Píllaro, Where The Devils Take The Streets
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| Diablada de Píllaro. Photo from Flickr by Raúl Gonzalez |
The locally famous "Diablada de Píllaro" - What's All About?
The first time that I heard about this unique festivity, it was from my father who happens to be originally from Píllaro, a remote town nestled in the Andes of Ecuador. He told me the story of how during a week, the first of the year usually from January 1-7, the town of Píllaro is filled with colorful dances performed by devils or “diablos", local musicians playing traditional rhythms, in long parades crossing the main streets of this village.
"This is a unique celebration that identifies the people from Píllaro and makes them proud", he said.
In 2009 this festivity was declared as an Ecuadorian Cultural Heritage, because of the importance that it implies to the traditions of the country.
Something that makes it different from other national festivities, is that most of the male dancers are dressed up as devils or “diablos”, while other participants represent different characters, such as "cabecilla" or head of the parade, “parejas de linea”, “capariche”, “chorizos”, “guarichas” or female devils, and of course, this wouldn’t be a proper Ecuadorian festivity without the traditional music band.
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| Pillaro Devils' Costumes. Photo by Roberto Peralvo |
The cultural richness of this festivity is why locals and foreigners are curious about the “Diablada” and plan their trips to Píllaro as soon as the new year has begun.
The context of this celebration is still a debate, the members of this parade discuss the different origins of the “Diablada”, some say that the devil or “diablo” costume is an act of rebellion against their foreman during the indigenous people slavery time in the colony days, and others claim that it was a strategy to win the favor of a girl who the “diablo” was trying to conquer. A name that always appears when you ask about the origins of the “Diablada”, is the ravine of Pucahuayco, a place that receives a religious connotation, being a sacred place to locals and the birthplace of the devil character.
But, what does a Diablada really looks like?
Each neighborhood or community chooses a "cabecilla" or representative, this person will be in charge of organizing the "partida" or group of dancers, also the musicians, food, beverages, and logistics. It all started with only 2-3 traditional “partidas” but nowadays it has grown to more than 12 partidas with 500+ people looking for the next year's encounter.
The groups practice their choreographies for at least a month and every member is in charge of manufacturing the costumes, making sure to include their personal touch to each piece.
When the presentation day comes, the dancers gather in a house designated as the departure point, the musicians are ready to play and the parade begins, dancing on the streets of Píllaro trying to be the first group to arrive at the main square.
During the procession, they try to avoid the encounter with the other “partidas” so they have to take shortcuts and different streets to claim the main square for themselves.
Since the celebration continues for days, there are some resting spots known as “descansos”, here all the groups get the chance to recover and spend some time with their family and friends. During this break, the musicians keep playing and the crowd rally around to dance altogether… beer and “chicha” are offered to all the participants during this very crazy time.
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| Devils Masks in Píllaro. Photo by Roberto Peralvo |
This is a picture of me and my wife in Píllaro back in 2019, we were trying on those heavy devils masks while following a group of dancers. Dancing on the streets was very interesting and we were also lucky to be allowed to enter a “descanso” to share some drinks with the “diablos”. There was a lot of dancing, it was a good time!
Here's my travel advice: when you visit this wonderful town of Píllaro, don’t forget to bring a hat, fleece, comfortable shoes and get ready to party… a lot!
And if you are wondering, how are these "diablo" masks made, check out my video:
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