By Eugenio Amézquita Velasco
Translation: Metro News Mx
-The Celaya Museum inaugurates its first exhibition of 2026 on January 21st, dedicated to the monumental and festive mojigangas.
-The collection by Eric Soria Tirado brings together handcrafted pieces from Celaya, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca, and the State of Mexico.
-Rafael Soldara highlights the cultural value of these humorous figures that accompany popular festivals with brass bands.
-Eric Soria transformed his childhood fascination with cartonería (paper-mâché art) into an artistic career that now reaches the regional museum.
-The mojigangas, made of reed and cardboard, are icons of identity in traditional neighborhoods such as Tierras Negras.
-The exhibition seeks to showcase the work of folk creators and the relevance of cartonería in national heritage.
-The exhibition will remain open for two months, inviting the public to reflect on the importance of identity.
The Celaya Museum of Regional History kicks off its 2026 exhibition cycle with a show dedicated to mojigangas, monumental figures that embody the festive spirit of Mexican folklore. Curated from the collection of Eric Jecsan Soria Tirado, the exhibition will open next Wednesday, January 21st, at 5:00 PM, offering a journey through identity and the art of cartonería.
Rafael Soldara Luna, director of the museum, emphasized that these humorous and caricatured structures are not just decorative objects, but characters with souls that come to life in the traditional neighborhoods of Celaya, such as San Miguel and Tierras Negras. The show features pieces by Soria Tirado himself, as well as examples from Oaxaca, the State of Mexico, and San Miguel de Allende, highlighting the technical richness of using cardboard and reed.
For Eric Soria, this passion was born in his childhood among popular fairs and traditional toys. His technical training at the Casa del Diezmo, under the guidance of teachers Alicia and Rosita Lemus, as well as Teacher Tere, allowed him to transform a personal fascination into an artistic career that now seeks to preserve collective memory. Each piece in the room tells a unique story, reaffirming that the tradition of mojigangas remains alive in both religious festivities and current community celebrations.
Eric Jecsan Soria Tirado was born on January 15, 1991, in Celaya, Guanajuato. His approach to cartonería began in childhood, surrounded by the colors, music, and wonder of popular fairs. There, alongside his parents, he discovered cardboard toys—small horses and helmets—that sparked his curiosity and marked his first links with this artisanal universe.
Over time, that initial interest transformed into a deep fascination with mojigangas, strengthened through his travels to various places where this tradition lives on, such as Tarimoro, Celaya, Oaxaca, and San Miguel de Allende. In each visit, he found new forms, gestures, and meanings that broadened his perspective and nourished his imagination, becoming constant sources of inspiration for his work.
His training took a decisive turn upon entering the Casa del Diezmo, a space where he learned cartonería techniques from teachers Alicia and Rosita Lemus, as well as Teacher Tere. Under their guidance, Eric shaped his first mojigangas, created for the fifteenth birthday celebration of his younger sister, Celeste. That experience not only marked the beginning of his artistic path but also confirmed the festive, community-oriented, and emotional character of his work.
Since then, every mojiganga he creates is conceived as a unique character: it possesses its own story, personality, and wardrobe. His pieces dialogue with tradition, but also with the author's personal experience, reaffirming the validity of cartonería as a living expression of Mexican folklore.
This exhibition brings together a collection of mojigangas that represents a living manifestation of Mexican folklore and its artisanal tradition. The pieces presented here come from different contexts and territories: some were made by the collector himself, while others have been brought from regions where this cultural expression has a significant presence, such as San Miguel de Allende, the State of Mexico, and Celaya.
Mojigangas, with their large format and expressiveness, have historically accompanied popular celebrations, processions, and community festivities. In them, art, identity, and collective memory converge, reflecting both the popular imagination and the creativity of the artisans who craft them.
This show seeks to value artisanal work and the diversity of styles, techniques, and meanings that exist within the same tradition. By gathering pieces from different origins, the exhibition establishes a dialogue between the individual and the collective, the local and the regional, underlining the relevance of this cultural expression within Mexican cultural heritage.
Through this collection, the museum invites the public to recognize, appreciate, and reflect on the importance of preserving popular traditions as a fundamental part of our cultural identity.
