Cuando el trueno quemó la iglesia de dos comunidades chinantecas

Resumen

This Chinanteco text from Santa María Las Nieves, Oaxaca, was related by José Hernandez to his son, Pedro Hernández. In it a key role is played by the Dzälaan "gente cuero", or persons with the power to convert themselves into lightning bolts. First a woman from Las Nieves who possessed such power took the shrimp from the river belonging to a neighboring village, Valle Nacional. In revenge, the Valle Nacional residents sent a lightening bolt that fell from a single cloud on a sunny day and burned the Las Nieves church. With difficulty they were able to save the saints from the fire. In turn, the villagers of Las Nieves and neighboring communities sent a Dzälaan to Valle Nacional, a blind man who went underground while the others distracted the Valle Nacional residents in a fight. The Dzälaan was able to set fire to the church and it burned.