The municipality of Hecelchakán is located in the northeast of the state of Campeche, 82 km away from the city of Campeche. It borders the following municipalities: Calkini to the north, Tenabo to the south, Hopelchen and the state of Yucatan to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the west.
Its name comes from the Mayan Helel, meaning “rest,” and Chakan, meaning “grassland” or “place,” translating to mean “Grasslands of Rest”. In reference to its founding, Ponce Font told the story of Maria Dzul Sima. She met Juan Perez Aguilar and they moved to Campeche together, along with his mother, where they fell in love. On their return from visiting the Christ of Love, they stayed in the grasslands. Before his mother died, Juan had promised her he would stay there and marry Maria. These characters, protagonists of an ideal love story, became the first founders of what is today the city of Hecelchakan. It is said that in ancient times, travelers would stay in this place to rest on long trips; the site was ideal because there is a cenoté, or a cool water hole from an underground spring, to stock up on water and lush trees that provided shade and fruit. The main pueblos of the municipality are: Pomuch, Pocboc, Dzitnup, Cumpich, and Dzotzil. In 1833, Hecelchakán had the rank of pueblo, and in 1957 its category was changed to city. It is divided into four neighborhoods: San Francisco, San Antonio, San Juan, and the Conquista. It is probable that this division had been made by missionaries in colonial times, explaining why they have religious names.
In Hecelchakán, the most important religious festival starts a Thursday morning in April with the descent of Santo Cristo de la Salud , or “Saint Christ of Health”, which is located in front of the biggest altar, to be worshiped in masses celebrated in His honor.
The secular events start at night with the traditional vaquería, or couple’s dance, in which the village manifests its happiness through a dance party, concluding with the dance of la Cabeza de Cochino, or the boar’s head. The next day, Friday, the “Baile del Recuerdo”, or “The Dance of Memories,” is performed, where older people enjoy the music of the old days. Saturday and Sunday are spent enjoying popular dances accompanied by musical groups of the region. On the last day, there is an official mass in the baseball stadium “Xcalumkin,” held there because it is so well attended that the attendees cannot fit into a Catholic church.
Traditionally, a bullfighting ring is constructed in the days leading up to the running of the bulls. The ring is made of a fence or barrier one or two stories high, in the center of which is the action. This structure holds hundreds of spectators, seated in boxes that measure 2.25m wide and 2.7m long. The number of stages vary depending on how many local woodworkers help build them; each stage is armed with nine horcones that sustain four balos (thick sticks) that support the “vankachés” (thin sticks) covered with representative “tongue of cow” (palm leaf of guano). The ring is enclosed with a wall made of “tulun” wood. The construction is incredibly completed without the use of a single nail. The materials used are strongly united with ties previously heated for better flexibility during the construction and better resistance after.
In the last two weeks of July is the Novenario, or prayer gathering, in honor of the same Saint , which starts as a festival in April with the descent of the Saint of Health. Ten guilds participate, who each are assigned to organize a different night.
The first four nights correspond to the neighborhoods of the city: San Juan, San Francisco, San Antonio, and the Conquista, organized by the guilds of the Catrina men and women (with typical outfits), Mestiza men and women, Farmers, Sacred Brotherhood, Woodworkers and Artisans.
Each guild leaves the house of the organizer in a journey that ends at the ninth church; during the walk they carry banners with religious images and richly bordered inscriptions. Similarly the peregrinación, or religious prayer procession, is accompanied with religious music played on tympanis and saxophones, during which the faithful bring flowers and light candles in an act known as “the setting of the candles in the church.”
After the novena, or small prayer gathering, fireworks are set off. In the bull fighting ring, there is a cardboard bull over which there is a framework of roman candles united by an explosive, so that when lit, they go off successively. This bull is put on a cart that is taken down the road surrounding the main park. The day ends with a popular dance in the halls of the Municipal Palace. The next morning is the ceremony of the “sacred candles of the church” at the house of one of the guilds, where the members organize the celebration.
In October, the Novenario a la imagen de San Francisco de Asís, patron saint of the pueblo is celebrated. These prayer-based activities are organized by the neighborhood of San Francisco, and supported by funds collected from the entire village for the cost of the festival.
The second day of the festivals start with a popular dance. On the next day, the guild goes to the church at three in the afternoon, where there is religious music and dancing, and the altar is specially adorned with flowers and candles. At the conclusion of the ceremony, people gather together outside of the church to watch fireworks.
On October 4, the day of San Francisco, there is a mass at 10 am in honor of the Patron Saint of the pueblo. Before the guild leaves the church to return to the house where they started their religious march, they eat the traditional conch shell and horchata, or a sweet rice and cinnamon drink. If the fourth of October falls on a Saturday, the guild celebrates the “kanankih,” a Mayan word that refers to the “Care or Vigil of the Candles” that consists of a meeting in the house of the organizer for the blessing of candles and banners.
