TAYAU

(1970 – 2022)

This page is a humble tribute to the memory of an unforgettable human being, who touched with his light the lives of many people both from within his community, and from many other parts of the world. All of us who had the great fortune of meeting him, learn from him and be his friends, we'll keep him in our hearts, where he will continue living until the last of our days.

TRIBUTE

Alfredo Gonzalez Ponciano "Tayau", was a Wixarika indigenous born in Santa Catarina Cuexcomatitlán, State of Jalisco, Mexico, on 18 of August 1970.

Alfredo was born in a very humble home and lost his father at a very early age. still a child, had to leave his community to earn a living as an agricultural worker in different regions of the Mexican Republic.

After a ten years period of "getting to know the outside world" in which he also learned to speak Spanish, he was missing his roots and returned to his community with the intention of finding within the spiritual tradition of his people, relief from the deep loneliness and suffering he found among the Tewaris (Wixarika word to designate non-indigenous people).

Back in his community in Tuapurie (St. Catarina), Alfredo flourished. On many occasions, he told me that from the moment he met his Deities on (the forces or "poderios" of nature) through the tradition of his community, "He never again felt alone".

Alfredo was an extremely intelligent person, he had a charming demeanor and great sense of humor, which quickly won the affection of those who had just met him. He also had a big heart. His generous spirit made him give himself to anyone he came into touch with., he had the gift of conversation, and would tell amazing stories and anecdotes of his life, sharing with everyone the natural wisdom he gathered along the way. Alfredo was a passionate man who lived life with total dedication.

His earthly life lasted 52 years old, equivalent to one century of the Toltecs, Mexicas and Mayans. This account of 4 times 13, was called xiuhnelpilli or "one bundle of years", It represented for them a complete cycle, after which "the world would come to an end" just to be renewed and reborn. From a conventional point of view, he did not have a long life, but from the point of view of the experiences lived and the knowledge learned, Alfredo had a full and abundant life. His story is a succession of extraordinary events in which he lived and discovered things that most human beings never get to know., even if they get to have very long lives from the calendar point of view.

With his great curiosity and passion for what he called "the natural knowledge", he was not satisfied with just learning and practicing the spiritual traditions of his people from what taught at his family home, but he took on the task of looking for the wisest elders of his community, to know and register the ancestral practices and knowledge that they had inherited from their ancestors. Among those wise men, he discovered the secrets of the sacred places and learned to understand the language of the powers that inhabit them. During his long walks through the mountains and in his continuous pilgrimages to the sacred places, he learned to listen the voice of silence, which revealed for him all kinds of secrets, that later he shared with his colleagues and friends and not only through words, but mainly through their actions.

When he was 21 years old, through the singing of the marakame (wixarika shaman), He was chosen by Grandfather Fire to become a member of the Jicareros group (guardians of the sacred gourds bowls), at the Ceremonial Center of Santa Catarina., They carry on the duties of organizing and leading the ceremonies and festivities of their ritual calendar that the community performs throughout the year. Among many other duties, they are in charge of making yearly pilgrimages to their five sacred places where the Wixaritari follow the path marked out by their cosmogony., to meet the Kakayares or Deities. In those extraordinary places and in the company of the "poderios" that live there, they learn about “the right way to live” and find guidance for important issues in their lives.

During his years as jicarero, Alfredo was the guardian of the Jícara of Tayau, or Father Sun. Being the bearer of a Sacred Jícara means not only fulfilling the role of representing the Deity in their community rituals, but also to live emulating its personality. As a worthy representative of the Sun, Alfredo radiated light wherever he was. He did it through his personal warmth and kindness; through his laughter that gushed like a spring at the slightest provocation, through his extraordinary ability to tell stories and the sharpness and depth of his remarks.

As a member of the Sacred Gourd guardians or "Jicareros" , Alfredo played a prominent role, displaying from the beginning a natural leadership among his peers, whether through helping in the organization, supporting the leading elders, or being point of reference and roll model for those around him. Despite being so young, people sought his advice and elders relied on him to help them carry out their responsibilities, not only in the activities of the Ceremonial Center, but also in those of the governance of community life by traditional authorities.

