Through bright cascading green arches,

Decorated with flowers and geometric art, 

A heavy wooden door opens —

Hundreds of votive candles, goblets,

Veladoras with Ixchel in wax 

And Virgin of Guadalupe on the glass —

Perfectly arranged on lines of tables

That stretch to the nave

Offering sacred fire in veneration.

Rows of colored wax candles on the ground

Flicker their flames to converse 

With the spirit world from the earth.

They emulate the Milky Way 

In yellow and red incandescence,

Mirroring scintillating flecos.

Alongside, encased behind glass, 

Ancestral deities from the mountains

House their manifestations in saints 

Holding mirrors facing outwards.

And the flower world unravels —

A row of sunflowers, lilies, and chrysanthemums

In reflection of the flames.

Each star carries

Its spirit in incense of copal smoke 

From unglazed pajch’uls 

And chants and monotones in Tzotzil

Permeate and interleave the entire church.

Women in black shaggy wool naguas

Kneel before the candles they place

With each, they awaken their star’s spirit

In colors of white, yellow, red and black 

Invoking purity, transformation, prosperity and protection.

They connect heaven and earth 

Over a cushion of pine needles.

A mother offers posh to the spirits

And passes a bottle of Coca-Cola, 

Her whistle resonates ripples 

In the weave of the church.

With teeth framed in silver, 

Iloles in tunics of black and white lambswool

Lean over rows of candles 

As they summon spirits for families. 

She unwraps a live chicken from a box

With thumb pressed against its neck

Offering its breath in sacrifice.

White petals surround candles, 

Melting wax dissolves into earth, 

Silhouettes of colorful rising flames

Lean in rows towards the heat.

Women tap their forehead twice

Before tracing the cross on their chests,  

Palms open facing the altar — 

Inviting the Sun God to balance their ch’ulel 

In the reflection of San Juan Bautista.