"Alebrijes" on Parade

One of my favorite events of the Day of the Dead season is the "Desfile Monumental de Alebrijes"... the Parade of Monumental Alebrijes... which is sponsored each year by the Museum of Popular Arts.  "Alebrijes" are colorful, fantastical animals made out of papier mache or carved wood.  In 2007, long before the other parades and processions which now mark this season were begun, the Museum of Popular Arts sponsored its first "alebrije" parade.  As the name implies, these are not the small figures seen in handicraft stores and markets throughout the country, but enormous papier mache creations, some of them nearly 14 feet in height.  The "alebrijes" are paraded through the streets of downtown Mexico City on wheeled carts.  In the first year of the event, there were around 40 entries; now there are more than 200.  In 2020 and 2021 the parade was not held due to the pandemic, but this year the "alebrijes" returned in an event that was bigger and better than ever.

Unlike the Day of the Dead Parade which, since its beginning in 2016, has grown into a mega-event with a mad crush of two million spectators, the "alebrije" parade has remained rather laid-back and easy-going.  Although it is well-attended, the crowd is not overwhelming, and you do not have to arrive hours ahead of time to find a decent viewing spot along the street.

On Saturday, Alejandro and I took the Metrobus downtown.  The parade was going to begin at noon, leaving from the Zócalo, the main plaza.  At around 11:30 we claimed a good spot, farther down the parade route, on Juárez Avenue across from the Plaza de la Solidaridad.

While we waited the crowd increased along the avenue, but was never an uncomfortable crush of people.

A little girl on the opposite side of the street dressed for the occasion

Whenever you have a crowd gathered for an event, you can be sure that there will be vendors selling snacks and trinkets.

By around 12:30 the parade reached our location.

More of the "alebrije" parade in my next post!