Chaczidzib
This piece was written as my contribution to the ‘celebration’ for the discovery of America and it was premiered in Sevilla as part of these celebrations.
Premiered by Guillermo Portillo in 1992 in Sevilla.
The title of the piece is the name of a red chest bird in Maya and it is taken from an ancient Mayan prophecy:
“The bird Ek Buc, which is the bird dressed in black and the Chaczidzib, the bird dressed in red, the former representing the conqueror and the latter the Indian, would have an encounter, that refers to the war which would be held. The black bird would be wounded and blood would be shed. The idea of blood prevails in the prophecy and its symbol is the red bird. The Ek Buc would go towards the sea, while the red bird would sing farwell. This is the expression of hope that one day this disgraceful age would come to an end”.
– Amerindmaya by Luis Rosado Vega