The unique siembra del palo ceremony will take place the day before the first performance. The first part of the ceremony is held before an altar where the seven members of the team sing sacred songs and pray in the midst of an intense odor of resin incense. The altar is adorned with palm leaves, candles and tamale, and covered with offerings of fruit.
The voladores complete the ritual and prepare to perform their dances. They are dressed in white as a sign of respect, and wear western boots. The only touch of color is in the headscarves they wear. Tequila, a typically Mexican element, is splashed around the base of the pole to keep the voladores safe throughout their stay at the Forum.
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The dances come to an end and the group ascends the pole. First, the four voladores climb up and check that their ropes are properly secured before wrapping them around their feet and waists. They are now ready for the fifth member of the team, known as the caporal, to take his place. The caporal will control the descent of the voladores.
Atop the 30-meter high pole, without securing ropes, the caporal dances and plays a flute and a small drum to invoke the sun. The voladores represent the four cardinal points, and the pole symbolizes the axis joining Mother Earth and the divinity of heaven. After the preparatory ceremony, the four voladores descend, each circling the pole 13 times. The total number of turns around the pole symbolizes the 52 years of the solar cycle in pre-Hispanic culture.
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