Below is a summary from different sources about Nicaragua's masterpiece. For all those interested ----> ENJOY !
El Güegüense – “The Wise Man” – Foundation Cigar Company
The name comes from the main character, El Güegüense, which is a Nahuatl word meaning “The Wise Man”. The dance is performed each year January 17th – 27th during the feast of San Sebastian in Diriamba, Nicaragua. The dance is also known by the name Macho Raton which literally means male mouse but is also the name of the mule /horse in the center of our vista graphic for the box and bands. This image is synonymous with El Güegüense and represents the dance for reasons I will explain below.
The dance / play begins with a conversation between the Spanish Governor and his sheriff. The Governor has forbid singing, dancing, and entertainment of any kind within the Royal Municipality, because people are suffering through a period of serious poverty. The Governor blames the poverty and problems on “El Güegüense” and orders that the sheriff bring him immediately before him.
The Sheriff introduces himself to “El Güegüense” as a servant of the Governor but El Güegüense pretends that the Sherriff is looking for a calf or a colt. The Güegüense defends himself against charges leveled against him by the colonial authorities through a series of clever verbal maneuvers. Rather than directly confronting or challenging the sheriff, he attempts to appear consistently co-operative and compliant, while utilizing subterfuge to undermine Spanish authority.
The Güegüense finally stands before the Governor with his two sons and in a series of comic exchanges, pretends not to understand the governor and twists his words around to insult him. Eventually the Güegüense fools the authorities into thinking he's rich and arranges for one of his sons to marry the governor's daughter. To display his wealth the Güegüense calls in the machos or the masked mules adorned with beautiful headdresses. The masked mules never talk in the play and are one of the most well known images of Nicaragua and represent the dance of “El Güegüense” It is often said that the mules are a symbol of the oppression of the Spanish crown and how they viewed and treated the indigenous populations.
As the play ends, El Güegüense has gained the upper hand and has navigated around the authorities' rules through trickery. Yet he remains wistful for the days before the Spanish, “Let me recall old times, that I may console myself… “
El Güegüense - Foundation Cigar Co.
I wanted my debut project to be a reflection of what Nicaragua means to me from the blend straight through to the packaging. This is the first project where I have worked on developing a brand from A- Z. My art director, Alex Garcia, started as a graffiti artist in Esteli during the 90’s and has developed an incredible skill set over the years. I brought him this project last January and gave him my vision for the brand and the vista and he began hand drawing what you see today.
The Güegüense is most well known by the center image in the vista – the mule / horse(macho raton)… This mule is the representation of “THE WISE MAN”. He is surrounded by “El Güegüense” two sons , Don Forcico and Don Ambrosio... Behind them is the Sacuanjoche (Plumeria) national flower of Nicaragua and El madroño the national Tree of Nicaragua. To the left and right of the main image are commemorative coins of Nicaragua from the past 200 + years. The first/top coin being the inspiration for the Foundation Cigar Company logo. Originally I had the brand just in English “ The Wise Man” because El Güegüense is difficult to pronounce. But after I saw the packaging in English it didn’t feel right and I had to remain true to the original name – hence I ended up changing it but also using the English below.
As the logo started to develop I knew the imagery was going to look best on a a Cuban style full dress box. I wanted to honor Nicaragua and also my love for the Cuban style dress boxes such as Romeo y Julieta. As the box developed I decided that I wanted to combine the dress box with exposed wood on the front, side and bottom. The boxes are 12ct bottom layer / 13 count top layer. Within the box is a high stock card with the Foundation logo gold embossed on one side and the other side is a hand painted drawing of the Güegüense and a summary of the brand.
After I read El Güegüense for the first time it really opened my eyes to the heart and soul of Nicaraguan and it’s culture. I had the pleasure of traveling to Diriamba this past January to witness the dance first hand and it is a majestic experience that transported me through 500years of history in the present day. This project means a lot to me and my team and more so the Nicaraguan people and I wanted to make sure I did it justice…
Hermanos de la hoja - I salute you !
