Tuxpan, Mexico fiesta

The foreign Students studying Spanish at Tec de Monterrey took a field trip today to a town called Tuxpan, about 1.5 hours from Guadalajara. They love fiestas in this town and this special day was San Sabastian day. Sabastian was a Christian martr in the 3rd century under Roman emperor Diocletian (Laura and I went to D's old palace in Croatia).  This festival though seems quite pagan and I never quite figured out what was going on. The masks though represented Spaniards coming to bring Christianity I'm guessing.

The festival involves lots of dancing, costumes, music and free food and drink.  Many different groups of dancers fan out throughout the town so that the whole town is celebrating at once.

Osama Bin Laden making an appearance...

One of many processionals coming out of the church

This is San Sebastian...he was shot with arrows and left for dead. He survived and kept was eventually clubbed to death.

One of many icons or idols that they paraded around town

These are more San Sabastian statues. They did know he was a man, right?

Bin Laden is back for another round

I'm on the right wearing a traditional mask. My USC classmate Micah is in the middle.

USC classmate Tom Graham

I'm with one of my Spanish teachers here. We are eating grilled corn on the cob. They put lime and chillies on it and its delicious

Tacos in a bag!

This guy was eating too much McDonalds

Giving out free "Ponche de Granada" which is an alcoholic pomegranate punch.

very hospitable people. They bought everyone free food

bringing out the soup...

I bought some sugar cane chunks. You chew on them and eat the sugar juice then spit out the husks.

The square is cleaned and ready for the next fiesta.