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A Thieving Rat Kicks Off Coco Festival
| By Ralph Nicholson | |
Some say the tlacuache, a small rat-like marsupial all over Latin America, stole fire from the sun and gave it to man.
As Mesoamerican mythology would have it, the tlacuache put the hot coals from the Gods’ furnace in a pocket in her belly (normally reserved for immature young) and made away.
There’s another story, somewhat less steeped in mythology, which has the tlacuache giving man the secret of pulque, the fermented agave plant, today more commonly distilled as tequila.
Whatever the legend, wherever it came from, for Calixto Molina the 38-year-old Acapulco native, the tlacuache is at once his God, and then his demon.
And this past weekend Mr Molina was spitting his demons all over the beach.
The fine arts graduate was the star attraction, and one of three Mexican sand sculptors, at the second annual Costa Rican Sand Fest. Prominent atop one of three of his sculptures --- it took him more than ten hours to build --- was a tlacuache.
“I like to do fantastic characters, legendary creatures,” said Mr Molina who last year won second place in the doubles competition of the World Sand Sculpture competition in Harrison Hotsprings in Canada last year.
“Like the tlacuache. She is my god, my demon. She is a little thief, but should be respected.”
Mr Molina was joined by two other Mexicans --- Sixto Sánchez and Raquel Corona, both from Mexico City --- who produced a handful of sand sculptures along the beach on the town’s football field.
Apart from seasonal heat, burrowing crabs and wayward children presented the biggest dangers for the sculptors.
It’s the second time the event has been held, driven by publishers of the local Utopia Magazine, plus a dozen major sponsors. Last year the event lost money.
“We lost money because we brought in so many international sculptors,” said Yumi Davis, Editor of Utopia.
“This year we decided we were going to do things the right way around, plan a budget, raise the money and then spend it,” Ms Davis said.
The event cost about $15,000, and organizers say they broke even.
Ms Davis said the focus of the three-day festival is upon education.
“We wanted to raise the environmental and social awareness, and also bring art and culture to an area that needs it,” she said.
To that end, the festival was considerably more than Mexican sand castles.
There was theater, circus, dancing and painting, plus volleyball clinics and a football tournament. Much of it was organized through Proyecto de Luz, the kids’ charity organization.
There were demonstrations of Capoeira, the African-Brazilian fight-dance and martial arts created by enslaved Africans during the 16th Century.
A handful of non-government environmental organizations --- the keto foundation and Programa Restauración de Tortugas Marinas (both dedicated to protecting marina life), plus Unidad Especial de Protección y Rescate Animal, all had information booths at the event.
“I think in terms of organization and the scope of the event, this was much better than last year,” Ms Davis said. “The town really filled up.”
