Carnival

We took a ride Tuesday to take some pictures of the monigotes on the Malecon for carnival. 
I had taken a few pictures a couple of days ago. And just wanted to get the rest of the figures before posting. Some were taken with the morning sun on them and some taken with the sun behind them. All were taken from a moving car. So most had to have some "doctoring." Will try to get better pictures as I can.
So a little about Mazatlan's Carnival. 
Carnival is basically the same as Mardi Gras.  It is a huge party in Mazatlán.  The Carnival in Mazatlán is reported to be the 3rd largest in the world after Rio De Janeiro and New Orleans.  There are 2 big parades down the  Malecon, big shows at the baseball stadium, and a big party at Olas Atas. 
A few weeks before Carnival starts, giant multi-colored carnival figurines (called Monigotes, i.e. puppets) go up around town on the Malecon. These figurines are based on the theme of the current year's carnival. 

The theme was announced on November 23rd and it is - 

Equinox. The rebirth of the senses. 

No. I don't understand the significant of the figurines either. Almost missed her. Had to take it as we passed it.

This one I didn't manage to get the camera focused in time. Taking it right into the sun. 
Got a few pictures of him from different angles and time of day.

Again no idea how he figures into the theme.

Wish I could get a good picture of her, she is kind of pretty - or colorful.

Got several shots of him. Different times and different angles.  Does that look like a giant cookie to you? It must mean something 'caused it looks a lot like the gold one the other guy is in front of. 

At least this one I know what it is. A Scarecrow. From the Wizard of Oz? Usually there is some kind of title on the base of the figure.

In this shot you can see how big they are. I didn't notice the guy there when I took it. 

This is rather pretty. Lots of color to it.  A rebirth - from a caterpillar to a butterfly maybe.  

Her I couldn't see the colors when I took the photo, but it turned out kind of nice. 

And this one there was no way to get a clear shot of it unless we stopped in traffic. Maybe another day. Looks like there maybe a little history here. 

There have been several comments on line and in the papers about this years "puppets". Mostly unflattering comments. Read some here. 

In one article the mayor says they are fine, then after a lot of complaints he agrees they are terrible. Read that here. 

Here are some of the great ones from last year. At least they were colorful and fun. This page is worth looking at - to compare with this years.