San Mateo Ozolco Carnaval celebrates historic Mexican victory
A look at the music, costumes, and culture of Carnaval in San Mateo Ozolco, Mexico.
Carnaval celebrations commemorate the Batalla de Puebla, when on May 5, 1862 — Cinco de Mayo — Mexican soldiers ran off occupying French forces. These photographs show how for three days the residents of San Mateo Ozolco, a community of about 2,800 people in the state of Puebla, in the shadow of the active volcano Popōcatepētl, celebrate the annual event. The town’s population swells with relatives traveling back for the festivities.
In addition to reenacting the Mexican victory, the participants depict the Legend of Agustin Lorenzo, a bandit from south-central Mexico who was said to steal from the rich to give to the poor, and the wedding of Calixto, the region’s first of an Indigenous person in a Catholic ceremony. The San Mateo Ozolco celebration is based on thefamed Carnaval Huejotzingo Puebla, known for its costumes, muskets, music, and dancers.