Throughout history people have used art to celebrate, to mourn, to prepare for war, to story-tell, and to pray to gods. What type of indigenous music or traditional dance can be found where you live?

Song & Dance. In México, there is an abundance of traditional music and dance, many of which can be traced back to ancient ceremonies. The Voladores de Papantla originated in the state of Veracruz over 1,500 years ago and is meant to ask the gods for rain. It’s an exciting ritual to witness, from its stomping, circling start on ground to its dramatic finish of flying through the sky. The MesoAmerican traditions were anything but subtle.

México is a feast for the senses. While ritual dances are a wonderful form of cultural entertainment, there are plenty of sights, sounds, and sports for visitors to experience: bullfighting, soccer, mariachi music, and Lucha Libre.

Mucha Lucha. In Mérida I hit the gym with Lobo, a local, legendary luchador (wrestler). I was lucky enough to participate in one of his daily training sessions.

Lucha Libre (translated as free fighting) is a serious sport for the luchadores, one that demands lots of training and comes from a tradition of war and power in México. The wrestlers wear masks to create their identity (and to disguise their real one) and are never caught without it while practicing their sport. A wrestler either represents good or evil by being a tecnico or a rudo, respectively, and each match is a face-off between the two sides. This tradition dates back to the time of Aztec warriors, who would sometimes wear the skins and headdress of eagles and jaguars while fighting. I came to the gym thinking this was México’s version of the WWE without realizing the long-standing tradition of this sport. I was sadly mistaken.

Second only to soccer, Lucha Libre is a hugely popular live sport in México and for obvious reasons. During my training session I flew through the air, flopped on the mat, and was thrown around the ring. Lucha Libre is about quick moves and acrobatics, high energy, and the battle of good and evil.

After two hours of training in a humid, un-air conditioned gym, I quickly gained an appreciation for these wrestlers. I learned that it’s important to be light on your feet, be coordinated, and anticipate your opponent’s next move.

Want more? We’ve got more Mexican traditions in store.

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