Between cheers, dances and a kiss to symbolize good wishes, the mayor of a southern Mexican city married a caiman woman, a traditional rite to solicit wealth and abundance for his fellow citizens.
Víctor Hugo Sosa, mayor of San Pedro Huamelula, a Chontal indigenous community in the isthmus of Tehuantepec (southern Oaxaca state), declared his love celebration to reptilian bride Alicia Adriana, who plays the role of “little princess” in this ancient film.
“I take this responsibility because we love each other: that’s the most important thing, there can be no marriage if we don’t love each other. We love each other and I agree to marry the princess,” the mayor declared solemnly.
The union of a male and female caiman has been celebrated in this town for more than 230 years to commemorate the day when two ethnic groups of the region, the Huaves and the Chontales, united through marriage.
According to tradition, the quarrels between two cities ended with the marriage of King Chontal, now represented by the mayor, and the Huave princess of San Mateo del Mar, personified by the reptile.
The union makes it possible to “connect with Mother Earth”. To ask for rain, for the seeds to sprout, all the things that make up the peace and harmony of the Chontal man,” explains Jaime Zárate, chronicler of San Pedro Huamelula.
Before the wedding, Alicia Adriana is paraded from house to house for the locals to dance with, wearing a green skirt, black huipil, and a headdress of colorful ribbons and sequins. His mouth is well fixed to avoid trouble.
She then drove to City Hall, dressed in a white wedding dress with silver trimmings, to marry the councilman.
Joel Vásquez, community fisherman, casts his net and expresses his belief that marriage “promotes good fishing so that there may be prosperity and the means to live in peace and good balance”.
After the wedding, the mayor dances with his wife to the rhythm of the city’s traditional music.
“Today’s wedding makes us very happy because we celebrate the union of two cultures. The population is happy,” Mr Sosa told AFP.
The dance ends with a kiss that seals the bond between the king and princess.