Once a year in Zitlala, Guerrero, costumed jaguars do battle to petition the gods for rain

Once a year in Zitlala, Guerrero, costumed jaguars do battle to petition the gods for rain

Across Mexico, you can still find annual traditional rituals to ensure that crops will have rain. One of the most famous of these rituals takes place in Zitlala, a small community in the southern state of Guerrero, where residents annually perform a centuries-old ceremonial battle in jaguar costumes in exchange for rain. Called either Pelea de Tigres or Pelea de Jaguares (Fight of the Tigers or Fight of the Jaguars), the ritual is believed to be…