User:Thelmadatter/La Flor más Bella del Ejido

La Flor más Bella del Ejido is a beauty pageant held annually since 1936 in Xochimilco, Mexico City. The contest was created by order of Mexican president Lazaro Cardenas. The winner of the event becomes the cultural ambassador of Xochimilco for that year.

History
The origin of the celebration is an overlaying of a pre-Hispanic ritual and a liturgical rite. When Tlahuicatl or Atlahuicatl, third lord of Xochimilcas, governed, a festival dedicated to Xochiquetzal, goddess of beauty and land fruitfulness, was established A young woman from every calpulli (neighborhood) was chosen to offer flowers and other offering to Xochiquetzal. Initially this celebration was near Tenochtitlan. At the end of the 16th century the celebration changed its location to Alameda Central. In the 17th and 18th centuries during colonial era, a new celebration began to be celebrated at the same season as the Xochiquetzal ritual. This commemorates the sorrow suffered by Virgin Mary during The passion of the Christ (Viernes de Dolores). At the beginning of the 18th century, the celebration was moved to Canal de la Viga. In 1785, Count of Gálvez decided that the Viernes de Dolores would be celebrated at the Canal de Santa Anita. In 1972, the location was changed to the Bucareli neighborhood. Two years later the celebration returned to Santa Anita.

In 1897, Porfirio Díaz changed the name to Spring Friday, although the tradition continued the same at the Canal de Santa Anita. At the beginning of 20th century, the celebration incorporated the election of a beauty queen, charreada, and canoes decorated with flowers. In 1921, to celebrate a century of Mexican independence, the newspaper El Universal organized a beauty contest called “La India Bonita”. Two years later, in 1923, due to the visit of Mexican president Alvaro Obregon the contest was organized by the city hall of Mexico city. In 1936, President Lazaro Cardenas, with the purpose of recognizing the beauty of Mexican indigenous peoples, created the beauty pageant La Flor más Bella del Ejido. In 1955, the contest changed its location to Xochimilco where it has been carried out since then.

Contestants
Contestants range from seventeen to twenty three years of age, they have to be single and without children, and from boroughs like Alvaro Obregon, Azcapotzalco, Coyoacan, Cuajimalpa, Magdalena Contreras, Milpa Alpa, Gustavo A. Madero, Iztapalapa, Iztacalco, Tlahuac, Tlalpan y Xochimilco. The winner of the contest becomes the cultural ambassador of Xochimilco for that year and obtains a monetary award. The ambassadors have the mission of promoting the heritage of Xochimilco, such as the customs, traditions, history and architecture.

Categories
The main contest has a children's version called La florecita de la Chinampa where girls from six to ten years old participate. Another children's category is El Capullo de Primavera where girls from five to ten years old participate. In contrast, there is a senior version of the contest called La flor más Bella Adulta Mayor where women up to sixty years participate. As part of the activities, it celebrates the competition of acalli, a canoe race. The canoe-float contest is celebrated as well, where "trajineras" canoe-floats are decorated.