Pinata Tradition

The pinata arrived in Mexico from Europe - itself borrowed from Asia along the trade routes - and was put to work as teaching. Augustinian friars at Acolman, near Teotihuacan, are credited with adapting it in the 1580s for the Christmas posadas: a clay pot covered in coloured paper with seven points, each cone one of the deadly sins; the blindfold as blind faith; the stick as virtue; the spinning as disorientation by temptation; and the fruit, peanuts and sugar cane that spill out as the reward of grace. The theology has faded and the party has not. Modern pinatas are papier-mache over cardboard, made in every shape a child might want as well as the traditional star, and the ritual is fixed: the pinata is strung and hoisted, the crowd sings the "dale, dale, dale" verse that limits each turn, and the blindfolded batter swings while an adult jerks the rope. Acolman holds a pinata fair each December, and the workshops of Mexico City and Puebla supply the rest of the year.

What you actually see

• The seven-point star - the traditional catechism shape.
• The posada ritual - singing, blindfold and the timed turn.
• The workshops - paper, paste and cardboard by the thousand.
• Acolman's fair - the tradition's claimed birthplace in December.

When to go

December, when posadas run from the 16th to Christmas Eve; birthdays supply the rest of the calendar. Acolman's fair falls in the same weeks.

Honest expectations

Traditional clay-pot pinatas break sharply and are best kept for adults' aim; modern cardboard ones are the safe standard for children. The stick swings hard - keep the circle wide.

Nearby

Acolman's monastery and Teotihuacan's pyramids sit minutes apart, making the origin story an easy add-on.