Monday, November 24, 2008

Viva La Revolucion!







Who doesn't love a parade? Not me, they're often too much like a long commercial, but the spontaneous creativity of Mexico has taught me otherwise. I have grown to love the impromptu parades that crop up in unexpected places at unexpected times for saint's and schools and carnival and whatever else. I remember a parade I saw in San Cristobal on one of my early visits to Mexico, it was after Christmas and I was waiting for Basil outside a shop when the shortest, fastest parade I have ever seen went by. It consisted of five scenes on the backs of flatbed trucks: live Baby Jesus in his manger with Mary and Joseph looking on, Frosty the Snowman, live three wise men with very frightened live horses and sheep, Santa Claus in his sleigh, and live Jesus being crucified with terrified looking sheep tied to the base of the scene. The five trucks went by so fast that I was left speechless. The birth and death of Jesus all in one short parade, now that's intense.

Ever since that fastest, shortest parade, I look forward to crossing paths with Mexican parades and on our rest day it was a parade for Dia de la Revolucion that pulled me from the comforts of my room. Everyone in town was out to relive the revolution. You just never know what to expect from a Mexican parade and this one did a great job of including everybody.

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