In the center and north of Chiapas, where the Zoque ethnic group lives, a beautiful craft tradition arose: the elaboration of the joyonaqué, a sophisticated bouquet of various flowers, which is offered to the Zoque deities, and to the saints and virgins of the Catholic religion, to request favors.
Joyonaqué is a Zoque word that means ‘sewn flower’ and is made with flowers considered sacred, such as the palenque leaf, the mango leaf, the May flower and bougainvillea. To give it color it is complemented with tuberoses, chrysanthemums and muses.
The joyonaqué elaboration ritual
This offering is much more than a floral arrangement, since from its collection, it is part of a ritual. Traditionally, only men participated in its preparation, designated to be gatherers, seamstresses or stringers.
Once the flowers and plants are gathered, the offerings are made with respect, in spaces that must be purified before starting the bouquets.
While the bouquet is being formed, pozol is drunk and native music is listened to. Each corsage requires between four and eight hours to make, and the master corsage makers thread and sew each plant, leaf and flower one by one, with a needle and thread.
The bouquet begins by preparing some 54 ‘cigars’ with mango leaves that are rolled to form thin cylinders that will serve as the base of the bouquet; then, flowers are placed with great precision so that the colors remain uniform.
These flowers form figures like the sun, the moon, the holy spirit, the chalice and the doves; depending on which saint or deity the offering is for. When they are finished, they are placed on the corresponding altar and sprinkled with water.
Likewise, the joyonaqués are held at different times of the year, especially in the Holy Week festivities, when the resurrection of Christ is celebrated.
About the zoques and their floral tradition
This indigenous ethnic group is located in municipalities such as Tuxtla Gutiérrez, San Fernando and Chiapa de Corzo, among others.
For the making of the joyonaqués, the zoques are organized through a Stewardship or a system of charges that includes the bouquet masters and the flowered bouquet masters.
Finally, the practice, which before was exclusive to older men, now includes women and young people, who since the beginning of this century have been able to participate in the making of bouquets.