San Pablito is a small town in the Pahualtán municipality in Puebla, Mexico. The community had their own language called Otomí. It is widely spoken, but they also speak Spanish.
Otomí came from the indigenous people who were native to the lands of Mexico. San Pablito has their own unique traditional clothing.
Women wear blouses that are embroidered with designs that are bright and colorful. The designs are all over the sleeves and neckline of the blouse. They wear the blouses with a long skirt decorated with stripes.
The traditional clothing for men is a plain cotton shirt and pants. The shirts are either plain or decorated with bright and colorful designs on the placket of the shirt. They often wear this with a ixtle fiber bag and huarache sandals.
San Pablito has its own unique forms of handcrafts, too.
Chaquira is a type of intricate beadwork made from small beads. The beads are used on clothing and used to make jewelry pieces. They are also often used to make small pieces like keychains and hairpins. People also use the beads to decorate the outside of pens.
Papel amate is handmade paper made from tree bark. The paper is made to be painted with bright colors. The designs drawn on the paper usually focused on birds and flowers.
Although papel amate is made to be painted on, it is also used to make designs on. The designs are cut outs of suns, birds, flowers, and abstract designs.
The community has its own celebration for the saints Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The celebration is celebrated every year on June 29.
It starts with a mass, a procession, and dancing. During the procession the figures of the two saints are carried around the place of the feast. After the procession people eat the food that was made and brought by others.
The members of this community have their own celebration here in Durham. This year was the third year this has been celebrated.
Every Saturday closest to June 29 is the day of the celebration. It starts with a mass and is followed by live music, food, dancing, and fireworks. The location of the celebration has changed the past two years and it is open to the public.
The celebration of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a sign that the cultural religiosity is still alive even away from the hometown. The celebration highlights the importance of community’s pride and identity while also having a good time filled with food, music, and tradition.
