More Mojigangas

Mojiganga in front of the Parroquia, San Miguel

Mojiganga in front of the Parroquia, San Miguel

Another Mojiganga, as these twenty foot tall papier maché puppets are called, the operator inside often given away by a large pair of workboots appearing beneath the delicate skirt. Skeleton images, in all forms known as calacas, are generally depicted as joyous rather than mournful figures, often shown wearing festive clothing, dancing, and playing musical instruments to indicate a happy afterlife. This draws on the Mexican belief, originating in Aztec times, that death should be a happy occasion, although you may not have thought so if you were having your heart ripped out at the time. Mexicans often say “se lo llevó la calaca” after a death, meaning “the calaca took him”. This one at a wedding. No further comment.

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