As part of Fundacion Tropicalia’s ​​Sociocultural Advocacy program area, members of the foundation accompanied the community in its celebration of one of the most picturesque and colorful festivals, the traditional Carnival of Miches. This celebration originates from the popular traditions of the municipality, dating back to 1908, according to the chronicles of the historian Ceferino Moní, in his book "History and Traditions of Miches".

Moní points out that the Miches costumes have preserved a tradition common to Carnival, where both children and adults march in the parade wearing their folkloric costumes. "The diablos cojuelo are luxurious, colorful costumes made with washers placed under the arms, and constructed using a series of masks with many horns that represent the devil" explains Moní in the section on costumes, when discussing Miches folklore. 

This year the Fundación Tropicalia team supported parade participants from the Borinquen, La Javilla and El Asfalto neighborhoods, assisting in the construction of the costumes they used in the 2019 Miches Carnival; we also supported the school carnival hosted at the educational centers of La Gina, Los Mameyes, La Mina and El Cedro. 

Masks are made from papier mache, using recycled materials. The glue used to adhere the decorative elements onto the masks is made of flour and water. Newspaper is used for the preparation of the molds and then painted in bright colors for the final finishing touches. 

The Toucans and the Kings were two of the parade groups supported by Fundación Tropicalia, which were winners during the parade processional organized by the Municipality of Miches. For Fundación Tropicalia, supporting the cultural expressions of the carnival in the municipality is our way of contributing to the protection and strengthening of the Michense culture.