The interview with Rafael Soldara Luna, Director of the Celaya Museum of Regional History
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Well, I have Rafita Soldara on the phone, a great friend and collaborator of Guanajuato Desconocido—though sometimes I let him down—but a great collaborator nonetheless. He is the director of the Celaya Museum of Regional History. Rafa, thank you. I hear you have an exhibition of mojigangas coming up. First, for the public—because we are going to do this article in English as well, Rafa, keep that in mind—we are going to promote it in the region and to friends abroad who love Celaya and our traditions. Could you define what this exhibition is about and then tell us exactly what a mojiganga is? Thank you.
Rafael Soldara Luna:
Yes, thank you very much, Eugenio, good morning. Well, yes, it is the first temporary exhibition we are having at the Celaya Museum of Regional History. We are going to inaugurate it next Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, at 5:00 PM. So, we invite people to stop by and join us for the opening. This exhibition will stay for about two months. And well, we call "Mojiganga" this format that represents festive, humorous, and sometimes caricatured figures of comic characters. They are part of the "divertimento" of popular or traditional festivals that have a very festive spirit and are always accompanied by a brass band.
Because these structures dance; people get inside them and they dance, giving a very curious and interesting sight. There are very old photographs; perhaps one of the most famous is one taken by Tina Modotti around 1945, if I remember correctly, at the San Juan de los Lagos festivities. But the truth is, it is an expression that even draws a lot from traditional cartonería and is not exclusive to the Bajío region or Celaya, as it has spread throughout almost the entire country, especially in the central territory. And well, this is also an opportunity to recognize the work of folk creators and, of course, the collector Eric Soria, who is originally from Tarimoro, Guanajuato. He wanted to learn this cartonería technique, and there are some works of his own authorship as well. So, we would be very glad to have people join us to learn a bit about the history of these pieces and highlight their cultural value.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Rafa, in your extensive experience and from one's own life living in different parts of the state of Guanajuato, specifically here in Celaya, as you have very well expressed, we have always seen that the presence of mojigangas in Celaya occurs mainly in the traditional neighborhoods—like Tierras Negras or San Miguel. It’s as if this is part of the popular "jolgorio" (revelry) where, as you accurately said, it’s part of the people's entertainment because—well, sometimes it’s not just one person inside; it’s like a Mexican-style mascot costume made of cardboard, and they pass it from one to another, helping each other because it’s always tiring, heavy, and hot to be inside one of those. But it truly becomes a game. People have fun because they share the experience. I think there’s something to that, right?
Rafael Soldara Luna:
Yes, Eugenio, and it also allows us to recognize the work of artisans who have dedicated themselves to working with reed, for example, not just cartonería. I remember those figures we know as "cabezudos" or "cabezones" (big-heads) which are also very characteristic of the state of Veracruz and are very festive representations. We must differentiate them from the "Judas" figures, which have a different concept and are used at a different time, such as Holy Saturday. Mojigangas are more linked to parties, to carnival, and even in our current era, they are associated more with private parties. We know of people who go to San Miguel de Allende to celebrate birthdays or weddings, and mojigangas are essential as part of that moment of sharing happiness and celebration with the community.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Well, I don’t know if there’s anything else, but I want to thank you, Rafa, for always keeping us updated on the activities of the Celaya Museum. This is the first one of 2026. As the salesmen say, "you start off on the right foot" with this one. And I thank you for your consistently accurate comments. You don’t ramble or invent things; you are always constructive and committed to the city. I want to thank you for being with us and I look forward to your collaboration in 2026 for Metro News and Guanajuato Desconocido. Anything else, Rafita?
Rafael Soldara Luna:
No, Eugenio, thank you very much in advance. I just want to reiterate my gratitude to Metro News for always opening its doors to spread the word about the activities we hold at the museum. I also invite the public to stay tuned because we will continue to hold very interesting exhibitions throughout the year, where they will have the opportunity to participate. We will have open calls for people to bring us their contributions, objects, photographs, etc. Thank you very much, Eugenio, a big hug.
Eugenio Amézquita Velasco:
Thank you. The opportunity is actually given to us by you, by being able to count on your knowledge and sharing it with the people. I thank you, Rafa. I am Eugenio Amézquita, and this is Guanajuato Desconocido and Metro News. #MetroNewsMx #GuanajuatoDesconocido
