Ritual opening of the Tamunangue. Two men armed with sticks or staves face each other in a dance-fight from Tocuyo stick fighting, offering the first promise payment to Saint Anthony of Padua.
The dance of La Batalla
Two men (the «batalleros», or stick fighters) face each other with sticks or staves, executing strikes, feints and parries from the **Tocuyo stick fighting** tradition, a mestizo heritage of Creole fencing. The battle is won through skill, not violence.
Meaning of La Batalla
La Batalla represents the **struggle of the Christian against evil**, the offering of effort and bravery to the saint. It is the formal beginning of the Tamunangue: without La Batalla, the promise payment does not begin.
History and origin
It is considered one of the oldest parts of the Tamunangue and a survival of the **Creole stick game** (juego de garrote), a traditional Lara martial art with Hispano-Canarian and African roots. Some researchers associate it with the old Moors and Christians dances of medieval Spain, adapted in southern Lara.
Instruments
La Batalla is performed with the traditional Tamunangue instruments:
- Cuatro (Venezuelan four-string guitar)
- Cinco (Venezuelan five-string guitar)
- Cumaco drum
- Maracas
Curiosities about La Batalla
- Tocuyo stick fighters (garroteros) keep the stick game tradition alive as a native martial art.
- La Batalla is technically considered **prior** to the seven sones of the Tamunangue: it is the ceremonial prelude.
- Each batallero salutes Saint Anthony with his staff before beginning the dance.
Place in the Tamunangue
La Batalla is the first moment of the Tamunangue. To understand how it connects with the other sones, read the guide to the 8 sones of the Tamunangue.