Sunrise Ceremony

Yesterday morning, at 5:30 am, the 5 of us drove with Jonathan (our academic director) and his wife, Ana Maria (the co-founder of EDUCA) to the ruins of Monte Alban, the oldest city in the western hemisphere. Flor y Canto, an organization that works with indigenous rights, was hosting a Zapotec thanksgiving ceremony to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Upon our arrival, we, along with about 100 indigenous peoples, activists, and supporters walked in a circle around the ruins. A group of men played the drums, flute, and conch while a woman in the front carried a pot of burning incense. We then circled around on the west side of the tomb for the giving of offerings—mezcal, tortillas, and flowers, which were placed in the center of our circle. At this point the sun began to rise, entering directly into the archway of the tomb! We held our hands out toward the sun as the woman with the incense said a prayer of gratitude. We then faced each direction, again stating our gratitude for the earth and for each other. The musicians started again, and we danced around the circle. To end the ceremony, we shared the offerings (of food and drink) and looked out over the newly-light mountains below us.