Papantla Flyers/ Voladores de Papantla

Flyers from Papantla Veracruz, Mexico/ Voladores de Papantla Voladores de Papantla, or Dance of the Flyers, is a pre-Hispanic ceremony and ritual that involves dancers climbing a pole while in detailed costumes. The ceremony is associated with fertility and is performed to ask the gods to bring an end to a drought. The ritual is believed to have originated with the Nahua, Huastec, and Otomi people of central Mexico, and has spread throughout most of Mesoamerica.

The Voladores de Papantla belong to the Totonac indigenous group, hailing from the regions of Papantla in Veracruz and other parts of central Mexico. In case you have never witnessed this incredible spectacle, five men climb a 90-foot-tall (or taller) pole. Four of them tie a rope around their waists and throw themselves headfirst into the void with their arms wide open, spinning around the pole. Meanwhile, the fifth member remains at the top and plays music with handmade wooden instruments.