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A head to-toe costume consisting of a long, black velvet robe trimmed with white lace and hot-pink marabou feathers, an exaggerated painted face mask, and a large headdress featuring embroidery, a beaded veil, and large colorful ostrich feathers.  

Photo by Zvonimir Bebek, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Image Description A flamboyant head-to-toe costume of a long-sleeved robe of black velvet with beadwork designs near the shoulders. Both the wrist cuffs and the upper bodice of the robe are trimmed with layers of white lace and hot-pink marabou feathers. The painted face mask features pursed red lips, and wide, exaggerated eyes and lashes with shading of red and pink extending to cover the cheeks and forehead. A long maroon and white scarf is tied under the chin of the mask. A large headdress that extends up and out from the mask, in the shape of an inverted lampshade). The Egyptian goddess Iris is embroidered in bright pink beads across the front, and fringe and beads hang from both top and bottom edges. Three large ostrich feathers of red, yellow, and navy blue extend from the side of the headdress.  

Chinelo Costume

This Chinelo costume, replete with velvet, lace, and vibrant trim, includes detailed beadwork of legendary figures that inspired the maker: Egyptian goddess Isis adorns the front; a female Aztec warrior kneels on the back. The costume was worn by dancer Karem Rodríguez Pacheco of Atlatlahucan, Mexico.

Playfully mocking the colonists

“For the México program, we worked very closely with specialists, anthropologists, ethnomusicologists, linguists, and researchers who took us to the sites. The community members became part of defining why it was important for them to come to the Festival. I remember in Atlatlahucan they dressed me as a Chinelo with the costume of one of the members of the troupe. They also taught me the dance step—a little awkward kick meant to poke fun.”
—Olivia Cadaval, program curator
  • Karem wears the Chinelo costume donated to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage during this procession on the National Mall.
    Photo by Katherine Fodgen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

The Chinelos de Atlatlahucan are a carnivalesque dance troupe that form part of Mexico’s broad repertoire of dramas and masquerades drawing from European and Indigenous traditions. Dressed in elaborate velvet gowns and headdresses from head to toe, masked Chinelos playfully mock the white Spanish colonizers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During Carnival and community fiestas, they joyfully dance through the town accompanied by the local Banda de Morelos.

Video
Watch the Chinelos de Atlatlahuacan perform during the 2010 Festival.

The word Chinelo derives from the Náhuatl word tzineloa, which means “hip shake,” a movement intended to make the Chinelo look awkward or disjointed, adding to the ridicule. El brincón, or jump, is a traditional and lively dance, accompanied by a brass band, seen especially during Carnival festivities.

Chinelo costumes are passed on over the years and redesigned over time. This costume was once decorated with a yellow boa. It was last redesigned by Sergio Aurelio Rodríguez and Margarita Rebecca Pacheco, then worn by their daughter Karem Rodríguez Pacheco during the 2010 Festival. The scarf is used with the mask and headdress to protect the forehead and face from being rubbed by the mesh. Beads hang over the face, and a fully beaded and painted back panel is worn like a cape.

Chinelos have become part of the identity of the state of Morelos in Mexico, and Chinelo dancers now perform the dances at various festivals in the United States.

—Amalia Cordova, Supervisory Museum Curator, World Cultures
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