A narrow, red, floor-length cloth skirt intricately decorated with natural river reeds, bells, beadwork, ribbons, and large yarn pom-poms. — <i>Photo by Zvonimir Bebek, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives</i>

Matachines Nagüilla

Matachines dancer María Teresa González explains how she embroidered her nagüilla: “Each person chooses what he or she likes, something that has special meaning to them. I chose to use the small carrizo (river cane). I use them as beads and to form a cross. It’s a kind of prayer.”

Leading the procession for the Holy Cross Fiesta

Matachines dancers perform in front of the cross on the National Mall.
Photo by Richard Strauss, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

The matachines dance is a folk Catholic tradition that honors various saints, religious icons, or liturgical feast days. During the 1987 Folklife Festival, the Matachines de la Santa Cruz de la Ladrillera, from Laredo, Texas, honored the Holy Cross with a procession down the National Mall. Organizer, embroiderer, and dancer “Teresita” González proudly danced at this once-in-a-lifetime event with the nagüilla, or skirt, which is comprised of two panels, embroidered for this occasion with the emblems of the cross and chalice.

Gallery

Front and back of Teresita’s nagüilla, with embroidered cross and chalice designs.
Photos by Zvonimir Bebek, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

The nagüilla was trimmed with three tiers of bangles made from jingle bells and pieces of river cane gathered from the banks of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo. In addition to being a personal identity marker, the nagüilla—with its bells and reeds—is an instrument.

Video

Listen to the sounds of the nagüilla as the Matachines troupe from Laredo, Texas moves through the Festival site.

The ritual dance troupe followed a decorated cross down the National Mall, forming dance patterns in time to the persistent rhythms of the accordion and drum. The ringing bells and clanging reeds on the nagüillas accentuated the sounds. Each dancer also shook a gourd rattle. The cadence of the music and energetic stepping drew visitors from across the Festival who eagerly followed the procession.

—Olivia Cadaval, curator

In 2020, Los Matachines de la Santa Cruz were awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Since this was during covid, the NEA created a tribute video about the group, linked below. In 2021, the nagüilla with the cross design was included in a special exhibition at the White House as part of a display honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month, adding another new chapter to the nagüillas’ story.