"Pirekuas (Pirecuas in English) are the traditional songs of the 'Purépecha' Indians, who are the original inhabitants of the state of Michoacan in central Mexico. These songs talk about daily life. One beautiful song in particular tells a story about the 'Tsitsiki', a flower of the region revered for its divine beauty. Frequently it is used to describe the beauty of a particular women.
These songs are sung at every type of regional fiesta, where they play an important role in keeping people together. Pirekuas are usually sung by duets accompanied by strings and also by brass bands and/or strings. These songs convey a deep sense of melancholy, which at times comes close to weeping. This is a quality communicated by the 'pireris'. Pireris are the singers and composers of these songs. Another song form they use is called the 'abajeno'. This is fast, frenetic, dust-raising dance music."
The Purépecha language is spoken by about 200,000 indigenous Mexicans. 75% of the Tarascans are bilingual, speaking both Spanish and Purépecha. 25% speak only Tarascan.
The Purépecha language is distantly related to the Zuñi Indians' language from
New Mexico a state in the US southwest. The Purépecha language is also related
to the Quechua-Aymara language of some South American Indian people.
Sopa Purépecha
2 jitomates medianos, ½ cebolla mediana, 2 cucharadas de aceite
de maíz, 2 cucharadas de caldo en polvo, 3 tazas de frijol canario o flor de
mayo cocido, 6 tazas del caldo donde se cocieron los frijoles.
Para acompañar: 6 tortillas cortadas en tiritas, doradas en aceite y escurridas
sobre papel absorbente, 200 gramos de queso ranchero o fresco desmenuzado, 1
taza de crema espesa, chile de árbol rebanado y frito al gusto. Para 8 personas.
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