Papantla is a city and municipality located in the northern state of Veracruz,

Papantla is a city and municipality located in the northern state of Veracruz, Mexico in the Sierra Papanteca and the Gulf of Mexico. The city was founded in the 13th century by the Totonac and has mastered the state Totonacapan region since then. This is the home of vanilla, which is native to this region, the Dance of the Flyers and the archaeological site of El Tajin, which was named a World Heritage Site. Papantla still has strong Totonac communities that maintain the culture and language. The city contains a series of large-scale murals and sculptures by native artists Teodoro Cano Garcia, in honor of the Totonac culture. The name of Papantla is the Nahuatl and more often interpreted as "place of Papan (a kind of crow). This meaning is reflected in the coat of arms municipality.



The origins of the flying ceremony dates back to prehispanic times. Although there is no exact date is known that the arrival of the conquistadors, their main chroniclers considered the dance as a game, perhaps because it originally consisted of employee dress costumes made with real feathers representing eagles, owls, crows , parrot, quetzal, calendaring, etc..



For religious and secular events, two dances are final Papantla. According to the Totonac myth, the men diosesdijerona "dance, and we'll see." The Dance of the Flyers is one of these events that was originally meant to please the gods. The ceremony consists of five participants who raise a hundred-foot pole. Four of these ropes tied around the waist the other end into the top of the pole to fall to the ground. Each string is wound around the pole top thirteen times that of four equal 52 and match the Mesoamerican ritual calendar. The fifth participant is at the top of the pole playing a flute and a small drum. The flute is birdsong and the drum voice of the gods. The four down or "flying men" represent the four cardinal points. Piper begins by honoring the east, since life is believed to have originated. This dance or ceremony has been registered as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO .

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