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San Pancho – October 2007
By: Elvia & Geno Lamphiear – October 2007
San Pancho Days
San Pancho has been officially celebrating this yearly religious and pagan festival for over forty years!
From September the 26th to October the 4th the town dresses up and organizes the nine-day festival. This colorful celebration is mostly religious and worships San Francisco de Asis (the Patron Saint of San Pancho) and of course, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Everyday the townsfolk gather at the church at five o'clock in the morning and sing songs for the different saints. The town is divided up by neighborhoods and each neighborhood is assigned a day in which to host the celebration. Each day is different from one another depending on the money  that was collected in each respective neighborhood and how well the neighborhood is organized. El carro alegorico is a decorated motor vehicle with a biblical scene. This beautiful piece of art starts in the neighborhood of the day around sundown and proceeds to the main street and then on to the church. People walk behind the vehicle while others join along the way singing with the band and shooting fireworks along the way. Upon the arrival to the church the priest comes out and welcomes the people and invites them in for mass. After the mass everyone is waiting for the arrival of “the bull”.
“The bull” (for those of you have not yet had the honor of this experience) is a large headdress worn by a “runner”. The headdress is in the shape of a bull and is supported by the runners head with the runners hands firmly on the front legs of the bull. The bull is equipped with a “gazillion” skyrockets which are lit and the runner runs through the crowd shooting the skyrockets at whoever does not get out of the way. You never know when the bull is going to arrive or where it is coming from - and sometimes there may be more than one! Yes, every year there are a few burns… – but the locals (young & old alike) eagerly await for the bull to show up each night of the celebration.
People hang out by the plaza and enjoy each others company and the festivities. There is plenty of food, drink, games - and of course, lots of music!
There are rodeos that take place during this time and the best rodeo is on October fourth.
Folks from other towns surrounding San Pancho come to show their support and acknowledge San Pancho's celebration (especially on the fourth of October) by parading through the town singing and carrying a religious banner in the front. The people from San Pancho love to welcome their visitors, break bread with them and share in their celebration with them.
On October 4th at noon the town prepares itself for one of the most important events… the arrival of “The Torch”.
A group of runners run for twelve hours from a town as far away as a three hour car ride while carrying a lit torch. The torch represents the light of the world (Jesus Christ) and they keep the torch lit the whole time they are running. They come into town running and they are welcomed with music, shouts, confetti and a mass. After mass they all share a special meal with friends and family.
Fireworks are going off all day long. The town is full of the spirited celebration and several parades take place along the day. One of the parades features the charros (cowboys). There are different competitions, the final rodeo, and the final big decorated car. Indian dances are performed as well as the final dance and then at midnight “El Castillo”. El Castillo is a huge structure erected in or near the plaza that is a spectacular fireworks display. Then several more bulls – yet more fireworks - more food and more music - and then another year sadly is over.
This is really a great time to visit San Pancho to enjoy the celebrations, the beach and a whole lot more!!
Another new establishment is soon to open!
 Galeria del Nayar is located on the corner of the main street of San Pancho and Calle Cuba (across from the “World Famous” Palapas Las Iguanas rentals). Galeria del Nayar is the brainchild of two very talented artists, Darryl Redar and Ariel Sainz.
Galeria del Nayar is a wonderful concept to promote art in our community featuring permanent painting exhibitions by Ariel Sainz and Darryl Redar. There will also be hand crafted lamps & furniture, guest artists, music and performance arts!
Darryl Redar is an architectural designer from Scottsdale, Arizona who graduated from ASU in 1968. He was an associate for 20 years with “Father Of Southwest Architecture”, Bennie Gonzales. Darryl has designed many of the most prestigious hotels in Las Vegas. He has designed homes all over the world, winning the prestigious “Street Of Dreams” award for the state of Hawaii. Darryl has been an accomplished artist of southwest and Indian art for more than 30 years in Arizona for many private client / real estate developers. Darryl has designed homes for most of the largest subdivision developers in Arizona, - to name a few; Blanford Homes; Shea Homes; Monterrey Homes; Pulte Homes; Standard Pacific Homes; Maracay Homes; and Lee´s Homes. He has been an associate for more than 20 years with Linderoth and Associates, the largest architectural firm in Arizona designing subdivision homes. Darryl is now dividing his time between painting interpretations of our local Huichol Indian culture and his architectural practice in Arizona. His works will be exhibited in Galeria del Nayar in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit. Darryl lives in Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico and Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
Ariel Sainz studied painting and acting at the National Center of the Arts in Mexico City where he was born. Ariel has now lived in San Pancho for the last five years. Ariel was one of the main organizers of the First Annual San Pancho Art Festival December 2006. Ariel will be showing his paintings and more at Galeria del Nayar in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit.. Ariel favorite scenes are the horizon by dawn or dusk. Ariel loves the way the light and color are at those times of day and feels he can see “beyond that”. Ariel adds, “I'm always confronted by the world and the human condition - from a line in the sky to the political hurricanes. I have performed with different theater companies around the world and have been painting for the last eight years discovering in the white canvas an endless path of knowledge through which to grasp the invisible”.
Look for Galeria del Nayar to open late October or early November 2007.
We wish Darryl & Ariel all the best in their creative efforts with Galeria del Nayar!!
Until next time.
Geno & Elvia
E-mail: genolamphiear@hotmail.com
* This information is provided by María Elvia Garcia Palomera & Geno Lamphiear, owners of Calandria Realty in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit, Mexico
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