Humberto RomeroCeremonia del Fuego Nuevo in La Chole
About an hour south of Zihuatanejo are the ruins of Xihuacan. This was a Pre-hispanic civilization that grew, thrived and then disappeared before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores. There is a great museum, restored pyramid, and restored ball court in the area. February 16th represented the "New Year" for this civilization as it was the date in which the sun could be seen rising directly above a local mountain as seen from a specific site on the pyramid. In this video you can see the "New Fire Ceremony" being performed to bring in the new year and clean out bad spirits.