have appeared miraculously in 1531.

Among the dances performed during the elaborate festivities on December 12 is the Matachín, in which participants in colorful regalia portray the interactions of Moctezuma, the last Aztec emperor; the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés; and La Malinche, Cortés’s Native mistress and interpreter. “Four types of dancers,” says Chávez, “follow the feast-day Mass: Los Indios, Los Danzantes, Los Guadalupanos, and Las Chichemecas Aztecas. The public is welcome to watch the outdoor ceremonies respectfully and to sample the albóndigas [meatballs], chile verde con carne, and other foods prepared by our community.”

Visitors can also join a four-mile procession that begins December 11, following an all-night vigil in a sacred chamber akin to a kiva, and a dawn rosary. Pilgrims march from the village capilla (chapel) to the top of nearby Tortugas Mountain. Separate lines of men and women, some barefoot, follow a knot of officials, los capitánes, who carry hot coals and willow branches as they escort a statue of the Virgin to an altar. Prayers and meditation follow, along with a Mass. Bonfires are lit to serve as beacons of faith.

“Our return is welcomed by the abuelos [elders] with a special chant and march,” explains Chávez, a member of the sponsoring organization, Los Indigenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. “The last thing we do is hold a reception for the new mayordomos, who will be in charge the following year.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Tortugas, (575) 526-8171; or Las Cruces Hispano Chamber of Commerce, (575) 532-9255; www.hispanochamberdelascruces.org—Richard Mahler