Psalms, Stories and Music

Unique document including ritual music, psalms, sad stories, revolt? More than 1 hour of very rare documents of the last descendant of the Maya culture. During 20 years Thierry Zéno has regularly visited the Tzotzile community that can be heard on this record. Because he is accepted as 'the man who makes pictures' and has made a point of showing the preceding year's film on each of his visits - he has compiled a survey of prime importance. A few of the important rituals in the life of this community are offered here. This record is a complete view of all the rituals of the community - including the music for the day of the dead, the music heralding All Saints' Day, the Transfer of the Power (chant of authority changing hands), sanctifying rituals, some sad dialogue between Margarita and Antonio (in Maya language), ambiance of the Christmas night and Carnival... And a fragment of speech of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Who Are the Tzotziles? Some 150,000 Tzotziles live in the high plateaus in the state of Chiapas. They form, with the Tzeltales, a closely related tribe, one of the most prominent Indian communities in Mexico. Of Mayan extraction, they retain a traditional life comparatively devoid of Hispanic influence. The Tzotzile religion is a syncretic fusion of Christianity which was imposed on them and their surviving ancestral beliefs. They venerate not only heaven and earth, but also the statues of the saints which are believed to be more than idols with non-Indian faces. They dress them up in their cloths and jewels, wreath them in flowers, burn incense to them, cover them in oil and make offerings of alcohol, and, more recently, of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which are in fact the most expensive of drinks. The traditional Tzotzile orchestra is made up of instruments of their own fabrication - harps, guitars, drums, little fiddles, and water pipes that mimic bird song.