Matachines

Matachines (Spanish matachín, a sword dancer in a fantastic costume; also called bouffon; pl. matachini [MexSp matachín, fr. Sp, matachin (sense 1a), fr. It mattaccino]) are a society of North and South American-Indian dancers who perform ritual dances. They are found from Peru up to northern New Mexico, USA where the Spanish first influenced the New World and introduced Christianity to the native peoples.