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was an event held annually in the town of Citilcum, located in the municipality of
Izamal Izamal () is a small city in the Mexican Yucatán (state), state of Yucatán, east of state capital Mérida, Yucatán, Mérida, in southern Mexico. Izamal was continuously occupied throughout most of Mesoamerican chronology; in 2000, the city' ...
, within the state of
Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...
,
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. In it, piñatas stuffed with live animals were broken and ducks were hung from a wooden structure to later behead them. Since 2016, as a result of the efforts of
Humane Society International Humane World for Animals, formerly called Humane Society International (HSI) was founded in 1991 as the international division of The Humane Society of the United States. HSI expanded the HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Afr ...
Mexico and local organizations, the event no longer has this type of practices, instead featuring various sports and cultural activities.


History

The origin or meaning of this tradition is unknown. According to an interview conducted by
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
magazine, one of the oldest inhabitants of the town declared: "We do not know the origin of the tradition. I learned it from my parents and my parents from their parents." Previously, it was held around a large tree located in the center of the town, but when it was knocked down in 2002 by
Hurricane Isidore Hurricane Isidore was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused widespread flooding and heavy damage across Mexico, Cuba, and the United States in September 2002. The ninth named storm and the second hurricane in the 2002 Atlantic hurricane season ...
, the event was moved to a nearby park.


Celebration

Days before the celebration date, a gallows would be set up in a park next to the municipal police station. The night before the celebration, the local children would gather various animals, including iguanas and opossums, generically called . The day of the event would begin by smashing piñatas, which would be filled with the creatures captured the day before. Most die from blows or from being thrown to the ground, and those who survive would later be crushed. Several ducks would then tied to the gallows by their legs, and a contest would begin. Participants would need to jump to grab one of the birds by the head or neck; whoever could pull it off would win the creature's body as a reward.


See also

* Animal cruelty in Mexico


References

Animal rights Animal sacrifice Cruelty to animals Ducks Maya peoples of Mexico Culture of Mexico {{Mexico-culture-stub