It's the mayor and the alligator in happy marriage.
In the hopes of bringing good fortune to his fishing community, the mayor of a small Mexican village married an alligator bride in a centuries-old ceremony on Thursday.
Huamelula, San Pedro During Thursday's jubilant ceremony, Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa bent down to kiss the reptile several times while the alligator's snout was tied shut.
Little Princess, a 7-year-old gator, is revered as a deity who represents nature. Her marriage to a local leader represents humans making contact with the divine.
Locals carried the alligator through village streets while men fanned it with their hats.
The colorful ceremony is part of a ritual that can be traced back centuries to pre-Hispanic times in the indigenous communities of Oaxaca's Chontal and Huave states. The fishing village is located on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca.
"We ask nature for enough rain, food, and fish in the river," Sosa explained.
The tradition, which is now mixed with Catholic spirituality, involves dressing the alligator or caiman in a white wedding gown and other colors. Many indigenous groups in southern Mexico have preserved their rich indigenous culture.
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The event's godmother, Elia Edith Aguilar, said the ceremony brings her "so much happiness," even as she worried about what the alligator would wear.
"And it makes me proud of my roots," she added later. "It's a very lovely tradition."
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