Queen of the Maya 2011 Festival

I’ve said it before: Maya know how to throw a great street party. There’s a wonderful sense of community, welcoming and inclusive, festive yet relaxed.

The Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula, like those throughout Central American, didn’t fare well under Spanish colonial rule. Their population plunged and their cities collapsed. Even until fairly recently, their ethnic traditions and culture were largely suppressed. So it’s especially fitting for Valladolid to host a celebration of Maya culture. Valladolid, in the heart of the Yucatán and about two hour west of Cancun, was built by the Spanish on the site of a Maya ceremonial site. And nearby were the impressive Maya cities of Chichen Itza and Ek’Balam.

The Queen of the Maya 2011 celebration was held on a warm, pleasant Sunday evening; January 9, 2011, to be precise. The event was organized by the the City Council’s Department of Customs and Traditions as part of the town’s family-friendly “Live Valladolid” series, and several hundred people came out on a beautiful evening to enjoy the celebration. The street between Parque Central and City Hall had been closed off the occasion, with a stage set up in the middle street and probably a hundred or so seats laid out in front of it.

There was music and much dancing in a festive celebration mostly focused on Maya culture. Ten young women entered the main event, the Queen of the Maya competition, with a panel of local community leaders, including the town mayor, sitting in judgment. Marlety Canché Hau was named Queen of the Maya 2011, with the coronation scheduled for March. ¹

Not everything about the evening was Maya, though. Decked out in a combination of colonial and traditional costumes, couples competed in a dancing competition. The entrants were mostly kids with the occasional mother partnering with her young son.

And in another nod to Spanish traditions, town bakers had created a 50m-long Rosca de Reyes, a part-savory part-sweet pastry filled with cheese, chocolate, vanilla, strawberries, ham and cheese, and other goodies. A doll was also hidden in the pastry–the lucky person who found that was the winner. Of what, I’m not entirely sure. After a ceremonial first slice, the rest of the massive pastry was divvied up for the crowd.

Then the Latin band fired up and the street was cleared to make a massive open-air dance floor. The only thing missing was fireworks!

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