The mayor of a small town in Mexico married his alligator bride in a colourful ceremony, as traditional music rang out and revellers danced. They shouted for the mayor to seal the marriage with a kiss.
The mayor, Victor Hugo Sosa, did so more than once during the wedding, bending down to plant a kiss on the small alligator's snout. Luckily it had been tied shut to stop it biting.
The marriage ritual dates back centuries. It is like a prayer asking for nature's bounty.
"We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river," says Sosa, mayor of the fishing village on the steamy coast of Oaxaca state.
Oaxaca, located in Mexico's south, is rich in ancient cultures. It is home to many groups that have kept their languages and traditions.
The age-old ritual in Oaxaca involves dressing the alligator in a white wedding dress with other colourful garments.
The seven-year-old reptile is believed to be a goddess representing mother earth, and her marriage to the mayor symbolises the joining of heaven and earth.
As trumpets blared and drums made a festive beat, people carried the alligator in their arms through the village streets. Men fanned it with their hats.
"It gives me so much happiness and makes me proud of my roots," says Elia Edith Aguilar, who organised the wedding.
She says she feels privileged to be entrusted with carrying out the ceremony.
"It's a very beautiful tradition," she says with a smile.
