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A Martes de Carnaval Celebration at Warner-Carrillo Ranch House
By Kathryn Fletcher
March/April 2024
Fat Tuesday, or martes de carnaval as it's known in Spanish, is a time of feasting and indulgence before Lent, the period of fasting and solemn reflection that Christians observe leading up to Easter. It’s better known as Mardi Gras among the French and their American descendants in New Orleans and elsewhere.
But it was the Spanish who brought this tradition to the Americas centuries ago. The first martes de carnaval parade in this country was held in Mobile, Alabama in 1857, the same year the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House was built.
The Catholic Carrillo family likely observed the holiday with family and friends by feasting on orejas, or pastries, and cake, and enjoying music and dancing after attending mass at the nearby Saint Francis Chapel, built in 1830.
In recognition of this celebration and shared 1857 origins, the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House Museum hosted martes de carnaval on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. SOHO invited residents of Borrego Springs, Warner Springs, and other local communities to this weekday event. In addition to Tuesday being the intended carnaval day, we preferred gathering on a weekday because the backcountry’s heavy RV and off-road vehicle traffic on weekends keeps many people from visiting the museum. We hope to open the ranch house more often during the week and to encourage more people, families, and groups to visit then.
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