The Locos Parade San Miguel de Allende

The week long festival of San Antonio de Padua culminates with the 'Locos' parade of over 10,000 participants in costume. This first float of San Antonio, brings on the throng of costumed revelers.



The altar is filled with flowers, decorations and flowers.


Wizard princesses....



and the grand wizards start the festivities


Every neighborhood in San Miguel has its own group of locos or crazies, who attend local and neighborhood festivals, and for this one, they convene together to celebrate their loco-ness


From celebrities...


To death, devils and Fidel Castro


Beautiful women and Mexican luchadors



Payasos, payasos...


Carnaval and cartoon characters


Elaborate costumes


and old dancers..


Kewpie like dolls


Cowgirls and cowboys


Fantastical creatures


Hours and hours are spent creating masks, costumes, floats, and perfecting routines.


The range of masks is from paper mache, to cloth, to rubber and plastic.


Pirates with warts on their noses


The Mojigangas, without which a parade would not be complete. Standing about 12 to 15 feet tall, they weave in and out of the crowd, lowering their heads into your face.


The traditional man and woman


Woman of the night...


Groups of luchadors - Rey Misterio, La Parka, Santo and others


Clowns and pirates and big haired women


Baby diablo on his father's shoulders - his initiation into the big parade.


And, buzz lightyear -


Characters and more characters


Death and skeletons


Hooded figures


More clowns and theatre faces


Monsters and gremlins


The creativity in the hand made masks and costumes is as good as it gets, but unlike the Macy's parade, this is completely local and hecho a mano!


Saddam with donkey ears, devils, clowns and Santo luchador. No one is left out of the melee.


Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker and Goofy too.


Teletubbies


Luchadors fighting in the back of a pickup truck with the foxy babe.


Clowns throwing candy





Huevos in pigtails and hats following the conquistador


Mysterio, handing out candy with reaper behind him


Hands out for candy as the pirates go by





The campesino


Masks worn on the back of heads


What a set of lips!


Some of the best clowns you have ever seen


A young girl between death and George Bush


Vaca loco, death, muertos, skeletons


Gypsies


Shreck wearing Winnie the Pooh


More Death coming....


Mother earth brings up the end


While the early paraders rest on the sidewalk


And the crowds disperse to the south


to the west


North


and East


And the workers from the local shops stand in the bouganvilla lined entries, hoping for a last glimpse



© All rights reserved, June 2007, Dos Mujeres Mexican Folk Art