The Matachines Dance: Ritual Symbolism and Interethnic Relations in the Upper Rio Grande Valley (Publications of the American Folklore Society. New)

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, thorough, and readable
Review: I picked up this book for two reasons: (1) I'd recently seen the Matachines performed, first by a Hispanic troupe from El Rancho, NM, and then at Jemez Pueblo, which presents both Spanish and Indian versions; (2) my Ph.D. dissertation was on medieval drama and the relationship between its themes and major societal concerns. This study answered many questions I had about the origins and history of the dance; in addition, her exposition of the meanings it has to the different groups who perform it was well-researched and fascinating. Starting with the same basic material, and incorporating many of the same elements (costumes, dance steps, tunes, etc.), Hispanic and Native American people living within a few miles of each other have used the dance to express very different concerns: pride in the Spanish conquest on the one hand, and ambivalence about it on the other. Rodriguez is evenhanded and objective, and presents the various dancers' points of view without gratuitious comment; her descriptions of the styles of different performing groups are vivid and clear. This is a thoroughly scholarly book, but readable too, and the photographs are well chosen.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed examination of two regions and their dance
Review: Rodriguez looks at the Matachines dance as it is performed in two areas along the U.S./Mexico border. She discusses at great length the different structures, presentations, and meanings of this ritual procession dance to the people of these two areas, as well as examinig the Matachines' cultural background. Other books on Matachines contain similar information, but most stop short of the depth and precision of Rodriguez's work. Matachines is an old and extremely complex art form, and Rodriquez successfully tackles the task of discussing days' worth of variations in costume, execution, characterization, and finally the attitudes and beliefs of individuals in both communities towards their cultural dance. The many photographs work well to demonstrate and enhance Rodriguez's findings.