The Diablada de Píllaro is a six-day festival celebrated in the Ecuadorian province of Tungurahua from January 1st to January 6th to welcome the new year. The celebration includes music, dancing on the street, processions and performances by traditional masked characters. The most noticeable of these characters are the diablos (devils), who wear masks made of papier mâché, animal horns, animal fangs and an assortment of decorations. Bailarines de línea (line dancers) are recognized by their metal mesh masks which depict fine, delicate features such as light skin, ruby lips and blue eyes meant to personify Europeans landowners. Another important character is the guaricha, a female character that traditionally was performed only by men. Andean dramas with actors dressed in masks are occasions to act out historically inscribed ethnic and gender relations as well as opportunities to reinterpret social roles and ponder stereotypes.

These photographs documents the Tunguipamba community’s participation in the Diablada de Píllaro, with their procession from their village of Tunguipamba to the city center of Píllaro. Click the images below for more information.

Getting Ready

Members of the Tungipamba partida (group) prepare to perform traditional dances in accordance with the people that came before them. The community values legacy and are careful to preserve the customs of their grandparent who participated in Diabladas before them.

Start of the Procession

As the procession parades and dances toward Píllaro, members stop along the way so others can join them.

Dancing with Devils

The energy of the performers intensifies as all the Diablada characters — guarichas (young women, traditionally performed by men), capriches (a type of street sweeper), osos and cazadores (bears and hunters), chorizos (clowns), diablos and others — dance alongside the Banda de Pueblo (brass band).

The Devils Dance

The diablos enjoy subversive freedom and are allowed to play with and break social norms. Diablos can freely agitate spectators and be a nuisance to authority figures. This deviant behavior is tolerated only from those wearing the devil mask. The masks themselves conveniently provides anonymity to the performer. Dancers will often use different masks during the six days festival to conceal their identity and keep their freedom.

Celebration

As they reach the city’s center, members of the procession take a descanso (resting period), allowing performers, family and friends to meet, relax and eat together.

Leonardo Carrizo’s Artist Statement

The Diablada de Píllaro photographs are a continuation of my documentary work on the people, culture and traditions of Ecuador. As a photographer, I am interested in how rural communities visually express their cultures through festivals. In a global and constantly changing world, cultural storytelling traditions — such as the Diablada — are changing fast and sometimes disappearing. Nonetheless, the Tunguipamba community performance of the Diablada remains faithful to their traditions. This is most elegantly expressed in their motto “Lo que fuimos, somos y seguiremos siendo” (What we were, we are and continue to be).

Watch the Dance

Instituto Iberoamericano de Patrimonio Natural y Cultural (IPANC), Diablada Pillareña, Jan 25, 2017, Tungurahua, Ecuador

This video shares the history of the Diablada de Píllaro including its origins, traditional festival characters, and artisans of the diablo masks.

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