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by Mildred Boyd
Contrary
to popular belief, the ancient gods did not always demand bloody sacrifices.
They could sometimes be appeased or cajoled into granting special prayers
by ritual singing and dancing. Even the fearsome War God, Huitzilopotchli,
could be charmed by a complex ritual involving children dressed as birds
or butterflies flitting around the flower-filled bower of Xochiquetzalli,
Goddess of Love and Beauty.
A few of the ancient rituals still
survive, though often in modified form. Their purpose was, and is, to
invoke sympathetic magic but a comic element has crept in. Once everyone,
men and women, kings and commoners, took part. Today, such solemn performances,
elaborately costumed and staged, are almost exclusively male. Men usually
dance female roles and women are allowed to perform only the purely festive
folk dances .