THE WOMEN OF JUAREZ RITUAL
-Luz del Castillo
(photos by Patricia Couto)

A ritual honoring the almost 300 women maquiladora workers who continue to be either "disappeared" or found murdered in this northern state of Mexico. Though many hypotheses have been formed, thus far no official investigations have effected any change.

This ritual was first conceived in the round table called Ritual y Religiosidad. As there was no actual ritual performance workshop, those of us who expressed initial interest, were soon swept away, immersed in the course of conferences, field trips, round tables and individual workshops. As ritual facilitator however, I began my own inner process, invoking the feminine archetypes and making note of ritual ideas and details.

With the conference end two days away, there were many workshop presentations to be shared, not to mention the overall rushing, writing, photo selecting, and editing necessary for the completion of the collective website. In spite of all the activity, the ritual seemed to exist as a collective need. So we began to work. Our actual preparation time together was reduced to approximately three hours, (not consecutive and more than half of the participants integrating quite literally at the last minute.)

Helping to bring light to this atrocity, the ritual would allow a sacred space in which to invoke, pray, reflect, share, and express collectively, seeking to heal and give the Women of Juarez a dignified burial.

The ritual included an invocation to three feminine archetypes, Oyá, Orisha, the Yoruba warrior goddess of the wind, and guardian of the cemetery. La Virgen de Guadalupe/Tonantzin, (Virgin Mother, patron of Mexico, sincretized with the Mexican corn goddess.) Adelita, name attributed to the women who fought in the Mexican Revolution of 1910.

Our small group first created a collective ofrenda/installation, a burial mound. We placed a large wooden cross covered with palm leaves and white chrysanthemums at the head of the mound made of a bed of leaves. An image of Adelita and La Virgen de Guadalupe were placed just below the cross. Baskets of candies and pan de muertos were placed as traditional offerings for the departed. A woman's dress was laid out over the mound-bed. Her hands were corn tassels and legs, dried corn on cobs, symbolizing not only that they were Mexicans, but daughters of La Virgen de Guadalupe. A computer print-out of the face of one of the actual victims served as the face for the form of the woman's body. Though many of the victims of the Women of Juarez were urban, some migrated from rural states seeking employment in the maquiladoras.

Representing this urban-rural blend, her dress was that of a city woman, yet her head was covered by a small rebozo and huaraches were placed at her feet, representing the rural women. A pair of high heels lie scattered to one side, evidence of the "disappeared" women. Marigold petals outlined the woman's form, representing the light and flames of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Marigold flowers and votive candles outlined her bed of leaves. The skin of a small mountain cat called tigrillo lie at the foot of the bed, invoking the power of the feline in this search.

After the creation of the installation/ofrenda, preparation time was limited. Rosa Maria Hidalgo appeared, agreed to smudge us and join in. Using cascarilla, a special powdery chalk, I drew crosses on the participants with an angel mantra for our protection. We circled in silence to first observe the ofrenda and then left to gather our offerings and copal.



Three male companions, expressing the desire to accompany us, sat to one side of the circle, using rain sticks, maracas and plastic water jugs as percussive instruments as we entered. Hector Rosales, coordinator of the conference also joined in. As facilitator, I carry the sahumerio, smudging the area. Wearing long skirts and pieces of Mexican clothing to represent the Adelita, each woman carries an offering of pan de Muertos, candies and or lit votive candles. We place our offerings on the ofrenda and form an inner circle around the altar, inviting the public to form a circle around us.

Eleguá is invoked in chant and dance to open the doors for this ceremony and protect our circle. Marta Toriz, coordinator of our round table uses a rain stick five feet tall in the form of a serpent to begin the movement of the wind goddess. This is followed by my prayer to Oyá under a black veil, a symbol of mourning; as the wind, she is invoked to move on this issue, to penetrate and flow through the barriers that block true investigation action. As warrior she is invoked to protect the women that presently live and work in the area. As guardian of the cemetery, Oyá is invoked to bring to light and justice the cause of this phenomena, both vindicating and putting a stop to it. The women use skirts, veils, and body movements to invoke and symbolize the wind and our feelings.

Magda, the crone of our circle, then invokes la Virgen de Guadalupe, praying for the victims, that they be guided safely and in peace as they travel from their bodies to spirit world. After her prayer, she places a rebozo, (Mexican shawl) over the image of La Virgen, then lights a thick candle and places roses at her image. She returns to her place in the circle.


Zazyl, the youngest woman in our circle is 18 years old. Representing the youth of the majority of the victims, she invokes the Adelita. The women begin whistling the traditional Adelita song. Zazyl's rebozo is "terciado" that is folded long-wise in three and wrapped around her waist, and then crossed and tossed up around her shoulders, as the Adelitas wore. She walks to the foot of the ofrenda. Zazyl wears a tie-dyed rainbow colored skirt symbolizing Oyá, with a red belt around her waist for protection. Her abdomen is exposed. Slender, pretty and vulnerable, she is the image of the women and victims of Juarez. As she executes her silent invocation, Chabuca Granda's song comes to my mind, both as invocation, and longing search, "¿Dónde estás Adelita?" Where are you, Adelita? Zazyl finishes by offering a handful of corn to the ofrenda and returns to her place in the circle.

"Es que les traigo mis flores,
acabaditas de cortar,
Las hay de varios colores,
Mis flores para tu altar.

Para Tonantzin,
Para Oyá.
Para Las Mujeres de Juárez,
Para Oyá.
Para Adelita,
Para Oyá."

Singing this modified Yoruba song, pianist Janet Housman, follows. Graciously winding her way through the inner circle and public, with a basket of maize and rose petals, she invites each one to take a handful. Symbolizing the earth used in funeral ceremonies and sprinkled over the casket, this is to be sprinkled over the ofrenda. The inner circle begins the offerings and the outer circle joins in covering the woman's form and ofrenda with the maize and rose petals, the seeds of new life and beauty. There are silent and vocalized prayers, expressions of outrage and pain. "¡NI UNA MAS! "NOT ONE MORE!"

This part of the ritual act seeks to give a dignified burial to these "disappeared" women whose lives have been violently torn from them and their bodies left abandoned in the desert. It is an offering and a way of sharing and expressing our collective grief at this tragic, and outrageous phenomena. The ritual ends with a chant and dance to Eleguá who has opened and protected our circle. He now closes it and as it is the last day of the conference, he symbolically closes the conference as well.