Concheros dance in devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico

Hundreds of dancers, many in feathered headdresses and indigenous-style costume, dance vigorously for hours during the days leading up to the feast, and on the December 12 feast itself, in the vast plaza in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a form of devotion to Guadalupe with mixed Iberian and indigenous roots, organized very much as a form of prayer, though its meaning to the dancers is undoubtedly multilayered. The most frequently represented, and most prominent type of dancers, easily identifiable by their huge plumed headdresses, are known as Concheros, a name that derives from the stringed instrument whose body is made from an armadillo shell. Along with the drums, and rattles carried or fitted to dancers’ ankles, it provides the soundtrack for their dances.

This video is part of Catholics & Cultures, an initiative of the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Learn more at http://www.catholicsandcultures.org.