Guanajuato Byways: Equinox Celebration at Orduna, Comonfort Pyramid Site

Twenty eight Amigos de la Alhondiga Museum left our city before sunrise so we would be in time for the Spring Equinox ceremony on March 21. What a day! Those who were awake saw the sun come up. By the time we reached the Casa de Cultura in Comonfort, we were in full sunlight.

Ceremony of an Otomi community that mainly speaks Spanish

In the patio, we could see the traditional stone metates and other utensils for which the region is famous. Then by bus to the bottom of the hill once topped by a pyramid.

On the long, steep climb, we were accompanied by staff members from the Casa de Cultura and three city policemen.

A time to rest and wait for the formal greeting

                                                 Nearly to the top, we listened to the formal greeting. For me this was the first summit of the day because in the way he spoke to us, he could have been from an Oregon tribe. You could say it was a confirmation of what I had shown in my dissertation -- even when the original language is not used, the structure and themes can and do remain constant. Besides that, the way this man spoke to us was a powerful demonstration of the culture shared by descendants of the first people in North and Mesoamerica.

Any remains of the pyramid are protected by concrete but it is still a popular destination throughout the year. There, the shaman, in modern clothing, spoke to us of being the original people, then explained that with Spanish blood too, his people had blood from the Romans, Visigoths and more running through them too.

Shaman with his staff  and the effigy attached to the cross

Afterward, we took in (literally) a long Mexican comida at a restaurant in what used to be an elegant marketplace in the center of Comonfort and then did some quick crafts shopping on our way out of the city..

Healthy appetites afterward. oiled by tequila 

I plan to return, spending more time in its plazas, going into the city museum, learning more about the region's agricultural history. Maybe I'll eat pizza prepared in a wood-fired oven in the cafe part of the restaurant, buy more pottery and go to one of the city's two active markets. Our state is definitely more than our capital city suggests . . .