🐉Mexico City: When to see the alebrijes displayed on Reforma
Every year, Mexican artists compete to create fantastical creatures that Mexico City features in a parade and then showcases on one of the city's main streets.
Every year in October, Mexico City hosts an alebrijes parade. Alebrijes are large, colorful sculptures that can look like animals, people, insects, skulls, or creatures like dragons.
Some look happy or mischievous, and others seem scary or threatening. You may have seen them featured in the movie Coco.
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Alebrijes began after artist Pedro Linares became sick and had dreams where he saw them. When he woke up and recovered, he started making paper mache sculptures that represented them.
He called them alebrijes after the word he heard them saying in his dreams.
They became more popular over the years, though today, they are usually made out of wood instead of paper mache.
Now, artists from across Mexico create alebrijes and enter them into a contest. The winners become part of the parade.
After the parade, the alebrijes are displayed along Paseo de la Reforma between the Angel de la Independencia traffic circle and the Estela de Luz.
This year, you can see them there from October 18 to November 9. They’re intriguing and beautiful, and if you’re in Mexico City when they’re on display, we recommend seeing them.
The alebrijes aren’t part of the Day of the Dead celebration, but the timeframe overlaps.
The displays are free, and you can walk along Reforma anytime to take a look. We saw them last year, and it’s fun to see the art and feel the energy of the busy street.
Last year we went during the day on a Sunday. That’s when Reforma is closed to traffic in the mornings and early afternoons. Bicyclists, joggers, roller-bladers, walkers, and families with strollers get the road to themselves.
This year, you might want to go at night, between 7 and 11 pm, instead. That’s because along with the alebrijes, there’s an exhibit of light art on display on Paseo de la Reforma from the Angel de la Independencia to the entrance to Chapultepec Park from October 17 to 29.
We went after dinner this year, and the sidewalks were full of couples, families, and groups of friends looking at the alebrijes and the lights, plus vendors selling food, cotton candy, toys, and more.
To see all of the alebrijes and the lights, you’ll want to walk down one side of Reforma and back along the other. But if that’s too much, you can stick to one side. You’ll still see plenty.
If you go, let us know what you think in the comments!