Last week, the residents of San Pedro Huamelula, a city in southwestern Mexico, were bestowed with “prosperity” after their mayor, Hugo Sosa, “married” an alligator.
Mr. Smosa married the little reptile on Thursday in a ritual that stretches back centuries to pre-Hispanic Mexico’s indigenous societies.
According to reports, residents danced to traditional music and requested the mayor to seal the wedding with a kiss.
Mr. Sosa was photographed placing his lips multiple times on the small alligator, confident in the knowledge that its mouth had been restrained to prevent biting.
The alligator, also known as “little princess,” wore a traditional white bridal dress with a veil and other brightly colored clothing.
Before the ceremony, locals carried the reptile around the streets of San Pedro Huamelula, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, while men waved hats and trumpets played. According to sources, the practice is a blend of Catholicism and the traditions of the Chontal and Huave indigenous people, who prayed for nature’s richness.
It is thought that the seven-year-old reptile is a divinity representing mother earth, whose marriage to a local leader will provide prosperity and unite humanity with the divine.
According to sources, the practice is a blend of Catholicism and the traditions of the Chontal and Huave indigenous people, who prayed for nature’s richness.
It is thought that the seven-year-old reptile is a divinity representing mother earth, whose marriage to a local leader will provide prosperity and unite humanity with the divine.