‘Tiger men’ return to streets of Mexico’s Guerro after pandemic

By Francisca Meza

Chilpancingo, Mexico, Aug 15 (EFE).- Thousands of “tiger men” and “jaguar men” flooded the streets of Chilapa, in Mexico’s Guerrero state, on Monday as part of a tradition spanning more than three decades and which was suspended for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The traditional Tigrada is part of the religious syncretism of the residents of the municipality, combining the Catholic celebration of the Virgin of La Asunción and requests and gratitude for the rains.

In addition to dancing and wearing traditional costumes, as part of the tradition, the tigers catch people, mainly children, who playfully fight them.

People dressed as dogs and women dressed in Yucatecan costumes – a long skirt and a sash – also join the parades.

The tiger men and jaguar men drank mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from agave in the region, as they said it helped them withstand the load of the artisanal masks that weigh about 15 kilograms.

Thousands of people poured into the streets of the city to witness the parades and celebrate the reactivation of the local economy generated by the event, which has involved different activities since the beginning of the month.

“We also have to be thankful for the reactivation of sales because the suspension of events did affect us,” Leticia Silva, a food vendor in Chilapa, told EFE.

According to the mayor’s office, the event included 27 municipalities with their representative dances, mainly from four of the seven regions that make up the state.

Customs in the region have survived the violence that has been prevalent since 2015.

The municipal president, Aldy Esteban Román, said that this year the Coordination for the Construction of Peace was asked to reinforce security in order to guarantee it between the municipal, state and federal governments. EFE

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