Papantla Flyers

E538288

The Papantla Flyers are traditional Mexican performers who enact an ancient Totonac ritual involving dancers launching themselves from a tall pole and slowly descending by ropes while one remains atop playing flute and drum.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mexican cultural tradition
ritual dance ensemble
traditional performance group
alsoKnownAs Papantla Voladores NERFINISHED
Voladores de Papantla NERFINISHED
associatedMunicipality Papantla NERFINISHED
associatedState Veracruz NERFINISHED
associatedWith Papantla, Veracruz NERFINISHED
Veracruz NERFINISHED
countryOfOrigin Mexico
culturalHeritageOf Totonac culture NERFINISHED
culturalSignificance emblem of Totonac identity
iconic symbol of Mexican indigenous heritage
ethnicGroupAssociation Totonac people NERFINISHED
movementPattern circular descent around the pole
numberOfFlyersDescending 4
numberOfPerformers 5
numberOfPerformersOnTop 1
perform Danza de los Voladores NERFINISHED
performanceContext civic celebrations
religious festivals
tourist events
performanceElement climbing a tall pole
descending by ropes
launching from the pole
playing flute and drum atop the pole
recognizedBy UNESCO
region Gulf Coast of Mexico NERFINISHED
religiousTradition Mesoamerican religion
riskLevel high
ritualType fertility ritual
rain ritual
safetyEquipmentTraditionallyUsed none
symbolism connection between earth and sky
honoring the sun
petitioning for rain and fertility
traditionalCostumeElement brightly colored shirts
embroidered white trousers
flowered headdresses
red sashes
trainingType apprenticeship within Totonac communities
typicalPoleHeight approximately 20 to 30 meters
UNESCOElementName Ritual ceremony of the Voladores NERFINISHED
UNESCOInscriptionYear 2009
UNESCOStatus Intangible Cultural Heritage
usesInstrument drum
flute

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Xcaret Park hasShow Papantla Flyers