There’s nothing that conjures up the sweet ache of romantic love like industrial-scale efficiency.
Saturday, June 10, hundreds of couples of various ages (and in the case of one gay couple pair, sexual preference) gathered together in the Gimnasio 68, a large gymnasium in eastern Guadalajara, to be bound in eternal matrimony in a ceremony presided over by Guadalajara Mayor Enrique Alfaro.
Among those who chose to bless their partnerships with official recognition from both church and state were Maria and Atilano Guadalupe, who met in 1966. At that time, Atilano had recently exited from his first marriage and wasn’t in any hurry to get remarried. Clearly.
“We’ve always been happy together, and we still love each other very much. So we decided to finally tie the knot,” said Maria.
Every year, Guadalajara’s city hall, vis-à-vis its Department of Civil Registry, conducts these matrimonios colectivos, in part to expedite the complicated process of marriage for the purpose of unblocking Guadalajara’s already stressed bureaucratic circuitry.
The mayor, in his address to the crowd of lovebirds, waxed lofty and optimistic.
“Today, you’ve taken on a life commitment, as well as a commitment to help build in the city of Guadalajara a better society through the families that as of now you’ve formed. May your love and loyalty strengthen the ties that bind you together and create families that will propel our tapatio society forward,” said Alfaro.
