Coro de Angeles Sagrados
Purpose
The Awakened, by necessity, account for a very small population in Puebla. The dominance of the undead threatens (and often robs) mysticks of their lives and very souls. Consequently, el Coro de Angeles Sagrados (Choir of Sacred Angels) contains but a handful of mages, who comprise only a few cabals. Holiness and religious mysticism draw most of these Awakened. Others are repulsed to even smaller chantries elsewhere in Central Mexico.
Also due to necessity, no other chantries form in Puebla. The Traditions and their allies must convene and cooperate or die in detail. Even with its small size and tightknit atmosphere, the mages avoided seeking out a Node and chantryhouse in Puebla proper. Instead, they claimed one of many old Spanish churches: the Franciscan monastery of San Miguel Arcángel. Located in the small city of Huetjotzingo, part of the Puebla expanded metropolitan area, the Awakened maintain a safe distance from most of the undead hegemony.
Always must the “Sacred Angels” stay mindful of the monsters in the night. Despite the great power at their beckoning, their enemies number far too many. This reclusiveness may yet be their downfall anyway, since as of yet the chantry’s leaders have rebuffed any interest in allying with the Dominion of the God-House.
Chantry Policies
All standard policies of the Council of Traditions are observed, including the methods of settling disputes and claims. The Rule of Shade is key to their survival—not only obfuscating themselves from Sleepers but from the rest of the Hidden World. Unlike in much of the World of Darkness, mages in Puebla fear vampires far more than they do the Technocracy. That may only be because the ruthless and savage Sabbat commands such a numerical superiority. It nevertheless is plain fact.
Special Events
Special events are annual (or more frequent) holidays or special ritual days that the main group or groups observe as a whole community. Attendance and participation are often expected of all members, and sometimes required.
Carnival
Carnival in Huetjotzingo varies from the way Carnival is celebrated anywhere else in the world, including Puebla, and el Coro de Angeles Sagrados have taken it upon themselves to guide the festivities, especially during holy or primeval Junctures. The town’s celebration of Carnival includes reenactments of three major incidents of the area: the Battle of Puebla (against Napoleon III), a Romeo and Juliet-styled local story (the Abduction of the Daughter of Corregidor), and the first Catholic wedding ever in Mexico. These events generate national, provincial, and faithful pride and reverence in the participants and observers. The Choir encourages all of these traditional events to bolster Mythic Threads. The amount of gunpowder used in the reenactments can also conceal other, typically more vulgar spells…
“This is a sacred land and it deserves our devotions.”
-- Esperanza Campos-Reyes, Maestra del Coro de Angeles Sagrados
