Maskmaker Interview

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More footage from my documentary-in-the-making about the Corpus Cristi fiesta in Suchiapa Mexico. Here is a couple of minutes from an interview I did with my friend Mariano who is a maskmaker in Suchiapa and makes many of the masks used in the dances and celebrations. It is subtitled in English.

Here he talks about the tiger mask. It's really a jaguar, but it's always called a "tigre" or tiger here. There are dozens of tigers in each of the many processions. They are usually teenaged boys and their job is to be at the front of the procession, reserving intersections so that the procession moves through town smoothly. They also are a kind of announcement of the procession as their shouts can be heard many blocks away.

The celebration of Corpus Cristi is very typically Mexican as it has pre-Hispanic elements (such as the tiger, deer, and serpent characters) as well as Catholic elements such as the Eucharist, and David and Goliath.

I will be posting clips from other interviews and the processions as soon as I can.