BRIEF REPORT ON THE FINDINGS OF CAMOHPALXOCHICHOQUIZTLAN
Viviana Palacios
Anthropologist (PhD)
THE VILLAGE
The locality of Camohpalxochichoquiztlan, Mexico, has been addressed for several decades in research circles, but little attention has been given to its study. We present a compilation of the limited information that has been rescued over time.
In colonial times it was also known as Santa María Camopalxochiquiztla, Mexico. Due to phonetic corruption and the difficulty Spaniards experienced when trying to pronounce it, the name Camohpalxochichoquiztlan was adapted to Camopalxochiquiztla. The name of the village has its origin in the Nahuatl language, and it means: «Where weeping purple flowers are plentiful». See: Camohpal (purple, referring to the color of the sweet potato flower), Xochitl (flower), Choquiz (weeping) and Tlan (locative, in this context, place where it is plentiful).
The legend of Las Jacarandas originates in the village of Camohpalxochichoquiztlan, believed to have been located in the central part of the Neovolcanic Axis, the rocky mountain range that joins the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental and extends from the Revillagigedo Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, to the Gulf of Mexico area. Evidence that connects the territory of Camohpalxochichoquiztlan with the Neovolcanic Axis is the record of the Camohxochitepetl hill, a mountain that was surely visible from the village center. The location is unknown, but its existence is verified thanks to discoveries such as drawings and photographs that were recovered in nearby areas. Although there is debate on the accuracy of the territory’s location, the most accepted theory today is that Camohpalxochichoquiztlan existed between the limits of the State of Mexico and the Federal District (today Mexico City).
Considering that the village existed within the limits mentioned above, it is likely that the climate of the area was temperate sub-humid, with summer rains and an average temperature of between 10°C and 16°C. Most of the year it had sunny weather. Its flora could have been similar to that of temperate forests, with coniferous forests and vegetation typical of the mountainous area. The main tree species was one with purple flowers, which is believed to have been a jacaranda. Although it is not possible to verify the accuracy of this, the probability that these flowers were abundant —their elusive violet color on the open wound of Camohpalxochichoquiztlan— cannot be ruled out.
THE WORK
The jacaranda flower is all ages and holds all truths. In it, the dew of solitude that does not wither it all together is preserved. The desire to return home, to heal its collective wound triumphs in the flower. That is why the following discoveries are recorded: work done in the village with different popular art techniques. A rigorous recovery work through loved ones and relatives of the victims has revealed the papier-mâché figures, embroideries, sculptures and paintings that we now present as evidence.
THE TESTIMONIES
The residents of the village witnessed the first appearances of the beings that, according to their oral narrations, possessed a body that was half-woman and half-cloud of purple flowers. Its cloud body moved easily with the wind, like the winged seeds of the actual jacaranda tree. These spirits were named “Las Jacarandas”, and over time, their stories became legend.
They floated throughout the establishments and homes of Camohpalxochichoquiztlan, entering and leaving the dwellings. The contrast between the women who inhabited the village and those who had just made it theirs was evident. The facts, directly observed by the families of multiple disappeared women, made it clear that the purpose of Las Jacarandas’ journey was to return to their place of origin. They would come tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, finding their unheard voices in the thornless land.
These were the mothers, daughters, and sisters of all the men living in the place where purple flowers were plentiful. The seed encapsulating their strength had made them return home to take revenge and reunite with their loved ones. People who had spent so much time searching, waiting. Their mission was to provide answers: to offer the gift of closure that families yearn for.
Our analysis and research allowed us to recover testimonies that were expanded as their appearances became routine. They appeared before their relatives in dreams: all of them showed images to let them know that their spirits were close to the earth, that they had now put down abundant and long roots, experiencing the world under a purple magnifying glass. They did not utter a single word: heaven-earth was theirs.
Women researchers from the Directorate of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, emphasize the versions that point out their ability to change shape and present themselves as women of flesh and blood. At night they walked protecting other women who went alone or faced dangerous situations. According to these testimonies, they disappeared immediately without a trace, being the only clue the fall of a single petal on their clothes or one discovered later in their pockets.
After the first apparitions, all girls and women were forbidden to walk the streets both at night and during the day. It did not matter if it was to visit another house, go out to work or look for entertainment. The matriarchs and friends of the village kept each other company embroidering inside the dwelling. But the surprise caused by their lack of fear paralyzed the decisions of the social structure, since Las Jacarandas turned the night into poetry, smoke and flower. However, multiple reports have allowed us to conclude and trace the true motivation of Las Jacarandas. It is impossible to define them as lost souls since they do not behave like a suffering spirit. They did not take to the streets to display their tragedy but to challenge indifference. They are equivalent to strength, defiance, revolution. In the challenge of their silence, they are not afraid of being seen.
DEBATE
The high number of disappearances recorded in Camohpalxochichoquizitlan was dismissed by the authorities. To date, there are many reasons why the legend of Las Jacarandas is not as well known or acknowledged by the government, either for educational or historical reasons. Just as it survived orally, the works and artifacts shown below also survived. We chose them to give voice and shed light on the growing number of current disappearances, presenting them here and now with the firm conviction that power lies in naming.
The same lack of acknowledgement aroused the interest of anthropologists who visited nearby areas to find data that would evidence the existence of the community. The violet air of their elusive bodies becomes tangible here before our eyes. And the color of the flower can heal its abandonment. We believe that what happened in this village was concealed by the government itself, which preferred to hide the evidence and prevent any in-depth study of the village and the legend.
The residents considered inaction of the authorities as an obstacle to reunite with their daughters, mothers and sisters. Tired of the disappeared women being revictimized by authorities, the people of Camohpalxochichoquizitlan thought that these women appeared as a response to the weakness of the commanders incapable of eradicating the real problem. Las Jacarandas appeared to do justice with the petals of their hands.
The legend is still a matter of debate today. We have the statistics that indicate the alarming number of disappearances suffered in the village. Just like today, it was easy for the government to ignore them or cover them up: to blame women for their lifestyle or to make believe that they were acting irresponsibly for no reason. Giving them up for dead was easier than dealing with the problem and admitting that these women would not abandon their families, their homes, or their dreams overnight. Records show these accusations denied by the matriarchal community that was home to the disappeared women.
There are still historians who minimize this evidence and do not acknowledge the facts that support the existence of Las Jacarandas in the center of the country. But the name of a place can define its fate. Las Jacarandas are enlightened land (and with the same intention of their land) they return, again and again with permanent signs of their love for our world.