Coyolillo's Carnival, celebrating Afro-Mexican history

February 29, 2020 10:54 AM

Located in the center of the coastal state of Veracruz, a 30-minute drive from its capital, Coyolillo (Google maps) is one of the few towns that takes pride in the country's African roots and presence, identifying itself as an Afromestizo, or "Afromixed," town. Preparing for Carnaval in Coyolillo (Pulitzer Center). The carnival in Coyolillo [...] dates back more than 100 years. [...] The event is known for the colourful robes, capes and animal masks – of bulls, deer, goats and cows – worn by participants. As such, the carnival is a unique expression of African-Mexican folk art (Guardian, in pictures).

Afro-Mexicans Fight for Visibility and Recognition (Pulitzer Center)

Coyolillo is a small town made up of nearly 4,000 residents that serves as one of the few examples of black activism in the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz. Best known for its version of the annual Carnaval, a festival featuring traditional African dance and music, the town welcomes visitors with an affirmation of its identity: Afro-Mestizo. The term applies to one of mixed African descent.

Daniela Lopez Carreto began to strongly identify as Afro-Mexican while on a bus ride to her high school in a town about 30 minutes away from Coyolillo. She overheard a man speaking about the black history of her town and how it was founded. “From there, I started to pay more attention to all that is Carnaval, as the festival that’s most tied to our origin.”

Prior to overhearing the gentleman historian, Carreto had learned little of black history in her town, state, and country.

This isn’t uncommon. State-mandated textbooks don’t include the contributions of Afro-descendants.

More to read: Afro-Mexicans: “Afromestizos”, from Prairie View A&M University; also, Blacks in Mexico: A Selective Bibliography, from Johns Hopkins University Press.

posted by filthy light thief (2 comments total)

Thank you thank you! This is very definitely cool, and I look forward to having time to check out the links!
posted by allthinky at 4:41 AM on March 1, 2020

Those Guardian pictures are gorgeous. Thanks for posting!
posted by soundguy99 at 8:24 AM on March 1, 2020