Mayor In Mexico Marries Alligator In Ancient Ritual For Affluence

Victor Hugo Sosa, mayor of a small Mexican town San Pedro Huamula, has married an alligator in an ancient ritual, celebrating his indigenous roots and asking for good fortune for his community.

The wedding was celebrated on Thursday with folkloric music from one of Mexico's most culturally rich and diverse regions, a tradition typical to the peoples of Chontales and Huaves of San Mateo del Mar, where Hugo Sosa originates.

The seven-year-old reptile dressed in a typical white garment represents nature and divinity. According to the ritual, the marriage between the deity and the community's leader represents the union between the divine and humanity.

The ceremony exemplifies the syncretism common throughout indigenous communities and Mexican culture, where pre-Hispanic traditions are intertwined with Catholic practices.

"My wedding with the lizard, this tradition is unique in our town... it signifies the union of two cultures, the Huave people of San Mateo del Mar and our town of San Pedro Huamelula, the union of these two cultures in which abundance is achieved for our people," said Hugo Sosa.

There are 13 different indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca, located in Mexico's southeast. The people of Huave date back to pre-Hispanic Mexico, with some sources pointing out that the community originated from Nicaragua.

Unlike other cultures that fiercely opposed the Spanish invasion, the original people of Huave supposedly held a pacific relationship with the Spanish invaders.

According to the last census in 2020, 6.1% of the Mexican population of 3 years old and older speak an indigenous tongue, representing over 7 million people. In addition, the same census reported that 11.8 million people live in indigenous households. -