VOA慢速英语--墨西哥村民祈求火山女神保佑

Mexican Villagers Ask Volcano Goddess for Rain, Safety

The people of Santiago Xalitzintla wake up well before sunrise to prepare their offerings to The Sleeping Woman. That is what the villagers call the Iztaccíhuatl volcano, just a short drive from their town in central Mexico.

Iztaccíhuatl is no longer active. The name Sleeping Women comes from the fact that the silhouette¹ of the volcano looks like that of a woman lying down.

The local people have a large ceremonial meal at the end of the day. They also bring plenty of red flowers. They leave them at a stone altar on the side of the mountain.

Hundreds of people take the three-hour walk to the mountain top twice a year to ask for the volcano’s aid and protection. To get there, they must walk along small rivers and pass through a pine forest.

The villagers call on the Sleeping Woman to bring rain for their crops and to protect their harvests from bad weather. They also ask her to calm the ashy eruptions³ of her neighbor, the active Popocatepetl volcano.

Keeping a watch on Don Goyo

Veronica Agustin says the community has gotten used to living with Don Goyo, a nickname for Popocatepetl. When Don Goyo gets angry, the ground moves and doors and windows shake.

Santiago Xalitzintla is the closest community to Popocatepetl. The volcano has been releasing lava⁴ and dust particles that sometimes even reach Mexico City, 90 kilometers to the northwest.

Mexican officials have told the villagers to be prepared for the worst. The town has a warning system to tell locals when they should escape to the nearby city of Cholula.

The trip to the altar is a tradition that goes back generations. The people of Santiago Xalitzintla celebrate over two days in early May, shooting fireworks into the sky above their town. They drink large amounts of tequila and cook communal⁵ meals over open fires.

They lay the offerings out on an altar on the side of the mountain There is fruit cut into flower shapes. Villagers also leave cups of milky⁶ pulque — an alcoholic⁷ drink made from the juice of the maguey plant.

It is the Day of the Holy Cross, a religious holiday celebrated⁸ in many parts of Central and South America. It marks Byzantine Empress Saint Helena’s search for the cross on which Jesus was executed.

A mix of Christianity and local customs

The ceremony mixes Catholic traditions with pre-Hispanic customs and beliefs.

The villagers hold a Roman Catholic religious service and sing Catholic songs. They ask the Virgin¹⁰ Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, to forgive them for the mistakes they have made.

A conch shell is blown. Drums are played. And a song begins in the native Nahuatl language to honor the Aztec mother earth goddess. People here often celebrate her alongside the Virgin Mary.

Larion Hernandez joined the march from another village below the volcanoes. Hernandez explains first in Nahuatl and then in Spanish why he feels the offerings to Iztaccíhuatl are so important.

“We came to leave an offering and also to ask her, our mother of this place, to give us good harvests and also to thank her at the same time for past harvests,” he said.

The harvest in this part of Puebla State is mainly corn, the base of the Mexican diet.

“As mother earth, we should take care of her because she gives us food to eat, and we should take care of her,” Hernandez said.

I’m Caty Weaver¹¹.

Words in This Story

silhouette – n. a likeness¹² of a body or some other object

altar – n. a usually raised structure on which sacrifices are offered; a table-like structure used in Christian⁹ religious services

eruption² – n. the act of something exploding

lava – n. the liquid rock released by a volcano

cross – n. an object built or shaped like the letter “T”

1 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

2 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

3 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

4 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

5 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

6 milky   

adj.牛奶的，多奶的；乳白色的

参考例句：

• Alexander always has milky coffee at lunchtime.亚历山大总是在午餐时喝掺奶的咖啡。
• I like a hot milky drink at bedtime.我喜欢睡前喝杯热奶饮料。

7 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

8 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

11 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

12 likeness   

n.相像，相似（之处）

参考例句：

• I think the painter has produced a very true likeness.我认为这位画家画得非常逼真。
• She treasured the painted likeness of her son.她珍藏她儿子的画像。