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Carnaval in Mazatlán has been celebrated since the city was founded in the 19th century, although the exact date is unknown. A local newspaper, La Lechuza, printed the first account of Carnaval festivities, and in 1864, a letter referred to “…the lavishness with which the fiestas of Carnaval are celebrated, even more brilliant than those of Merida…”
Other accounts describe a street party more raucous than refined women threw perfumed flour and glitter-filled eggshells, and men threw flour, ashes and dyes. Streets were filled with drunken debauchery that included market and dock workers facing off in “rowdy, rock-throwing street battles.”
The upper classes would celebrate this date with private parties, where they would show off fancy costumes they had worked on all year. Then, in 1898, a group of key people decided to civilize the celebration and organized for themselves a public committee, where they crowned the first King and celebrated with the first parade of floats. Headed by Dr. Martiniano Carvajal, the diverse committee included locals, a German, a Spaniard, an Irishman and an Italian. They declared they would “eradicate the immoral flour and replace it with the pure and more restrained confetti.”
In 1900, the first young lady was crowned ‘Queen of the Celebration.’ She was Winifred Farmer, a very beautiful American who lived in Mazatlán. This was the start of what has become one of our community’s oldest and most beloved traditions. Prior to this there had been Ugly Kings or Buffoons crowned. That same year the first costume ball was held in the Circulo Benito Juarez in the Plaza Machado.
The present-day Carnaval celebrations last six days, and always follow the same schedule. It starts on Thursday with the crowning of the King of Happiness, followed by the Friday of the Flower Games, where the first Queen, La Reina de los Juegos Florales, is crowned. In the 1930s another cultural aspect was added, with the inclusion of awards for literature and poetry - Mazatlán’s Literature Award, the Clemencia Isaura Poetry Award and the Antonio Lopez Sáenz Award for painting.
On Saturday, the Queen of Carnaval is crowned in the early evening in a spectacular and closely watched event held at the Angela Peralta Theater. That same evening, the symbolic Burning of Bad Humor, Quema Mal Humor, takes place in Olas Altas, followed by the Naval Combat, a fabulous pyrotechnical display that lights up the sea and the can be seen for miles. This is a symbolic reenactment of the heroic defense and subsequent victory of Mazatlán during the Invasion of France.
Sunday and Tuesday are parade days; the first day the procession goes north and Tuesday it goes in the other direction, ending in Olas Altas. These processions of gorgeous decorated floats, marching bands, costumed dance groups and live music delight the many children and adults that line the malecón in both directions. Families and groups of friends prepare for these events early in the day, bringing chairs, tables, food and drinks to their favorite spot on the malecón so as not to miss a thing. Vendors sell souvenirs, noisemakers and confetti, with small plastic crowns a popular item for girls (and women!) of all ages. On Monday (traditionally named “Day of the Oppressed Husband”) the Child Queen, Reina Infantil, is crowned.
Carnaval in Mazatlan is a party that has something for everyone; it’s family-friendly and the parades, entertainment and coronations are fun for the whole family.
The saying goes that in Mazatlán, time is measured by Carnavals and these are remembered by their Queens. In almost any local gathering, you can hear the murmur of this or that Carnaval, remembrances of the beauty and grace of a certain Queen or recollections of a popular song that was played one year. And now, there’s also the cultural side, as evidenced by the passion for all the arts feted during this celebration: music, dance, literature, poetry, painting, and of course, the beauty of life.
– Janet Blaser contributed to this story.
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