I met him when he began as a Jicarero and I had the great luck and honor of accompanying him on his pilgrimages. It is extraordinary for me to remember that when I first arrived in Santa Catarina in 1991 to ask the traditional authorities for permission to visit their community, it was precisely Alfredo, who was most opposed to me getting the permission I was requesting, due in part to the bad experiences he had gone through during his time among the mestizos. I remember when they debated among themselves whether they would authorize my visit, which of course, they did in their language, I had no idea what they were talking about. However, despite Alfredo's objections, the elders granted me permission, perhaps because they were pleased that instead of entering the community and starting to talk to people without asking anyone's permission, I went directly to the traditional authorities to let them know my intentions. In the end, they accepted that I would stay a few days among them, and - as a kind of punishment for his insistence- they appointed Alfredo to be my companion and monitor my behavior during the days of my visit., in addition to supporting me as a translator. only years later, when we were already very close to each other, he confided to me, that he didn't want them to let me in, and we were able to laugh together at the unexpected paradoxes of life. At the time, we could not imagine that this meeting would mark the beginning of an intense relationship and a deep friendship that would last for more than three decades until the last day of his life and, which even after his departure, is pretty much alive like an unquenchable fire. Alfredo had that effect on people.

Alfredo's life took place simultaneously in several dimensions: the spiritual one was undoubtedly the essential axis around which he organized everything else. What he liked most was visiting the sacred places and spending the night under the stars in the company of Grandfather Fire.. As a member of his community, he held multiple positions as a social leader and traditional Government official, always in defense of their community and their culture. In the family context, he had an intense life, and four children who came from the relationship with the three partners with whom he shared the different stages of his life.. He also, had an ongoing thirty-year relationship with friends who he met through the human development organization called The Art of Living Purposefully we had the great fortune to meet him and enjoy his company on many of our travels and workshops. It was in that context that he had the opportunity to meet and leave a deep mark on most of the people he meet., from different countries around the world. As if all that weren't enough... between the years 2010 al 2015 he found the time to complete the rigorous training to become a Marakame. under the direction of the wise and old Marakame Santos, he managed to become a singer of the voice of Grandfather Fire, in traditional ceremonies of his community.

It was precisely because of his work as a representative of his community and agrarian leader that Alfredo faced what were probably the most difficult years of his life.. Appointed by his community to occupy, work and protect the lands of Santa Catarina (Tuapurie), he got involved in an old conflict over land disputes between neighboring communities. Due to this, he and his family were harassed and persecuted by those who tried to seize the lands that Santa Catarina was defending.. The tension escalated until he was finally sent to prison based on fabricated accusations..

For six years Alfredo fought to regain his freedom and for all that time some of his friends took on the task of supporting him in the different needs of his process and channeling resources for his family.. In the legal aspect, the greatest difficulty in achieving his freedom had to do mainly with the unfairness of the justice system in Mexico, that is more vicious with those who have the least. In this case, the isolation and lack of communication of the Wixarika communities and the very poverty of the witnesses who knew first-hand about the case and Alfredo's innocence, made impossible for them to arrive to the city where the court is located, on the dates set by the Judge for them to render their affidavits.

During his years in prison, Alfredo kept his passion for knowledge. He took the opportunity to complete his studies of elementary school, middle and high school. He learned various trades and maintained a positive demeanor that earned him the affection of those around him., and he was able to stay out of the darker aspects of life in prison. However, what he could not escape from was the damage to his health caused by poor nutrition and the terrible conditions in Mexico's prisions. When Alfredo was arrested, he was a strong young man who climbed mountains at high speed without losing his breath.. But after three years in prison he developed diabetes., among other health problems. Despite the adversity, he always kept a positive attitude and at the end of our weekly phone conversations he always signed off with his traditional catchphrase: "Cheer up"!!.

Finally, at the end of August 2022, when we were about to finally obtain his long-awaited release from prision, an accident - which at first seemed minor- with a needle in the leather belt making workshop where he worked, caused an infection that quickly got complicated. The report we received was that he could not overcome the infection due to his diabetes.. All of this happened in what seemed like the blink of an eye., to the shock and dismay of us all, who where in frequently in touch with him.

Alfred died on the 14 of September, 2022, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of many people from his community, Mexico and many other countries.

