Among all the local festivities tied into September’s celebration of Mexican Independence, none quite equal Ajijic’s Regata de Globos, the dazzling exhibition of hot-air balloons hand-crafted from rainbow-hued tissue paper, to be held Saturday, September 10 at the Cruz Azul soccer field.
The amazing aeronautic spectacle is put on by a dozen local flying teams affiliated with the Comité Regata de Globos Ajijic.
Over recent weeks, each team of globeros has advanced in the process of designing, cutting and gluing together sections of delicate tissue paper that will be joined to form balloons in myriad sizes, shapes and figures. The elaboration of airworthy globos requires specialized techniques along with imaginative artistry.
The Regata customarily takes place on the Saturday before Independence Day. Barring rain and unfavorable wind conditions, the artisans and their support crews begin setting up at around 3 p.m. for blazing action that continues for an hour or more after sundown. Scores of villagers and visitors marvel as the fragile flying contraptions are inflated and set afloat.
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