Thursday, October 23, 2025

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 

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