Processing such a huge loss has not been easy.. we lost a friend, a teacher and a person who, despite all his strength and knowledge, remained vulnerable to the injustices associated with his indigenous condition. Although the news of his death hit us like lightning and we felt pain, frustration, sadness and anger, for not having achieved our dream of seeing him free again… gradually things began to clear up.

At some point, during the first days that followed the terrible news, I remembered something that Alfredo told me referring to his captivity: “When I stopped being angry about being in here, I decided to take advantage of each day to learn something and reflect on my mistakes. I have dedicated myself to studying and I am about to finish high school. It seems to me that I came here to learn the things I didn't get a chance to study while I was outside., now I'm doing it and that's why i'm happy”. Such was his spirit. It comforts me to think that during those difficult years Tayau was not entirely alone., because he had the support of a community of friends who helping him and his family, and we never gave up. He told me many times that he was very grateful that his friends had not forgotten him.. I clearly remember his words: “Tell everyone that I thank them very much., because without them, I don't know what would have become of me.". Although he was persecuted by a few, Alfredo was loved by many and he knew it. So our effort was not in vain, because we were by his side in the most difficult moments. This helped him live and feel connected to the world and the people who valued him..

Last year was very special for him, because we were fortunate to have his support as a translator of the songs that Daniel Medina de la Rosa composed and recorded with composer Philip Glass, which were recorded on several albums, and are the main theme of the documentary A Place Called Music, which is about to premiere at Morelia International Film Festival, edition 2022.  

Daniel is a prestigious traditional Wixarika musician and an old friend of Alfredo since their time as jicareros.. It was Alfredo who introduced him to Philip, leading to a series of rehearsals that culminated in 2012, con The Concert of the Sixth Sun, in Real de Catorce, in which Alfredo himself participated as the manager of the Wixarika musicians. The documentary is somehow, the culmination of that project that began more than a decade ago.

I am sure that those who knew and appreciated Tayau will be pleased to know, that he was very happy translating Daniel's songs from the Wixarika language into Spanish. He said it was a way to reconnect with his roots and with his Deities even from prison. For almost a year, we worked together reviewing the translations and a team from the documentary production company went to see him every day with the necessary technical equipment, so that he could see the scenes and listen to the songs of the documentary, and to write down his translations. This was something that motivated him a lot and raised his spirits in remarkably.. This work brought a most positive turn to his life for almost a year. The result of his work will be reflected in the documentary and it is just one more example of how much he gave us, even under the most difficult circumstances.

His life offered us invaluable lessons that will continue with us, but his death also offers lessons that we will gradually discover and integrate into our souls until they become life, not just for us, but also for others, with whom we can share a bit of what he taught us. Not so much through words but above all through our actions.

*****

Alfredo was next to me, the first time I saw a human being talking to fire as part of a ceremony during a pilgrimage to the Blue Land. It was at his side that I learned to consult with Grandfather Fire or Tatewari, discovering through that practice, that its strength – when we open up to it- has an extraordinary and positive effect on our awareness. I had to rely on that force to start putting together the parts of my being that were shaken by the impact of my friend's death..

Tatewari helped me see that the life and death of another human being do not belong to us, and they are not about us. That the value of each story and each life is not measured by how much we did not get to share with them, or how much we will miss them, but its value and meaning are independent of our personal expectations. I discovered that there is something selfish in rebelling against the death of another human being because of how much it offends us.

But if we see the life and death of a loved one as the miracle and mystery of a life that begins and ends in its unique moment, for their own unfathomable reasons…in the middle of eternity, only then we will remember that this is the destiny of every living being and that this mystery does not take us apart, but unites us. That is why we will not let the sadness of having lost his presence in this realm distract us from the joy of having known him.. Perhaps then our sadness will become intimate gratitude for the beauty of everything we experienced together..

Tayau is the name of the Sun

the Sun is gone!

We are left with the Fire to accompany us and embrace the long night…

At dawn, the Sun will return

and its light will warm our hearts

once more.

Turned into smiles and luminous acts,

that light will be the presence of our Tayau

who will continue to live in the hearts of all those

who met and loved him.

So it shall be…

Victor Sanchez

25 of September, 2022.