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3w ago

Mayor in Oaxaca Marries Crocodile in 230-Year-Old Rain-Seeking Ritual

Videographers captured a white-gowned caiman fitted with a safety nozzle in footage that has rapidly circulated online

Members of the community of San Pedro Huamelula walk in a procession before the symbolic marriage of a female caiman named "princess girl" Miguelana Estela del Mar Zavaleta Ramirez, a reptile that closely resembles an alligator, to San Pedro Huamelula mayor Daniel Gutierrez Pena in a ritual rooted in more than 230 years of tradition and union joins two of Oaxaca state's indigenous cultures, the Chontal and the Huave, to plead for nature's bounty, in San Pedro Huamelula, Mexico, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
A woman caught in a fishing net during a symbolic marriage ritual of a female caiman named "princess girl" Miguelana Estela del Mar Zavaleta Ramirez, a reptile that closely resembles an alligator, and San Pedro Huamelula mayor Daniel Gutierrez Pena, which is rooted in more than 230 years of tradition and joins two of Oaxaca state's indigenous cultures, the Chontal and the Huave, to plead for nature's bounty, in San Pedro Huamelula, Mexico, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
Yareli Avendano, "godmother" to a female caiman named "princess girl" Miguelana Estela del Mar Zavaleta Ramirez, a reptile that closely resembles an alligator, dresses the reptile in a wedding dress before a symoblic marriage between the reptile and San Pedro Huamelula mayor Daniel Gutierrez Pena, which is rooted in more than 230 years of tradition and joins two of Oaxaca state's indigenous cultures, the Chontal and the Huave, to plead for nature's bounty, in San Pedro Huamelula, Mexico, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
A member of the community of San Pedro Huamelula walks in a procession to present a female caiman named "princess girl" Miguelana Estela del Mar Zavaleta Ramirez, a reptile that closely resembles an alligator, to San Pedro Huamelula mayor Daniel Gutierrez Pena for a symbolic marriage rooted in more than 230 years of tradition and joins two of Oaxaca state's indigenous cultures, the Chontal and the Huave, to plead for nature's bounty, in San Pedro Huamelula, Mexico, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

Overview

  • The ceremony took place on July 3 in San Pedro Huamelula during the town’s annual patron saint festival.
  • The symbolic wedding draws on an 18th-century legend uniting Chontal and Huave lineages to pray for rain, harvest and abundant fish.
  • Participants dressed the female caiman in a traditional white bridal gown and the mayor sealed the rite with a kiss and first dance.
  • Organizers introduced a custom safety nozzle fitted to the crocodile’s snout to protect both the animal and ceremony participants.
  • Footage of the event went viral, bringing global attention to the continuity and contemporary resonance of this Indigenous custom.