Saturday, February 28, 2026

Got 1 min? Santa swaps his sleigh for the Mexico City metro

Christmas is still a few days away, but Santa Claus has already arrived in Mexico.

And on Wednesday, he eschewed his sleigh and took a ride on the Mexico City metro, stopping off along the way at the Chabacano, Pino Suárez and Hidalgo stations.

At each station, the metro said in a statement, “Father Christmas, as this magical character is also known, remained motionless in the form of a statue, and when passengers approached he asked them what their wish was this Christmas.”

“At that moment, Santa’s suit lit up as he raised his hand to the area of his heart, which upon being touched also glowed to show he would keep [the passengers] there for ever,” the statement continued.

“… Young and old, alone, in a couple or in groups, the metro passengers agreed that [seeing] Santa Iluminado [Illuminated Santa] was a pleasant surprise,” the metro said, adding that “Santa also received letters from those who decided to personally deliver them, hoping that once in his sleigh, the white-bearded man will give them a gift this Dec. 25.”

Apparently assuming that young children wouldn’t read the entire statement, the metro revealed in the third last paragraph that Santa was in fact José Miguel Moctezuma González, an “urban artist” who has performed as a “living statue” for the past 12 years.

He has previously appeared in the metro as “Don Ferro Ferrocarrilero,” an impersonation of an old-school railroad worker.

On Wednesday, a long beard, white gloves and spectacles – rather than a railroad lantern and a kerchief – were among the accessories Moctezuma used to depict his character of choice beneath the bustling streets of Mexico City.

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Just a few more sleeps and you might catch a glimpse of Santa yourself!

Mexico News Daily 

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
newspapers with El Mencho's face on the front page

Mexico’s week in review: The fall of El Mencho

0
Mexico's most wanted criminal is dead, his cartel is leaderless and the race to replace him has already begun — here's your guide to the week that changed Mexico's security landscape.
Mexican marines inspect a burned car in Puerto Vallarta

In the wake of another fallen cartel leader, 10 reasons why this time could be different: A perspective from our CEO

7
After the fall of a major cartel leader, conventional wisdom predicts more violence. Mexico News Daily's CEO makes the case for why this time could genuinely be different.
The Mexico City skyline with a skyscraper in the foreground

Mexico’s economic growth outlook improves as Banxico, OECD lift forecasts

0
Mexico's central bank and one of the world's leading economic organizations raised their 2026 GDP growth forecast to 1.6% and 1.4% respectively, offering cautious optimism after Mexico's sluggish 2025 performance
BETA Version - Powered by Perplexity