Zacatecas sets Guinness record with world’s largest battle reenactment

The Mexican state of Zacatecas made history on Sunday, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest historical reenactment with its traditional Morismas del Bracho, a vast recreation of legendary battles between Christian and Moorish armies dating back to the Middle Ages.

Footage captured on Sunday shows 17,601 participants gathered at Cerro del Bracho, dressed in period military costumes and carrying spears and mock weapons.

They restaged battlefield clashes between the Christian army, led by Emperor Carlo Magno, and the Moors, commanded by Sultan Selim. The event also included a march through the streets of Zacatecas' historic centre, where Guinness World Records officials verified numbers using identification wristbands.

"From today, you, Zacatecas, are officially amazing, officially," declared Alfredo Arista, the Guinness World Records adjudicator, as he presented the award to a representative of the Cofradia de San Juan Bautista, the organisation behind the spectacle.

"We’re really pleased. I think it’s not just the members of the brotherhoods, but also the people of Zacatecas who feel proud because it’s another recognition," added Francisco Javier Cortez Nava, organiser of Las Morismas del Bracho.

The tradition, now officially in its 201st year, takes place on the final weekend of August and brings together members of numerous brotherhoods. It is a cultural and religious practice that blends faith, identity, and theatrical performance and is closely tied to the veneration of Saint John the Baptist, whose feast day falls on June 24.

"It’s a very important representation because Saint John the Baptist is the most important saint for my family," explained one participant.

"I’ve been participating for 45 years, and thank God, I am now part of the third generation taking part in this celebration," said another.

Since its inception in 1824, Las Morismas del Bracho has only been cancelled five times: in 1863 during the French intervention, in 1914 amid the Mexican Revolution, in 1934 due to the Cristero War, and most recently in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2012, it was awarded Mexico’s National Prize for Arts and Sciences in the category of Popular Arts and Traditions, hailed as an outstanding example of collective ritual performance.

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