Carnival , one of the oldest celebrations of Campeche, is celebrated on a different day in Hecelchakan. Originally, Carnival was celebrated on the same day in the entire state. But the people of Hecelchakan preferred to come the Carnestolendas festival of the big city of Merida to represent their town on that day. So, in the beginning of the twentieth century, the presidente municipal, or mayor, decided to celebrate Carnival eight days after Ash Wednesday, so that the inhabitants could actively participate in both celebrations. This is why the festival is known as “Octava de Carnaval”.
In Pomuch the most important celebration is in the month of April, starting the first Wednesday after Good Friday. One Sunday before activities begin, the image of the Virgin de la Purísima Concepción, or the Virgin of Pure Conception, patron saint of the village, is dressed in a new outfit each year by whichever family had promised to do it. This tradition starts at ten in the morning, and by 3 pm the saint is returned again to her altar.
On the first day of the celebration, there is a solemn mass in the morning to honor the Patron Saint, and at 8 pm there is a group rosary prayer in the religious pueblo of Pomuch. Beforehand, people meet in the esplanade of the Municipal Palace to enjoy the vaquería, or traditional party where couples dance in unison, with the participation of groups from Camino Real, an experience enhanced by the Royal Orchestra of Nunkini.
The next day, after the traditional official mass that is held every morning, there is the first running of the bulls, belonging to known cattle ranches of the region, at 4 pm. The festival concludes with a dance.
In the days before, there are other dances and running of the bulls. At the end of the festival period, the people come together at the Catholic church to accompany the idol during the parade around the church in its honor.
For the month of July, the people of scant economic resources organize the novenario, or prayer gathering, for the Virgen de la Concepción. For nine days, the “nocheras” prepare sweets and traditional drinks shared by the assistants of the novena after the prayers, while watching fireworks and the famous dance “torito”. In August, the wealthy people in town organize another novenario with the same activities.
From November 27th to December 8th, the population shows its devotion again to the patron of the place, with the same traditions of July and August.
In Pocboc, the Three Kings, or the Magi, represent the Catholic faith of the townspeople; however, it is curious to note that although the Magi do not appear in the Catholic calendar, the faithful have adopted them as the patron saints of the place.
The people of Pocboc say the origin of theses images come from the depths of a deep natural pool located on what is now the grounds of the local elementary school. The legend says that women customarily would fetch water there, and on one occasion, they saw an unusual brilliant light in the bottom of the well. They went to get someone who could go down and find out what it was. Unfortunately, the investigation caused an earthquake. To their surprise, they discovered in one of the well-formed niches the figures of the Three Kings of biblical times.
This inspired the entire town to adopt the Three Kings as their patron saints, placing them in the principal altar of the Parish of Pocboc, to pray to them year after year from the 3rd to the 6th of January.
The festival starts with the morning tradition of sharing rice with milk and tamales; at night is the vaquería, or couple’s dance, that lasts until dawn, ending with the dance of the Cabeza de Conchino, or the Head of the Boar. The days continue with a running of the bulls and popular dances that conclude on January 6th with the parade of the Magi, during which the figures are taken down from their altar and paraded through the main streets of town.
From July 22nd to 31st the novenario, or prayer gathering, is celebrated, where diverse guilds participate: the guilds of the children, the young women, the young men, and the women, among other guilds.
The worshiped idol in the pueblo of Dzitnup is San Salvador, whose novenario starts at the end of July and ends at the beginning of August. In this celebration, each family is responsible for organizing and hosting the novena one night, where the townspeople gather to share sweets and regional antojitos, or snacks. There are only four guilds in Dzitnup: the artisans, the young women, the children, and the visitors. The last is the most important, and a big meal is prepared to receive the people who come from Kanasín, Cuch Holoch, Halachó, and other places in the Camino Real.
Before the party, the town collects funds from the all the townspeople to finance the costs of the music and food that enrich the event; far from any commercial interest, the principal objective of this celebration is to demonstrate the faith in the patron saint “San Salvador”.
In Cumpich the principal festival starts November 28th and ends December 8th; the faithful worship the Virgen de la Concepción through morning masses and evening dances.
In the middle of the celebration, the Virgin dawns a new outfit. There are four people who, year after year, perform this tradition: the Señoras Concepción Kantún Huchín, Zenobia Cahuich López, Rosaura López Huicab, and Esperanza Chan Huchín.
From July 21st to 30th the Novenario del Santo Cristo de Amor is celebrated, and on January 6th the Magi are celebrated, at whose festival there are sweets made of papaya, rice, prunes, and other regional fruits.
In the small village of Dzotzil (Mayan for “Place of the Bats”), there are two days dedicated to worship San Miguel Arcángel, the last Saturday and Sunday in March. For this celebration, the nine guilds organize themselves to attend to all the visitors that come from nearby towns. Just as in other celebrations, there is the vaquería, or couple’s dance, the running of the bulls, and other popular dances.
