On Sunday, June 15, at 11:30 am the Locos (Crazy
People) departed from the center of San Miguel de Allende , monsters, clowns,
men dressed as grotesque women, Mexican politicians and popular entertainers
are among the varied and original costumes that could be seen, accompanied by colorfully decorated floats.
This carnival, celebrated the Sunday after San Antonio’s day on June 13, was originally an
act of faith and devotion that began in the nineteenth century, when orchard
workers danced to give thanks and ask San Pascual Bailón for a prosperous year.
This Fransciscan saint, who is celebrated on May 17, was in charge of the
kitchen and the orchards of his monastery. Today, some of the Locos participate
in the parade not only for fun, but also to show their great devotion to San
Pascual Bailón.
During colonial times, San Miguel was surrounded by
large orchards, from north to east lay the Sautto family orchard, which was
irrigated with water from Presa del Obraje. To the west lay the orchards of the
neighborhood of San Juan de Dios. They were all irrigated with natural springs
and the water was carried through channels all around the city. The Franciscan
friars at the Tercera Orden (Third Order) monastery, next to San Francisco
church, held a celebration outside the church for the orchard workers to honor
San Pascual Bailón on his day. In the afternoon, the friars went to the
orchards to bless the crops. The Spanish landowners let their workers eat all
they wanted from the orchard that day. The Locos parade derives from the
orchard workers’ dance on San Pascual Bailón’s day. As onlookers increasingly
crowded the dancers, some of the older celebrants began to disguise themselves
as scarecrows to keep the crowd at a distance so the children would have room
to dance. They also brought small wild animals such as raccoons, skunks or
possums to scare the crowd away. The people began to call them “locos” the name
is still the same today.
During the nineteenth century, the Locos began to
dress not only as scarecrows but also as clowns with colorful costumes and
cardboard masks. The orchard laborers were divided into workgroups called
cuadrillas, and each cuadrilla performed its own dance. This is how the current
groups, called cuadros, began; the groups take San Pascual Bailón as their
patron.
The modern Locos parade actually condenses several
celebrations into one event: San Pascual Bailón’s day on May 17, Corpus
Christi, and San Antonio’s day on June 1. the Locos although crazy, are well
organized into four groups: Cuadro del Parque, Cuadro Antiguo, Cuadro Nuevo and
Cuadro del Tecolote. Each cuadro is subdivided into several smaller groups.
Colorful costumes, music, dance and candy are the main ingredients of this
unique carnival.