El Salvador

El Salvador

The Dance of Moors and Christians shows the combination of European influence and the culture of the Mayans. The Mayan influence is the belief in the supernatural beings such as the demons in the dance. In the dance people, "dress up with the clothing of the time of the Spanish Conquest. They carry swords, black boots, and big masks decorated with antique coins that are placed around the head" (El Salvador ABC par.6). The dance shows a conversiton between the native religion and beliefs to Catholicism.

"Generally timed in accordance with Catholic festivals, the dances feature battles of Moors and Christians, clowns, demons in fantastic masks, and animal characters"(Native American Dance par.3).

Dance of Moors and Christians

El Salvador is a racially mixed culture and have adopted many influences ranging from the Caribbeans to Africa. Today, most Salvadoran social events have dances like the Cumbia, the Rumba-Bolero, and the Merengue (Williams par. 17). Although these dances have originated from different places, they have developed their own unique style and rhythms in El Salvador.

Afro-Caribbean Dances

The national folk instrament that is played during these dances is the marimba. The marimba "was brought to Guatemala and the rest of Central America by African slaves" (Williams par. 17). Since then, the marimba has been featured in popular dances performed in El Salvador.

IMAGES: Dance of Moors and Christians image 1, Dance of Moors and Christians image 2 , El Salvador, Merengue, Marimba