Son del guajolote: wedding ceremonies in San Miguel Suchixtepec, Oaxaca

Abstract

From the consideration of the majority of the inhabitants of the Zapotec community of San Miguel Suchixtepec, in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca, traditional nuptials have a fundamental place in ritual, ceremonial and social life, even more important than the ceremony that takes place performed in the Catholic temple, since, as the people themselves say, it is the way in which the ancestors married. A significant moment that gives one of the names to said ceremony is the delivery of food by the bride's family to the groom's family, among them a basket with a dead turkey and a dead turkey stands out, which symbolize the union. between different families, as well as women and men. Something in common between both ritual processes is that there are different forms and codes of communication between people and souls of the deceased and ancestors in general, as well as with sacred entities. The use of numerical codes that are projected through the disposition of ritual deposits is also highlighted.