ZACATECAS, Mexico --
Bloody battles dont always translate into an enjoyable weekend, but
in Zacatecas, they are something that nearly everyone looks forward
to, every summer.
Las Morismas de
Bracho is a three-day event that takes place during the last
weekend of August.
During this time,
more than 10,000 Zacatecans from throughout the state come to dress
up and re-create (albeit loosely) the battles fought between
Christians and Moors, which took place in Spain centuries
ago.
The first Mexican
Morisma occurred in 1539 in Tlaxcala, and the event started in the
17th century in Zacatecas, where it since has become the largest
event of its kind in the country.
Included during Las
Morismas are live music, dance performances and a lengthy parade
through the city streets on the final day of the event, accompanied
by blowing bugles and banging drums.
This is a great time
to see thousands of locals dressed as Moors and Christians -- many
costumes are handed down from generation to generation. Even the
tiniest babies are dressed to match their fellow
soldiers.
After the parade,
participants head to the hills just outside the city for the most
dramatic part of the event: the main conflict.
As spectators sit on
a hillside, the Christian warriors form a human cross as they inch
down a nearby escarpment, making their way to the dusty basin where
the Moors await the final battle (which, in keeping with history,
they always lose).
The warriors shoot
blanks into the air, creating loud pops and puffs of smoke, as
bugles sound and the leaders charge on horseback into the
throngs.
That would be more
than enough to tire out participants, it would seem, but Las
Morismas is followed by the Feria Nacional de Zacatecas, a state
fair that takes place during the first week of September, bringing
more parades, events and fireworks to the city.
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