'We Share Love': The Reason Behind a Mexican Mayor's Marriage to an Alligator

The mayor of San Pedro Huamelula in Mexico, Victor Hugo Sosa, recently participated in an unusual union, marrying a reptile named Alicia Adriana as part of an ancestral ritual aimed at bringing prosperity to his community, reports AFP. San Pedro Huamelula is a town predominantly inhabited by the Indigenous Chontal people.

Mexican Mayor Marries An Alligator

Local tradition refers to the reptile as "the princess girl." This unique form of matrimony, spanning 230 years, commemorates the day when two Indigenous groups established peace through a symbolic marriage. According to the custom, a Chontal king, now represented by the mayor, wed a princess girl from the Huave Indigenous group, symbolized by the caiman.

The union is believed to establish a connection with the earth's emblem, seeking blessings from the all-powerful for essential elements like rain, seed germination, and overall peace and harmony for the Chontal community, explains Jaime Zarate, a chronicler of San Pedro Huamelula.

Before the ceremony, AFP notes that the reptile is paraded from house to house, adorned with a ribboned headdress, allowing residents to hold her and partake in a dance. Her snout is securely bound. Subsequently, she is dressed in a white bridal costume and transported to the town hall for the unique ceremonial event.

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