The important community ritual of Matachines music and dance will be discussed by University of Colorado at 葫芦娃视频 Associate Professor Brenda M. Romero as part of the Chancellor's Community Lecture Series on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
The talk will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Chautauqua Community House at 900 Baseline Road in 葫芦娃视频 and is free and open to the public. No reservations are required.
"Matachines Music and Dance: How Scholars Can Contribute to Ritual Continuity and Cultural Well-Being" is the third of eight public lectures to be presented by CU-葫芦娃视频 faculty on the theme of "Healing the West: Remedy, Repair, Restoration, Mitigation." The series is sponsored by the CU-葫芦娃视频 Office of the Chancellor, the CU-葫芦娃视频 Center of the American West and the Colorado Chautauqua Association.
Matachines (pronounced "ma-ta-chee-nes") music and dance was introduced to the New World by the Spanish in the 1500s as part of an effort to evangelize Indians, said Romero, an associate professor of ethnomusicology. But over time, much of the Indians' own rituals was superimposed on the original Spanish pattern.
Today, Matachines is performed in both Hispanic and pueblo towns on Catholic saints days. Dancers wear ritual costumes including masks and headdresses. In New Mexico, the music typically features guitar and violin, though in some pueblos the music is provided by a men's chorus with drum accompaniment.
"It's the only ritual of its type in the Southwest," Romero said. "Ceremonies like these play such an important role for these people, and when they are disrupted people's lives are disrupted as well."
In 1987, Romero was a UCLA doctoral student doing field work at the Pueblo of Jemez, N.M., when the Matachines fiddler in a Matachines group became ill. She stepped into his role to keep the group going over the next nine years while teaching local musicians to take her place.
Romero continues to study the Matachines in Mexico, where it is more commonly performed than in the Southwest. Her lecture will include uncommon video and audio footage of Matachines.
Following the Dec. 4 lecture, the series will continue from January to May on the first Wednesday of every month, except for the lecture on Jan. 15. The remaining lectures will feature CU-葫芦娃视频 faculty members from disciplines including French and Italian, biology, environmental studies, English, environmental engineering and history.
For information call the CU-葫芦娃视频 Office of Community Affairs at (303) 492-7084. A complete schedule of lectures is posted at and .