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In
1847 one of Mexico's largest internal wars began. The Mayans went to war
in the Yucatán Peninsula in what is called the Castes War. A group of
whites and mestizos who lived in the village of Valladolid started a
migration to find a new home and run away from the war.
When
they reached the town of Sabán, they received notice that the Mayans
were very close and looked for shelter at the church. The shelter was
useless and they where attacked with machetes, a long wide knife, by a
group of Mayans commanded by Cecilio Chi.
Many
died in the attack. Amongst the wounded was a young man named Casimiro Cárdenas.
He was covered in blood and held a small crucifix in his hand that he
believed saved his life. This is now know as the Miracle of Sabán.
In
the moment after he recovered consciousness, he made the sacred promise
that if they ever reached a safe place and settled for the rest of their
lives, every year, they would hold a solemn service to honor the holy
cross.
The
survivors of the attack continued their journey finally arriving to
Cozumel. Among them was the young Casimiro Cárdenas. A year later, a
second group of people, most of them of Mayan origin, arrived to the
island and founded the village of El Cedral over the Mayan ruins called
Oycib. Oycib was renamed Santa Maria in 1527 by the Spaniards. Casimiro
Cárdenas made the decision to move with his group and live at the new
community of El Cedral.
Soon
after setting in El Cedral they celebrate the first services to
honor the holy cross in which after praying they receive the Toch,
blessing with the cross. They also invited people from the main town of
Cozumel to participate. Tradition that is still live. This tradition is
still alive.
When
Don Casimiro Cárdenas died, his wife continued the religious
festivities. Today their descendants, the Cárdenas Montero family, are
the keepers of the festivities of the holy cross of Sabán.
Years
have passed and going to El Cedral, with the open invitation of the Cárdenas
family to celebrate the holy cross hase become a tradition. Today this
festivity is the oldest in the state with 144 years of uninterrupted
celebration.
In
the year of 1975 the authorities in agreement with the Cardenas family
agreed to include along with the religious festivities the El Cedral
fair, including not only religious festivities but commercial and
recreational events.
Today
people from the all over the Yucatán come to El Cedral every year to
join the festivities that include regional handicraft exhibitions, horse
races, bull fights, rooster fights, gastronomy, and many cultural
events.
The
religious festivities begin the 23rd of April with the alborada
prayers,early dawn prayers. These are followed with day and night
novenas, nine consecutive days of prayers, that end the 3rd of May with
the solemn Dance of the Pig Head. Theset are offered to God as a
sacrifice, as he sacrificed himself before on the cross. For the Mayans
that live here the music and dance turn into energy that is given to the
sun and the moon, Ixchel, to provide them with the energy to continue
their divine work.
On
the first day of the festivities the fair is inaugurated in an event at
the El Cedral terrace. The tradition is that parents dress their
children in regional costumes and walk with them around the terrace.
Little boys are called mestizos and little girls are called capullitos,
little cocoons.
After
the walk, the festivities are formally declared inaugurated and the
inaugural ribbon is cut by the Mayor of Cozumel and the custodian of the
festivities. At the end the queen is crowned.
On
the morning of May 3rd the people of El Cedral gather at the terrace and
initiate a procession with the Holy Cross of Sabán to the village
entrance where they wait for another procession that started at the
junction of the road to El Cedral with the perimeter highway. Once they
meet, together they continue the procession back through the streets of
El Cedral to the terrace where a solemn mass is held.
The
peak of the festivities is in the afternoon when the Dance of the Pig
Head is performed. People are proud to dress and dance the Pig Head.
To give you an idea of how important this dance is to the community, the
state governor doesn't usually come for the inauguration but usually
comes to this dance.
The
last day of the festivities people gathers at the terrace for the
closing ceremony. Cash prizes are given to the winners of the different
events held during the festivities. Another year the promise that
Casimiro Cárdenas made in 1847 was fulfilled.
El Cedral is a very small agricultural village at the south-center of the island. Some Cozumeleños have built their weekend homes in this area. The very small, very nice church is found at to the side of the Mayan ruins. During the festivities, the church is filled with candles. The streets are dressed with colored paper and the many crosses that are found on most of the houses facades are also dressed for the occasion. After the festivities El Cedral becomes, once again, a very serene place. |
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H. Ayuntamiento 2005-2008
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