Voladores

These are "Los Voladores de Papantla", literally meaning the fliers of Papantla. They perform this ritual, with roots embedded in their spiritual beliefs. It is amazing to watch as four men start at the top, wrap the rope around their foot and spiral down. All the while a fifth man plays beautiful tunes on his tiny flute at the very top of the pole. They start training the kids from a very young age and continue to do it until they are quite old, one of the men this time that I saw it in Tajin was well into his 70s. Traditionally it was only for men but some women's groups have started to sprout. Winter '06