Mayor's Unconventional Wedding: A 230-Year-Old Tradition Unites Indigenous Cultures in Mexico

The wedding between Mayor Sosa and the female caiman is a 230-year-old tradition that symbolizes the union between two Indigenous cultures in Mexico. This union is celebrated with clapping, dancing, and traditional ceremonies to bring good fortune and peace to San Pedro Huamelula. The alligator wears a traditional costume and its snout is tied shut to avoid any pre-marriage mishaps. Fisherman Joel Vasquez also throws his net and intones the town's hopes that the marriage may bring “good fishing, so that there is prosperity, equilibrium and ways to live in peace.”

The mayor dances with his bride to the sounds of traditional music, and the dance culminates with the mayor planting a kiss on the snout of the “princess girl.” A 230-Year-Old Tradition: The Intercultural Union of San Pedro Huamelula The small town of San Pedro Huamelula in the Tehuantepec isthmus of Mexico is home to a 230-year-old tradition. Victor Hugo Sosa, the mayor of the town, re-enacts an ancestral ritual by taking a female caiman as his betrothed in a traditional marriage ceremony.

The Huave people of the coastal Oaxaca state are represented by the alligator in this union, which symbolizes peace and harmony between two Indigenous cultures. The reception of the wedding is filled with dancing, clapping, and traditional ceremonies, while the alligator wears a traditional costume with its snout tied shut to ensure no pre-marriage mishaps. Fisherman Joel Vasquez throws his net and intones the town's hopes for good fortune, prosperity, and equilibrium. Finally, the mayor dances with his bride to the sounds of traditional music, and the celebration culminates with a kiss on the snout of the “princess girl.”