"The National Arts Fund" "Tucuman National University" "Present" "A Film by the Cinematic Review of Argentinian Folk Expression" "General Advisor:" "Augusto Raul Cortazar" "CASABINDO" "Created by Jorge Preloran" "In the highlands of Peru," "Bolivia and Argentina there are remains left of legendary places that can be traced back to the early years of the Spanish conquest." "One of them is Casabindo, located in present Argentina." "La Puna Jujeña," "3000 meters above the sea." "It is a desert region, dry," "inhospitable." "However, there are people here that live and die and towns like Casabindo that live and are dying." "During the Spanish conquest in South America the first establishment in" "Argentinian land was Casabindo." "There the Spaniards that came from high Peru left their unmistakable mark in a bullring, the only one in Argentina." "Around the year 1600" "Casabindo was a big "encomienda"" "and an important religious center, as proved by its monumental church with its magnificent semicircular vault and its one meter thick adobe walls." "Its 17th century angels have looked over generations of Puneños." "Father, Saint Santiago, make the grass grow, make it rain my Lord," "the rest of the year like today, and I will worship you," "I will worship you." "Their splendid altars laminated with gold." "Gold!" "Gold brought by the river that made the conquistadores rich, that made Casabindo magnificent." "Little remains." "There is no more gold." "The river only brings life to the town." "The water is barely enough for the town." "Houses made of adobe, the same color of the ground." "Here the town stays the same." "Time of old." "Life expectancy is very short." "Most people move to farm lands." "Those who stay stay inside the walls of of the ghost town." "Ah, but once a year" "Casabindo brightens up as if the gold returned." "People slowly come back from their stores and farms, sometimes from very far away." "The drums call the women, so they prepare the church." "Then Casabindo shows the light of times past." "Our Lady of the Holy Assumption produces the miracle." "We will dance happily!" "We will grow and sow and pray." "Virgin of Assumption" "Saint Isidore the Laborer" "Saint Santiago good horseman" "Saint James good farmer" "We will dance, we will raise lambs!" "We will play and weave." "Virgin of Assumption" "Saint Isidore the Laborer" "Saint Santiago good horseman" "Saint James good farmer" "Local people form a group of 6 dancers that dance in her honor." "They are called samilantes, or feathered ones, because they wear ñandu (rhea) feathers." "This bird gets very nervous when a storm is coming and runs around with its wings spread, dancing persuasively." "Seeing this scene the native must have assumed, we think, that the bird summoned the water and that by imitating it one could attract water, too." "The origins of these dances are lost among other pre-Columbian rituals." "The dancers dance in pairs, trying to tear half a lamb that later they will offer to the virgin." "From Abrapampa, 8 leagues away from the town, the sicuris band come for the celebration with sicus and many drums." "The sicu is an instrument that, played collectively, gives rhythm to the virgin's procession." "The afternoon starts with the retelling of the Spanish conquest." "The bullfight." "one has to remove from the bull's horns a band full of silver coins." "Generally, they are docile animals." "They're gentle bulls that have been grazing all year so they become strong and have some drive to fight the improvised matadors." "The bravest ones go into the bullring to win the trophy that goes to the most skillful one." "It is like that, and the party ends there, and Casabindo's light goes out again." "The roads back will be walked back by the virgin devotees," "tired, quiet, and happy." "Happy because they are sad." ""There is no evil that can enter me, nor sorrows that torture me."" ""Happiness make me sad, sorrows make me happy."" "CASABINDO" "Narration:" "Jorge Cavetti" "Theme Advisor:" "Rodolfo Merlino, Pablo Aznar" "Introduction:" "Jorge Preloran" "Narrator:" "Jorge Calvetti" "The songs are folk music (traditional, popular and anonymous)" "Compilation:" "Leda Valladares Singing:" "Anastasio Quiroga Recording:" "Rodrigo Montero" "Editing:" "Jorge Preloran" "Post-Production:" "Garrick Wilkie, Mabel Preloran, Damian Quevedo" "We thank the generous collaboration of" "Osvaldo Chimenti and Susana Mule" "Photography and Direction:" "Jorge Preloran" "With his co-adventurers:" "Lorenzo E. Kelly and Sergio Barbieri"