One of the most important religious festivals in the state of Zacatecas was suspended on Sunday after a brawl broke out among a few of the nearly 30,000 participants.
Approximately 150,000 people were on hand for the conclusion of the four-day event known as Las Morismas de Bracho (The Moors of Bracho) when a fight between two participating youths escalated, threatening to turn the reenactment into a melee.
Federal, state and municipal authorities were on the scene quickly to prevent further escalation, including members of the National Guard.
In consultation with state and local Civil Protection agents, organizers then suspended the remainder of the festival. Four people were reported injured — though none seriously — and one person was arrested.
Celebrated since 1824, Las Morismas de Bracho combines oral tradition, street theater and folklore to re-enact the medieval battles between Muslims and Christians known as the Crusades, although the festival is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.
According to the news outlet Imagen Zacatecas, two youths who had been fighting earlier in the day came to blows just as the performance was about to culminate. The two allegedly intoxicated antagonists then started swinging their prop shotguns, and bottles and rocks were thrown as a few other participants joined in.
The quick reaction of the authorities and more level-headed participants prevented a battle royal from erupting.
The festival takes place in Lomas de Bracho, a town just northeast of the city of Zacatecas, the state capital.
This year’s 200th-anniversary event began with religious ceremonies on Thursday (Aug. 28 is the day commemorating the beheading of John the Baptist).
Thousands of participants dress in costumes that range from Roman centurions to members of the French army that invaded Mexico in the 1860s for three days of battle reenactments, representing the Crusades as well as the Battle of Lepanto.
The day before the unfortunate fracas, Zacatecas Governor David Monreal celebrated the 200th anniversary of the event in a Facebook post, calling Las Morismas de Bracho one of the state’s most important traditions.
“The symbolism and fantastic attendance makes this tribute to St. John the Baptist a fundamental part of our culture and history,” he wrote.
With reports from Imagen Zacatecas, Los Angeles Times and El Sol de Zacatecas
