The Substance of the Carnival Celebration in Xoxocotla is largely constituted by its symbolization of the community’s boundaries. The symbolic manifestation of the boundary between Xoxocotla and the outside world give the participants a certain awareness and sensitivity to their community. An important aspect of Carnival is its capacity to heighten local consciousness or „local patriotism“ which outsiders, often strongly feel during the celebration. „ This is our day“.   

Carnival in Xoxocotla has all the traditional main ingredients of Carnival; reversal of the existing social hierarchy and folly. It is a fascinating mixture of medieval European celebrations like the Feast of Fools, often with deep roots in pre-Christian rituals like the Roman Saturnalia, and Pre-Hispanic Nahua fertility and harvest rituals also including different forms of role reversal. .   

The central sequence in the celebration is a street theater in which almost the entire population participates in one or another culminating in the ritual execution of a king by a representative of the people. In the Nahua conception, a good leader is expected to be concerned with the community and the socially good, and the ritual is a powerful reminder to the authorities of the community what might happen if they do not fulfill their obligations towards the people.  

The most important Characters:

El Mopilo, the man to be hanged

All my informants agreed that el Mopilo represents a person from the community. He is not an outsider or intruder. He represent the negative forces within the community who collaborate with the enemy in order to achieve personal wealth and thereby actively contribute to disturbance of peace and order. Some decades ago, he was often referred to as cazique. This terms is now more or less forgotten. It is however obvious that he represents a person with authority within the community. This is symbolized with his donkey and his close affinity with the priest. His followers treat him with respect and always ask him for his permission before they start to threaten and mock the people they meet.

The followers of el Mopilo are mostly older than those following el Verdugo. Some of them were smelling of alcohol. During the procession, el Mopilo’s followers are kicking dogs, mock people and make obscene jokes. It is likely to assume that el Mopilo symbolizes a colonial cazique who lost his people’s respect because of his engagement with intruders and outsider. A person neglecting his duties towards the people and the socially good in order to secure wealth for himself.  

El Mopilo is only dressed in a big dirty white-pink cloth which is pulled over his head with two  holes cut in it for his eyes. During the entire day, nobody sees his true face. 

During their procession, people try to avoid them, and hide and close the door when he passes.  El Mopilo’s followers may knock brutally on people’s doors but nobody dears to open. Whenever they meet people in the streets who have no possibility to escape them, el Mopilo’s followers surround them and threaten them to donate money. Most people refuse at first, but they give in when they are threatened physically and give a few coins. Then they are let free and they run away. People offer money to el Mopilo in order to coerce the procession to move on to their next victim.

Click here for practical information and Booking Details

„Here are the gallows. Everything is ready for the great day.“

Armando, my teacher pointed enthusiastically at the large wooden construction in front of the church. I can still remember that I was unpleasantly affected by this sight. It was already 21h and Xoxocotla was wrapped up in a complete darkness. I cannot remember ever having experienced such a total darkness as in Xoxocotla in this night. The street lamps were not lit. Why not? Power failure, probably. Again. The electricity seemed to disappear all the time. The darkness that surrounded everything in this particular night, however, was stronger and more intense than usual. It had been a hot, sunny day. Therefore I was surprised that I could not see any stars at all at the firmament. Only darkness. I could anticipate the contours of the gallows, but if I had not known what they were, I would have noticed nothing but a dark, ghostlike shadow. The gallows was higher than the church tower, and I asked myself how this construction could have been raised without me noticing anything. It was huge, situated on the narrow plaza between the ayuntamiento and the church.

„tomorrow, we will hang el Mopilo right here. Take your camera with you. You will surely enjoy it“.

Of course. I wouldn’t want to miss this spectacular for any price. Carnival in Xoxocotla. The annual celebration of a world up-side-down. The preparations had been going on for weeks already and the big event was the main topic of conversation everywhere. At home, the children were totally enthusiastic. The youngest ones could not sleep for excitement.

The next day Mama Rosa knocked on my door very early. Just after sunset. Still heavy with sleep, I dressed and went out to the balcony where Mama Rosa, as always, had prepared me atolli and some quesadillas. I asked her at what time I should be at the church and she told me that I should go immediately after breakfast, which I also did. „Cant you hear the church bells“ she said. I did not admit that I could not. I was confident that that Mama Rosa would know everything about the church bells. The streets were full. Men, women, children. They were all hurrying towards the church. On the plaza, surprisingly many people had showed up. Mostly women of all ages with enthusiastic children but also quite a few men. People were gossiping and discussing eagerly the performance which soon would take place. The fact that nothing happened for more than one hour did hardly affect their enthusiasm. People in Xoxocotla are used to be waiting and make the best out of it.