Carnaval is an official Mexican holiday that kicks off a five-day celebration of the libido before the Catholic lent begins on Ash Wednesday. Beginning the weekend before Lent, Carnaval is celebrated exuberantly with parades, floats, costumes, music and dancing in the streets. Carnaval is equivalent to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
****************************
Carnival in Mexico is a cause for big celebration, with parades of masked dancers taking over the streets of Tepoztlán, Huejotzingo, Chamula, Veracruz, Cozumel and Mazatlán.
In Veracruz, in Cozumel's main town of San Miguel and in Mazatlán the action resembles the New Orleans Mardi Gras, with parades of dancers accompanied by marching bands and sound systems. However, not all the Mexican carnivals follow the Caribbean model. As elsewhere in Mexico, pre-Hispanic traditions have merged with Catholic feast days to create something entirely different.
In San Juan Chamula for example, people run through the streets on flaming branches, re-enact Chiapan military battles and celebrate the Mayan New Year, syncretising the occasion with Christian masses in church. On the last day of carnival, tens of thousands of people converge on the town.
The carnival in Huejotzingo (an hour from Mexico City) has more recent historical associations. There, on Shrove Tuesday, the townspeople dress up as battalions of French soldiers and Mexican bandits. Using the entire town as their stage, they re-enact the dramatic battle of 1862 between the colonial forces and the Mexican people at Huejotzingo.
Tepoztlán also has lively celebrations, where masked and brilliantly-clad dancers fill the streets on the five days preceding Ash Wednesday. The position of this town, ringed by volcanic cliffs, easily accessible from Mexico City, should make it a popular destination. As with all these carnivals, book accommodation well in advance.
*************************************
Carnivals in Mexico are popular throughout the country and occur in six major locations; Tepoztlan, Huejotzingo, Chamula, Veracruz, Mazatlan and Cozumel.
In Cozumel and the other gulf coast regions the carnival has a Caribbean flavour. Following a New Orleans Mardi Gras style template, this type of carnival is highly popular with tourists.
Cozumel in particular is a regular stop off for cruise ships and draws thousands of visitors to its beach resorts and wildlife parks.
Celebrations occurring further inland have a variety of traditions and events that generate a more unique flavour.
Religious festivals and celebrations of Chiapas heritage offer an enhanced cultural and intense carnival experience that you wouldn't find at a beach resort.
The Zapatistas of the southern states form a vital part of the region's history and this is reflected in its carnivals. So expect plenty of political and socio-economic protest combined with revolutionary zeal.
Huejotzingo is the carnival centre closest to Mexico City and can become extremely crowded. However, this also means there is no shortage of things to see and do, making this particular parade extremely popular.
