Back in 2020 I had plans to travel to Michoacán to photograph the feast day for Santiago Apóstol on July 25th. Due to COVID this didn't happen. I returned this year. Both Nurio and Angahuan, two indigenous communities in the Meseta Purépecha have Santiago Apóstol as their patron saint. I have found that Michoacán is one of the more difficult locations in México to obtain information about these indigenous celebrations. What has helped me immensely is going to YouTube where I have searched for events in Michoacán I have wanted to photograph. What I have discovered from photographing these feast days in the past is that the Danza de los Moros is the typical dance performed for these celebrations. It reminds me of Matachine dancing here in New Mexico.

Luckily, I found videos for both of these communities. In Nurio they celebrated their feast day by having the Danza de los Moros ride their horses through the village. They were followed by women holding mylar papel picado flags in their hands running in the streets. In turn, they were followed by a live band. After the procession the Danza de los Moros performed underneath a tent.

In Angahuan, the celebration was more elaborate. The main event took place in front of the church. The procession was made up by men shooting off cohotes (bottle rockets), men carrying banners, the Danza de los Moros on horseback who were followed by men and little boys in every day attire on horseback, about a dozen processional floats of various Virgins and saints and lastly there was a live band. After the procession the Danza de los Moros performed in front of the church.

I opted for spending July 25th in Angahuan as their celebration appealed to me more than the celebration in Nurio as processional floats weren't a part of their feast day. I kept wondering if this wasn't done because the church dedicated to Santiago Apóstol which was built in the mid-1660s was destroyed by a fire on March 7, 2021. Once the ceiling collapsed everything inside the church was destroyed. The church had amazing painted ceilings. Only the shell of the church along with the facade are now left standing. A huge tarp now covers the roof. Fortunately, the glass vitrine with the neon blue light reading "Señor de los Milagros" that contains an image of the crucified Christ was saved along with the statue of Santiago Apóstol. Both of them are now in the nearby capilla which has painted ceilings as well. The capilla also known as a huatápera was completed in 1803 is now used as a house of worship with mass taking placing outside in front of the building.

I visited Nurio on July 24th. The capilla was beautifully decorated for the feast day with huge bouquets of flowers in vases, suspended from one of the support beams, flowers surrounding the Virgins and saints along with drapery hung from the ceiling. The drapery is only installed when there’s a major fiesta in these villages throughout Michoacán. When I visited the capilla in the past prior to the fire in the main church it was quite dark. On this visit it was lit so one could appreciate the beauty of the altar and the painted ceilings.

The town also had a variety of carnival rides set up for the celebration. There were vendors selling food and trinkets. A stage was set up for various bands to perform during the 25th and the 26th.

On July 25th I went to Angahuan to photograph their feast day for Santiago Apóstol. Their village was full of carnival rides and they had a market selling trinkets and food as well. Two huge castillos (fire work towers) were set up in front of the church. When I arrived a lady offered corundas (masa wrapped in banana leaves) to my driver Homar and myself. They were delicious.

One needs to comprehend that the feast days honoring the patron saints in all these communities are considered the most important celebrations of the year. Many of these villages have rodeos and basketball games as part of their feast days.

The procession started at 4:30 in the afternoon. Gradually, the Danza de los Moros entered through a side entrance on horseback. They were followed by men and little boys on horseback. Eventually, the various andas were carried into the courtyard of the church and placed in front of the church. The statue of Santiago Apóstol was taken out of the church and placed directly in front of the entrance. Once the band arrived it was time for the procession to start.

After all of the above processed around the village everyone returned to the church where all the processional floats were once again placed in front of the church. Once this was done, the Danza de los Moros began dancing. Throughout the dance confetti was thrown into the crowd and onto the dancers. It was a joyous way to conclude this part of the feast day in this indigenous village.

This body of work is part of my goal to photograph authentic, indigenous culture in the state of Michoacán. I find the indigenous culture to be incredibly beautiful. As I have mentioned before, I truly feel have have been transported to another world.