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BUENA VIDA

escape

seaside CARNAVAL
Mazatlan’s gleaming coasts create the ideal backdrop or this Mexican city’s picture-perfect party

By MIKE KARANICOLAS

For most people, the idea of a Latin American carnaval brings to mind images of raucous parties and debauchery. But if you’re looking for the culture and splendor of a traditional carnaval without the sex and sin of Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans, consider Mazatlan. This Mexican city boasts the largest Fat Tuesday celebrations in the Spanish-speaking world.
And while their fiesta has all the pomp and pageantry of Rio, it’s in an environment that is suitable for all ages.

Mazatlan’s squeaky-clean fiesta dates back to a decision by the city’s leaders in 1898 to remove the “immoral” aspects of their carnaval. Chief among the customs they decided to discontinue was a massive annual street-fight in which the city’s dockworkers challenged the market traders to a series of running brawls. They also had the idea of introducing confetti to replace the flour-bombs and rotten eggs that revelers had previously thrown at the carnaval floats. Needless to say, this decision was especially popular among the parade’s participants.

The carnaval officially begins with the Juegos florales (flower games), which this year take place on February 20, the Friday before Fat Tuesday. Held in Mazatlan’s baseball stadium, this popular event includes literary and poetry prizes for the best works from across Mexico. The theme of this year’s show is Latin Blood, which features music and dance shows in the run up to the main event: the crowning of the Flower Queen.

Unfortunately this floral highness only gets a brief moment in the spotlight, since the very next day marks the coronation of the queen of the carnaval, a far more prestigious honor. The carnaval queen presides over the week’s festivities, and gets to sit in the place of honor in the main parade. Competition for this post isfierce, and campaigning usually goes on for several months, with Mazatlan’s loveliest battling it out over just who is the fairest of them all. The queen also has a male counterpart, who’s known as both El rey feo (The Ugly King) and El rey de alegria (The King of Joy). We’ll let you guess which title he prefers.

After the queen has been crowned, the crowd troops over to the waterfront for another great annual tradition: the ship-to-shore fireworks show. This massive pyrotechnics display features dueling batteries. One of them is on land, while the other is decked out like a warship and floating about 100 yards offshore. It’s meant to reenact the city’s 1864 victory over the invading French navy, which just goes to show you that no matter where you’re from or what language you speak, everybody enjoys a French defeat.

After the fireworks, the evening is capped off by Quema de mal humor (The Burning of the Bad Humor.) Nobody’s quite sure how this tradition got started, but it seems to have grown out of 19th century protests against corrupt politicians. Every year during carnaval an unpopular figure is burned in effigy. It’s all in good fun, and in recent years the organizers have shied away from controversial subjects. Still, it’s a great display of the carnaval’s populist philosophy—a fiesta for everyone. The burning of the effigy is meant to cleanse the city of its sins and purify it for the coming Lenten season.

Sunday evening marks the first and the largest of the city’s main parades along the Malecon, Mazatlan’s postcard-perfect beachside promenade. Expect to see Riostyle floats, Venetian masks and plenty of music and dancing in Sinaloa’s distinct tambora style. The festivities continue into the wee hours, and ladies might want to keep an eye on their husbands after midnight, since Monday marks El día del marido oprimido (The Day of the Oppressed Husband). On this day, all married men are given 231⁄2 hours of complete freedom.

There’s a second parade on Tuesday, after which the carnaval begins to wind down. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and the pious will want to spend more time in church and less time partying. If you’ve got a few more days, there are plenty of activities in Mazatlan to keep you occupied. The city’s main square and cathedral are definitely worth checking out, and there are several excellent beaches within easy range if you’re looking to catch some sun.

Visitors who want to visit Mazatlan during the carnaval would be advised to book well ahead. While it’s possible to find accommodations at the last minute,the best hotels generally book up months in advance. Hotels situated on the Malecon or Avenida del Mar fill up the fastest, since these offer a perfect view of the famous parade. Bear in mind, however, that these oceanside rooms will inevitably be noisy, and that the partying often goes on until quite late. If you value your sleep or you’re traveling with young children, consider somewhere a little more removed from the action.