Sinceramente -
Nicholas Melillo aka Nick~R~Agua
El Güegüense – “The Wise Man” – Foundation Cigar Company
El Güegüense(Way-When-Say) is a satirical drama combining music, dance, and theater. It is a synthesis of indigenous and Spanish cultures and considered as Nicaragua’s most distinctive colonial-era expressions. El Güegüense was written by an anonymous author in the 16th century making it one of the oldest indigenous theatrical/dance works of the Western Hemisphere. The dance was originally passed down orally for centuries until it was first published in 1942. The characters wear masks made of wood (usually light skinned and blue eyed) and are dressed in colorful costumes adorned with flowers, hats, and peacock feathers..
The name comes from the main character, El Güegüense, which is a Nahuatl word meaning “The Wise Man”. The dance is performed each year January 17th – 27th during the feast of San Sebastian in Diriamba, Nicaragua. The dance is also known by the name Macho Raton which literally means male mouse but is also the name of the mule /horse in the center of our vista graphic for the box and bands. This image is synonymous with El Güegüense and represents the dance for reasons I will explain below.
The dance / play begins with a conversation between the Spanish Governor and his sheriff. The Governor has forbid singing, dancing, and entertainment of any kind within the Royal Municipality, because people are suffering through a period of serious poverty. The Governor blames the poverty and problems on “El Güegüense” and orders that the sheriff bring him immediately before him.
The Sheriff introduces himself to “El Güegüense” as a servant of the Governor but El Güegüense pretends that the Sherriff is looking for a calf or a colt. The Güegüense defends himself against charges leveled against him by the colonial authorities through a series of clever verbal maneuvers. Rather than directly confronting or challenging the sheriff, he attempts to appear consistently co-operative and compliant, while utilizing subterfuge to undermine Spanish authority.
The Güegüense finally stands before the Governor with his two sons and in a series of comic exchanges, pretends not to understand the governor and twists his words around to insult him. Eventually the Güegüense fools the authorities into thinking he's rich and arranges for one of his sons to marry the governor's daughter. To display his wealth the Güegüense calls in the machos or the masked mules adorned with beautiful headdresses. The masked mules never talk in the play and are one of the most well known images of Nicaragua and represent the dance of “El Güegüense” It is often said that the mules are a symbol of the oppression of the Spanish crown and how they viewed and treated the indigenous populations.
As the play ends, El Güegüense has gained the upper hand and has navigated around the authorities' rules through trickery. Yet he remains wistful for the days before the Spanish, “Let me recall old times, that I may console myself… “
El Güegüense - Foundation Cigar Co.
I wanted my debut project to be a reflection of what Nicaragua means to me from the blend straight through to the packaging. This is the first project where I have worked on developing a brand from A- Z. My art director, Alex Garcia, started as a graffiti artist in Esteli during the 90’s and has developed an incredible skill set over the years. I brought him this project last January and gave him my vision for the brand and the vista and he began hand drawing what you see today.
The Güegüense is most well known by the center image in the vista – the mule / horse(macho raton)… This mule is the representation of “THE WISE MAN”. He is surrounded by “El Güegüense” two sons , Don Forcico and Don Ambrosio... Behind them is the Sacuanjoche (Plumeria) national flower of Nicaragua and El madroño the national Tree of Nicaragua. To the left and right of the main image are commemorative coins of Nicaragua from the past 200 + years. The first/top coin being the inspiration for the Foundation Cigar Company logo. Originally I had the brand just in English “ The Wise Man” because El Güegüense is difficult to pronounce. But after I saw the packaging in English it didn’t feel right and I had to remain true to the original name – hence I ended up changing it but also using the English below.
As the logo started to develop I knew the imagery was going to look best on a a Cuban style full dress box. I wanted to honor Nicaragua and also my love for the Cuban style dress boxes such as Romeo y Julieta. As the box developed I decided that I wanted to combine the dress box with exposed wood on the front, side and bottom. The boxes are 12ct bottom layer / 13 count top layer. Within the box is a high stock card with the Foundation logo gold embossed on one side and the other side is a hand painted drawing of the Güegüense and a summary of the brand.
After I read El Güegüense for the first time it really opened my eyes to the heart and soul of Nicaraguan and it’s culture. I had the pleasure of traveling to Diriamba this past January to witness the dance first hand and it is a majestic experience that transported me through 500years of history in the present day. This project means a lot to me and my team and more so the Nicaraguan people and I wanted to make sure I did it justice…
Hermanos de la hoja - I salute you !
Sinceramente -
Nicholas Melillo aka Nick~R~Agua
