# Dances: La Danza del Diablo, La Danza de la Tortuga and El Son de Artesa  
The dances that are celebrated include the Turtle Dance (La Danza de la Tortuga), the Artesa/Fandango de Artesa (or El Son de Artesa) and the Devil Dance (La Danza del Diablo). The Turtle Dance is a very famous performance in which dancers dramatize the cruelty meted out to blacks during slavery. The figure of Pancho carries a whip in his role as the vicious overseer who mercilessly beats black workers. This invigorating dance is interesting as on one level it appears to be a mere celebration, but on a different level it is really a cynical representation and undermining of the plantation system of oppression.  
The Fandango de Artesa is a dance in which a couple dances on a wooden trough carved from a ceiba, also known as guanacaste, a tree which grows in abundance on the Costa Chica and is well known for its huge trunk (Ramsay, 2016, p. 22). The trough is usually carved to represent an animal's head at one end and a tail at the other and is placed upside down so that a couple or a single individual may dance barefoot on it. Music is produced mainly by tapping the feet on the hollow log along with music produced by string and wooden instruments, a lead singer and a group of persons clapping and singing loudly.  
The Artesa is an important part of the festivities at weddings and other African-Mexican community celebrations. Today, the best-known Artesa groups are to be found in San Nicolás and El Ciruelo. In fact, in the town centre of San Nicolás there are several Artesa troughs on display, while the mural on the Town Hall depicts an Artesa setting. Both artwork and carvings seem to serve as an emblem of their identity for a people who recognize their unique culture. Mexico Negro is actively encouraging younger Afro-Mexicans to maintain an interest in this unique cultural form so as to ensure its continuity and the understanding of its role in defining African Mexican cultural heritage.