Mexican Mayor Brags About Purchasing 24,000 Beers for Religious Festival

A mayor in the central Mexican state of Morelos sparked controversy after he bragged about purchasing 24,000 beers for the town’s week-long religious festival.

“So that no one is left without a refreshment,” said Mayor Noe Reynoso Nava during a video shared on social media, inviting everyone to the festival set to begin later this month. “You see that with the heat, everyone gets a little thirsty.”

The video was initially shared by the politician, inviting people in Morelos to the festival in the town of Amacuzac, Morelos. In the video, as the local politician is talking, people are seen in the background loading cases of beer into the local political party’s office, where the 1,000 cases would be stored until the celebration.

Festivals, known as fiestas patronales, are week-long celebrations in Central Mexico that honor the town’s saint or main religious figure. In the case of Amacuzac, the celebration centers on the Virgin of Guadalupe.

For the celebration, Reynoso stated that the week-long celebration would include horseback trail rides, dances, live music, and food and beverages for everyone. According to local news outlets, for the celebration, the city had purchased 10 cows and 10 pigs to be slaughtered and distributed free food for everyone.

The video shared by the local politician sparked controversy in Central Mexico over the alleged use of city funds to purchase beer and other alcoholic beverages. Political opponents have requested transparency measures from the local city hall.