A Mexican performer of the Teenek ethnic group from San Luis Potosi State climbs to the top of a 'Fliers Pole' in a ritual to the Lord of Corn with the Washington Monument in the background, on The Mall, in Washington, D.C, on Saturday, June 26. The ritual, performed on special feast days to bring blessings to the fields, is part of the Smithsonian Institution's 44th Annual Folk Life Festival.