Is it a man, is it a butterfly…

Two sets of flying things have amazed us this past week.
‘Los voladores’, aka the flying men, who pole dance with a difference,
and the migratory monarch butterflies of Piedra Herrada.
Both incredible feats of strength, nature and travel in slow motion.

Tom’s birthday treat was a trip to the Piedra Herrada butterfly sanctuary outside of Mexico City. I was expecting something similar to the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo, but was instead blown away by the little known natural phenomenon we beheld.

After breathlessly scaling a deeply dusty uphill trail through a pine forest we came upon millions and millions of monarch butterflies. So called because their chrysalis is shaped like a crown, apparently named after William III. The air was thick with the sound and sight of gently fluttering butterflies and the floor littered with the dead confetti of their relatives. These butterflies are not native to Mexico, but had travelled for two months over two thousand miles from their home in the United States and Canada to winter in Mexico’s warmer climes. They started arriving from mid-November and will stay until the beginning of March when the mating period is over and the weather warm enough to return home.

The monarch is an enigmatic butterfly. Scientists are still debating why it is only every fifth generation of butterflies that makes this trek to Mexico and how they know to return to the same spot each time. A pre-historic Sat Nav perhaps? The monarchs have a taste for high altitude (2,800m) oyamel fir trees, but not any old tree will do, they apparently return to the exact same trees over a sixty square mile area year after year.

The voladores don’t travel quite so far, but their job is also death-defying. Their pole dancing performance originates from Papantla, Mexico, but is now performed at tourist attractions including Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology and Teohuatican pyramids. Dressed in traditional Totonac costume five brave men ascend a thirty metre pole without rope or safety harness. Four then descend headfirst on ropes gracefully and slowly revolving around the pole exactly thirteen times. A sort of bungee jump in slow motion. The fifth member remains at the top of the pole playing a bewitching tune on a pipe. [See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIBD2y-g9k]

This spectacle is also steeped in mystery and myth. Some believe it to be a fertility rite calling to the four corners of the earth to bring rain and sun; others link it to the pre-Hispanic calendar.

Two groups of flyers travelling in slow motion. Both gracefully practicing mysterious rituals. I do not understand why either man or butterfly does what they do, but their courage and might make for very good tourist attractions. So when visiting Mexico, make sure you look up.