VIVA LA FIESTA!!!!

I was too exhausted last night to post about the burning of Zozobra, but I've got to say it was one of the best burnings I've ever seen. The fireworks easily were the most impressive I've ever seen, plus the pageantry just keeps getting better and better. (I was told that my buddy Al Faaet was one of the drummers during the burning. I thought I saw Al up there, but it was pretty far away ..)

A little personal perspective: I've only missed two Zozobra burnings since moving to Santa Fe in 1968. Once in 1973 when my college friends and I got too drunk and arrived late, and in 2003 when I had to cover a presidential debate in Albuquerque.


I first saw Zozobra as a toddler back in the '50s, back when people used to drive their cars into Fort Marcy Ballpark. It scared the living crap out of me, but I was fascinated at the fiery, moaning monster.

Here's a picture of my daughter Molly and me at the 1981 Zozobra. She was about 7 months old at the time. (Unfortunately no such pictures of my son Anton exist. By the time he was born, i'd gotten out of the habit of taking a camera to Zozobra.)

Looking forward to lunch on the Plaza. Pig Boy Willy is gone (no, Coventry, I'm not talking about the governor) but those fajitas from San Antonio make me happy.

Viva la Fiesta!

Here's The New Mexican's account of Zozobra.

And here's some funny old New Mexican coverage, going back to the '30s. (I wish I could write stories that had "Wild Eyed Monster" in the headline ...)

UPDATE (Friday afternoon): This is horrible! El Rey de Los Fajitas, the food booth from San Antonio that is home to the "Texas Tornadoe" (sic) chicken and beef fajita, is not on the Plaza this year! Known for the colorful fighting roosters painte on the booth, maybe all the anti-cockfighting activity here scared them off. Fiesta has lost both Pig Boy Willy and El Rey. What a revoltin' development ...