"La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros" - part 1, parade

Thursday morning: up early to find parking around the rodeo grounds. Dark blue skies and lots of people on the roads. The Fiesta is a holiday in Tucson and kids don't go to school. As the name indicates, it's a mostly mexican celebration, very colorful, vivid and unique. The Parade goes back to 1925 and it is known as the largest Non-Motorized Parade in the country. 

The little cowboy, above, is watching closely, and, will certainly get some food from one of the vendors along the streets. On the pic sacks with pork rind and cotton candy.

Below a few of the decorated carriages and wagons:

Wagon of the local Tohono O'odham tribe

The parade came up with the rodeo. When in 1924 the President of  the Arizona Polo Association gathered a group of local business men, this was the inspiration and moving force for the Tucson Rodeo and Tucson Rodeo Parade, taking place for the first time in 1925. It was called "La Fiesta de los Vaqueros". Political Leaders, police, rangers, military, associations, clubs, indian tribes and other groups, companies and restaurants and other businesses, sports teams, riders, dance groups and highschool marching bands take part, some walking, some horseback, some in horse-drawn coaches and non-motorized paradebuggies. 

Fancy outfitted riders:

 The present parade consists of 200 entries, on a 2.5 mi. long route in the Southside District of Tucson (a mexican neighborhood) and the streets are lined with visitors, in campers, pick-ups and with camping chairs. There are food vendors and toy vendors and there are grandstands (which we enjoyed) to watch the parade sitting and with explanations from a commentator. It took two hours, starting at 9 and ending around 11 am. 

On the left one of the many "beauty queens" in the parade, below mexican dance and music groups:

One of many highschool marching bands

One of Tucson's neighborhoods

Buffalo Soldier horseback