Last Saturday night, Alejandro and I were headed down Madero Street in the heart of Mexico City's "Centro Histórico" when someone gave us a flyer advertising a "pastorela" that was going to be presented that evening in the atrium of the Church of San Francisco.
A "pastorela" is a traditional Mexican Christmas play, usually of a comical nature, in which the shepherds outwit the Devil. Since I had never seen a "pastorela" before, and since the performance was beginning in twenty minutes, we continued down Madero Street to the church and bought tickets.
The play was a classic "pastorela" entitled "La Noche Más Venturosa" (The Luckiest Night). I have to admit that I did not understand everything (OK, a lot), but I got the basic gist of the story. Three shepherds and three shepherdesses are tempted by the Devil who is trying to find out where the baby Jesus is. There is also a grandmother who is a comical character. ("She" is played by a man, and the actor is apparently quite athletic because grandma is frequently taking pratfalls tumbling across the stage.) In spite of the Devil's efforts to lure them with jewels and food, he ultimately fails. He also tries to follow the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, but that doesn't work out either. Although this "pastorela" dates back to the early 19th century, the play was updated with jokes about contemporary politics and sports.
Here are some photos and videos that I took during the performance...
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