Participants (on stilts) about to embark on the parade route in Oaxaca, Mexico

There are several places to go in the Oaxaca area for comparsas and they take place over four days days, from October 30th to November 2nd. The two largest that I saw took place in Oaxaca City, starting near the city center and ending in the cemetery. One was for small children held on October 30th. Another was much larger and elaborate, and the participants were older children and adults. It was held on November 1st.

Many of the costumes in the childrens' comparsas were store-bought, but there were also quite a few impressive costumes that were hand-made.

The most popular costumes were the devils, skeletons, vampires, and witches.

After seeing the child on the right, my friend turned to me and said to me, "Jeff! Look! It's a KKK'er!" It turned out to be a ghost but we had a good laugh about it.

After the comparsa, people go to the cemetery or hang out in the town square, drinking hot chocolate or coffee at local cafes or eating snacks from local vendors.

The parade on November 1st was much more embullient with more participants, more spectators, more elaborate costumes, and much louder music. The procession was led by a group of older teenagers who were on stilts!
	A group of young people put the finishing touches on their costumes, preparing for the big comparsa

The stiltwalkers waddling around the cathedtral square, trying to get their bearings. Ray and I watched them, just waiting for one to fall, but no one did! We were impressed.