Mexico Enero – 7

The vibrancy of a city can be measured in its serendipity – how often you come across the unexpected, something that grabs your attention, a surprise.  Whether a person, place or thing.

Big colourful things.

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These big colourful things are alebrijes –  brightly coloured chimera-like creatures, made of a hard kind of papier-mache  – credited to artisan Pedro Linares.  And every October there is the Mexico City Alebrije Parade, an annual event to honor Mexican folk art, begun in 2007 by the Museo de Arte Popular (MAP). The giant creatures are accompanied by musicians, clowns, people in costume, paraded down the major streets of central Mexico City and then mounted along the median of Av Alvaro Obregon, where visitors have the opportunity to choose the winner.

A great use of the median, turning it into an outdoor art gallery many blocks long.

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This year’s parade:

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So imagine a Vancouver version of this, with the alebrijes inserted throughout, say, the Gay Parade Parade.   Boggling.

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UPDATE: Andrew Godon, when he was travelling through Mexico, also came across the alebrijes.  In his blog, Wanderings, you can find a more comprehensive survey of the display here – along with other portraits of the city and its people.