Drum Ceremony

In the land of Real de Catorce in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, you can find a place surrounded by desert vegetation of a sacred nature. This is where deer are grazed in coexistence with hikuri or peyote, a species of endemic cactus that is revered ancestrally and is currently in a vulnerable state, according to the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

This land is Wirikuta.

A list of preparations and activities prior to the ceremony such as deer hunting, corn sowing, preparing the tejuino—a traditional frozen drink based on fermented corn -, acquiring a bull or calf, cleaning the ceremonial temple/Kalihuey, among other minor but equally important tasks, they are in charge of the governor on duty in conjunction with a ceremonial council put together for this ritual.

The members of the get-together, children and adults, share food preparations made mainly with the early harvest of fruits and legumes (orange, watermelon, cucumber, melon, banana, sweet potato, beans) such as tortillas, corn pancakes or stuffed tamales, as well as traditional drinks that include atole, tejuino or in the case of agave mezcal specially destined for older participants.<br>

It is vitally important that new generations are aware of, participate in and keep alive the age-old traditions that celebrate their identity and connect them with their ancestral roots. Through rituals of communal living that raise the value of this heritage, in this case of a culinary nature, it is possible to create an awareness of its purpose to be able to preserve it and continue to recreate it.