We didn’t really planned on it, but just happened to be in Mexico City when the bizarre annual ‘Alebrijes Parade’ hit the streets. On the 20th of October thousands of people made their way to the Paseo de la Reforma, lining up for the annual parade, where some 200 artisans from all over the country showcased their brightly coloured sculptures of mythical creatures.
So what the hell is this parade about? And what are those creatures anyway? I had to dig a bit into Mexican history for that, but apparently it all started in 1936, with craftsman Pedro Linares Lopez. He used to make piñatas and other creative stuff with paper mache, until he fell unconscious due to an exceptionally high fever.
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
While being in this state of mind he envisioned some rather curious encounters. For example, he visited a forest where he saw a winged donkey, a rooster with bull horns and a lion with a dog head. That requires a creative mind right? All of these creatures were yelling “Alebrijes!” to him, which is a Nahuatl (an Aztec type of language) word that means something like ‘hidden, or disguise’. When he woke up he was so eager to visualize the things he saw, that he recreated the images in his head with the material that we knew how to form best: paper mache.
I’m sure some people must have thought he was crazy, but at the same time his visions appealed to the bigger crowds. The ‘Alebrijes’ are now seen as a typical Mexican thing, with crafts people all over the country doing their best to think of the most creative, imaginary monsters. If only to sell them as souvenirs. Walk into any type of souvenir shop around Mexico City and you’ll most likely find these creatures too.
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
If you want to experience the real deal, just visit Mexico City on the day of the Alebrijes Parade or a little after. It’s fun to see how some people turned their own nightmares into paper mache creations too. Think the plastic pollution ↑ or even paper mache Trumps.
The parade is held every year somewhere in the third weekend of October (just check the exact date in advance). But if you’d miss out on it you can still see the paper mache creatures for another two weeks as they will remain on display on the sidewalks of Paseo de la Reforma between the roundabouts of the Angel of Independence and Diana the Huntress.
See here what mind-boggling creatures (and enormous crowds drawn to them) you can expect to see!
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
The Alebrijes Parade, Mexico City
Here’s where the creatures will be on display after the parade! ↓
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