The most important celebration in Chiapas, held in the magical town of Chiapa de Corzo. On January 15th in honor of the day Sr. de Esquipulas begin the processions and dances of the hundreds of Parachicos walking and dancing down the streets with their chinchines (Rattles made of flat metal with a wood handle decorated with ribons), their colorful costumes and masks launching “vivas” and delighting the people in town, on January 17th honor of San Antonio Abad, on the 18th they honor the dead patterns, on January 20th the day of San Sebastian. 23 , the sound of the drums and the notes of the reed flutes sound louder but hear sad, the rockets no longer thundering and the“vivas” silent, the Parachicos cry during their Mass because of the feast is finished and must wait 365 days to relive this tradition that keeps alive its roots and strengthens the identity of people from Chiapas . Take a tour by Chiapas with Nichim tours and travel and visit this magical town. www.chiapastoursyexpediciones.com

LEGEND: This story goes back in time of the colony when the woman called Doña Maria de Angulo, making a long trip to Chiapas from Guatemala, looking for a new place and a new destination. wealthy lady which bought lands for agriculture and home. The big sorrow of Doña Maria was that her only son was suffering from a disease, having crossed the seas and having traveled long distances, no doctor was able to heal and give relief to his beloved son and passing the months and years even though the servants, women and men, day laborers and peasants had advised her and continued telling her to take her son to the healer who lived not far away from there in the mountains, Doña Maria de Angulo, beautiful deeply Catholic woman did not believe in healers and things like that but one day was more the desire to find a cure for her son that; She agreed and ordered people more confidence to accompany her to see the healer, reaching the hut where he lived, explaining the reasons why they had gone to see him and asking to heal the child.

The healer with his polished face, molded by the time with his peaceful and calm look, calmly but firmly told them that; in order to know what kind of sickness was afflicting the child, he needed they to stay at least a week because he needed to observe and see him, Doña Maria then ordered her servants to return to the house for food for a week and so stayed in the hut one week, after which the healer was given the task of going to the mountain to look for medicinal herbs with which he prepared a potion which told them to give the boy to drink twice a day, at the sunrise and dusk, also saying to Doña Maria … This medicine I will prepare and give you, is for a week, so you have to come every week for more and it will help your child but: the most important and most valuable medicine, you are  going give him at home, I want from tomorrow, you do everything possible for this child to be happy and have fun and this activity must carry out for a year. Doña Maria returned with his companions to his house and asked everyone, servants, friends and familiy; from the next day help for her child to have fun for being glad and happy, at the following day they all came cheerful, wearing colorful clothes, colorful ribbons, diverse and colorful masks of paper or wood that gave a fun twist, incorporating music with drums, reed flutes, rattles made of pumpkin with a wood handle, sea shells, whistles and chants, not missing the offering of incense on the altar. Time passed by and so marked a year, Doña María sent to bring the healer and brought him to the house, he saw the boy and told them all there; This child is completely healthy, the medicine I gave him helped him but helped him what all of you did for him, day after day, with dedication and love helped him to regain his soul child who was lost, was his soul which was damaged and lived in the darkness, his soul was not in this world and had to be called by all of you and returned to him, now is a child playing, which is lively and fun and is happy with life.Tavel to Chiapas and know this beautiful place where this occurred.

In gratitude for all this help, all this work for her friends, for her working men and women who worked at home, Doña Maria made a great celebration for all the people of Chiapa, music, food, rockets, flowers and incense, village women dressed in their finery and men with their clothes in colors and carried the masks used to entertain the boy, the child and so the party was done PARA EL CHICO, for the boy. and since then the feast of Parachicos held and in honor of Señor. de Esquipulas, San Antonio Abad and San Sebastian, to give thanks because the child was cured. in Mexico we say “Chico” to a boy, PARACHICO means FOR THE BOY.

Take a tour byChiapas with Nichim tours and travel and discover the magical town of Chiapa de Corzo. www.chiapastoursyexpediciones.com

Note: From what I’ve read about this legend, this read many years ago in an old book I found in a library, this version seems to me the most successful from an anthropological point of view because it mentions an important character in Mesoamerican cultures, which is the healer, a man of knowledge who saw everything. He healed the spirit, mind and body of people, He was the central character of ceremonial ritualism and knowledge of traditional medicine.

By making a trip to Chiapas we discover wonderful things.

Adán Esteban López Carlos: Tour guide.