Tarascan Indians

When the first Spaniards arrived at Tzintzuntzín, the ancient Tarascan capital, they were entertained, so the worthy Spanish chroniclers of the 16th century tell us, with an all-night fiesta of dances and songs 'sad enough to have risen from hell.' And no wonder! It was no time for gaiety, for a dire fate already had befallen the Aztec capital a few hundred miles away. The pale-face 'guests' had come on a mission of peace. Four hundred years have passed since that fateful time. Again in 1965 the Tarascans were invaded by foreigners: this time, however, they were friendly ones, in search of music... Henrietta Yurchenco.